Can a workforce leave a trade union and act together without it?

We are a workforce of at least 400 working in the HUBs for TNT Express UK.
Our employer wants to reduce our wages by £100 PER WEEK.
Our current trade union, UNITE doesn't seem to be representing us very well at all.
As the company has a negotiation agreement with the union if we all left UNITE would this still stand or would we as an independent team of employees be able to fight for our own agreement?
We have 3 weeks before the negotiation time runs out.
Thanks for any UK based answers.
Additional Details
I don't know if it makes a difference but we are the night sorting staff, ie labourers. No salary cuts have been made to the approx 1500 office jobs who lift nothing heavier than a piece of paper!

gail

TNT are not a good company to work for....i have recently had personal experience.
Your representatives in the workplace should have been voted in by the members if the members are not happy with the way they are being represented then vote them out and re elect a new one. You sound yourself like a possible candidiate!!!!
Contact Unites head office you should be able to find the contact details through their web site or the tuc's web site and tell them that you feel you and 400 others within TNT are not happy with the way things are going and ask for one of their area conveners to visit tell them that the union stand to lose its 400 members.
TNT have a reputation for having the union in their pockets but you must remember that you have paid money into this union and you now want the service that they promised to provide when they took your subs every week.
As for going it alone you won't have enough time but i know that there are a lot of trade unionists coming away from the big unions and starting up on their own due to the fact that they don't like the way the big ones are being run now. These small unions don't sell holidays or offer discounts on insurance they deal with employment workplace disputes only, but it depends where you live as to which one you can contact.
Be careful though i know TNT are looking for any excuse to get rid of staff.
Good Luck ! e mail me if you need any help.

Eddy T

A workforce can resign from a trade union in order to register and form a new union. This will take time. I think it is best that your workforce complain to the secretary of UNITE about your dissatisfaction.

Aurelius

Yes a workforce can. But it shouldn't expect much support from other workforces.
The unity comes from the Union.

Robert B

Mebbe in a place where you talk about 'L 100 PER WEEK' but where you talk '$'s per hour' you'll sleep with the fishes for that kind of talk.

JM33

All Trade Unions have become Useless in recent years, Taking subscriptions and not Earning them, all talk and No action. You need to Organise the Workforce then put it to the Unite Rep because you will have Difficulty getting a new Agreement in the Present climate. Put it to Him/Her that Unless they Fight this on your behalf, you will Dump the Union on Mass. The Employer will simply say the Agreement was with Unite not You!

John S

Far better to write to unite and tell them you are unhappy with the way they represent you.

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