IT Bods, Start an IT Union??

[Vipers]

Who thinks that there should be a Union for IT staff? and should we go on strike?

[shadowninja]

i wish. maybe i wouldn't have been made redundant, along with a lot of friends and colleagues. and maybe, like the farmers, we would have got subsidies to pay us until things picked up. :mad: what makes it even worse is that now outsourcing goes to india etc, cos its cheaper... just like with farmers and cheaper produce being brought in from europe... only we dont get help, we get P45s. :rolleyes:

[Vez]

Nope :D

Unions are the blight of British industry (or whats left of it).

Queue flamage :D

[Mr_Sukebe]

Just why would we even need a union?

The usual objective of a union is to ensure that staff are treated at an acceptable level and a vaguely reasonable salary.

Bearing in mind that we're in IT, we already have good working stds and well above average pay (well that's why I joined IT, don't know about you). Yes I know we sometimes complain about the crap we receive, the stress, being on call etc, but it doesn't really compare with going down a mine, working in a steelworks or similar.
So basically we work in an area where supply and demand work. If you're good and have experience, chances are that you're in demand, so we already get a premium salary rate.

Of course we could start a union just to piss of the management crew and result in being outsourced to another company. Great idea that would be.

[Vipers]

i see what your saying, altho its hard to get your foot in the door for the first time, i know i found this when i was looking for a job.

i was told about a job in rugby club to surf internet after a week they asked me to be their IT guy after they had seen my CV and called me a manager so it was by chance and knowing some one how i got my job.

i just think it needs to be easier to get in there for the first time

i have only found 2 places that will take people strait from college ( not uni) a programming house and a can't remeber what the other one was tho.

i think more companies should take on 18 yr olds strait from college with at least an a-level in IT or Computing

[marty_t3]

Vipers,

I know what your saying about getting the foot in the door. After i left uni i worked in a PC manufacturing factory fitting simms into motherboards for £4.50 an hour. I just happened to be in the right place at the right time when they wanted to hire another engineer. Otherwise i'd have never got into IT.

And it's all gone downhill from there....

I wish i'd become a fireman :D

[Vez]

Stress? Eh Wtf?

Stress is a state of frigging mind, you have a choice: Get Stressed and suffer the consequences OR DONT (simple as).

I used to get stressed, but whats the point!!

[shadowninja]

hmm its also hard for those with good experience to get jobs, thanks to the downturn in the economy. so don't get cocky with your boss or you'll find out just how tight the market is!

[marty_t3]

I'm finding out the hard way just how difficult it is to get a decent job even with plenty of experience. The way the market is right now, i'd have to drop a few grand a year just to stay competitive with younger guys. Got an interview on tomorrow for a job that pays 4 grand a year less. Only benefit is that it's permanent.... well... apart from the car allowance, the pension, and the bonusses :D

I blame the IT recruitment agencies. They've choked the wages for IT guys!!! Aside from promotions and changing jobs i haven't had a pay rise over 2% for 6 years. The agencies have that many people on their books right now that they can always find someone who will do the job for less money.

[Vipers]

i personally don't get stressed, can't be bothered. but sometimes theres these 2 women in the offices that are reall bitches and pi55 me off big time!!

[Vez]

Just connect to there C drive periodically and delete there outlook.exe

That'll shut the feckers up ;)

[Vipers]

either that or do a web report for their user name s(not mine that wud be huge!!) and for their e-mails see how much of it is non work related:D

[Chris_Lacey]

IT Staff do need a union. The reason we have high salaries is because we are one of the few fields that is totally dynamic, how many of you use skills from 5 years ago to any great extent today? The fact that we are in an almost constant state of learning justifies the salaries. As for working conditions, we don't have good working conditions, inflexible deadlines, client pressure, long hours, call out, constant learning and pressure from IT illiterate senior managers.

There should be a Union for IT staff, saying "it's quite good already" doesn't justify some of the peeps I know doing 50+ hour weeks with split shifts for 15k a year and no real benefits.

And as for Vez's comment regarding the Unions, why do you think that the working practises and laws in place today are there? The companies didn't just say, sure take a 35 hour working week, paid lunch, pension and benefits.. They were forced on the large companies by unions, the smaller companies then had to follow suit to retain staff. Before you slag off the unions, make sure you know all that they have done for you. The 1970's was not indicative of Union behavior, people seem to have forgotten all the good things they did, primarily due to Tory propeganda.

Bah!