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When I was involved it, in no way, represented teachers best interests.
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Unforgivable. We have a few unions who are a bit ineffective, but the worst is when you get a branch (it's rarely a whole union that's at fault, more likely a branch in a particular part of the country) where the branch officers are working primarily to continue their own role. I've come across one or two like that. One of the Leeds branches of one of the major general unions is awful fo rthat. They run it like a club. They are getting paid by their nominal employer, to work for the union and represent their members interests: instead they fuck about wanking each other off about how great they are, knocking off at 3 on Friday to go to the pub and just not being effective, or interested in their members' struggles.
I know this because they got so pissed off with the few who did do their job and therefore made them look bad that they effectively ran one of them out of the union. Made up a bunch of stuff, slurred him and ended with him having to change unions. Shame, he really gave a shit about his members. The worst of the guys at that union, is an incompetant alcoholic and if he ever had to try and survive again in Social Work he'd end up pensioned off before you can say "drunken twat".
But...in my experience there's usually enough decent people working in most union branches that most of them at least try to represent their members effectively.
In terms of teaching unions: I think the NUT is a solid member led union. Certainly my interraction with teachers from that union and their reps has impressed me.