Just gonna leave it here:
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/sep/17/barclays-staff-return-to-office-travel-working-from-home
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cqlym1n9kpyvo
18 replies (most recent on top)
Around the beginning of the 20th Century, some of the employees in the automotive, manufacturing, construction, transportation etc. Industries thought or said the same thing as you did, UNTIL other employees were brave enough to form UNIONS.
Then the former saw the benefits, power, leverage, better salaries and better working conditions obtained by the Union members.
This caused more employees to join Unions.
One of the goals of the UNITE Union in the UK from the OP's link is to obtain supplemental compensation, salary, whatever from Barclays Bank because of RTO.
If the banks are going to force 3, 4 or 5 Days, then employees should get a stipend or salary increase for doing it.
They want 3, 4 or 5 Days??? Then banks need to pay more to cover the costs of petroleum, commuting, parking, childcare, eldercare, etc..
Else the employees GO ON STRIKE !
Can you imagine the chaos and dysfunction on trading desks with few or No employees to control and monitor the trades??
This is only one example.
Unions would find a larger portion of SVP/Directors are doing admin-secretary work, junior PMO dashboards and "quick wins" than actually moving ideas and work forward.
Unions might actually find the AVP/VP workers are slightly overworked (hours) and a large section of SVP/D are asleep at the wheel, and 15-20% of SVP/D are doing the actual strategy (when allowed) or listened to.
Aside from all the union discussion, which is great but very long dated, there a simple fact to deal with right here, right now: don't come in 3 days a week, they'll make it 5. Malicious compliance? They'll make it 5. Face it, there is no union in the near future and they hold the cards here. Don't like 3 days a week? Here's 5. Didn't like 5? Here's a pip and terminated for cause, no severance. It su-ks, but that's the sitch, folks.
@g7 unions do nothing but empower and line the pockets of a few select "union leaders" and create easily manipulated large voting blocks. Unions do very little in actually making a better life for "the workers" - just enriching the elites that run the union along with their comrades. Socialism and Communism never work out for "the People", never has and never will.
@g7
Hello, Citi HR or Legal Dept ! Nice try though. LOL!
Automobile, airlines, transportation, construction, nurses, doormen in apartment buildings, doctors and other types of employees are private company employees, but yet they have unions and are able to obtain and negotiate better salaries and working conditions.
When or if they go on strike is it inconvenient for the consumers and people in general?? Yes.
But they have a right, NOT privilege to expect and demand better salaries and working conditions.
They're human too and have families.
The ONLY people I know of who oppose Unions are in one or several categories:
Business owners
In the Top 1% or 5% of the income bracket
"Human" Resources departments
The Company Legal Dept., and/or
Executive "Management".
The decline of unions and forming unions contributed to the rise of Employers' power and leverage in the "United" States of America!
@f2 the powers that be will never ever allow unionization in for-profit, private companies and banks are amongst the greediest of the lot. Unions can be both bad and good at the same time. For example, if you ask Europeans they might say that unions themselves need to be regulated. Why? Because Europeans routinely see strikes during peak holiday travel season in the transportation sector - often leaving thousands stranded. Clsoer home, we have recently seen how badly the Long Island Railroad corridor was affected due to union led strikes as also at NJ Transit.
Workers will say that the union protects me in some instances because employers can't ride roughshod over me
It is never a black or white answer. The truth lies somewhere in the middle. Either way, corporates do not spend millions contributing towards campaigns of politicians to allow them to form unions in their own backyards.
In some countries during 2024 reorg Citi unions actually negotiated that no employee with 10+ years with the company and eoy grades that are not bad will not be removed. They were all given different positions instead. It's just US that cannot unite
@b2 you know that in some countries there are unions within Citi
That is NOT what the poster said.
Reading Comprehension is important. Your grade school education failed you, and you failed both grade school and high school.
NO where did the poster say that unions were started over one century ago because employees did Not want to RTO.
It's NO Wonder Citi wants to Lay Off and Fire people because Citi can attract and retain ONLY Low Calibre quality employees.
It will not work even in the UK - no one will feel sorry for bankers :D In theory having a union is good, but...
@az No, that is not how unions were started in the USA. Your grade school education has failed you. Unions were started in the USA to address 3 very specific problems with early industrial era of the country and not wanting to work more than 2 or 3 days in a cushy air conditioned office while earning 6 figures was not one of them.
@b1 Unions are borderline communism. If you don't like the conditions of your employment then leave and find work conditions more suited to your desires.
@b2
That's what the
auto, airlines, transportation, teachers, police, firemen, construction, nursing etc. Employees once said......Until they UNIONIZED !
Thats never going to happen at Citibank with global footprint and disorganized work force
With a union there's power in numbers.
The deck and power will always be stacked in favor of the employers, but with a union the scales ⚖️ tip a little in favor of the employees.
This is how and why certain industries that have unions (auto, airlines, transportation, teachers, police, firemen, construction, nurses, etc.) are able to negotiate and obtain better salaries and working conditions.
Then Citi employees must contact Barclays' Unite Union and their head officer, Rick Coyle about how to JOIN THEIR UNION.
This is how Unions were started and grew bigger in the USA !
For example, UAW.org comprises Not only automobile employees, but also employees in other industries even though it began as a Union for automobile industry employees.
Wish we had union like that