For many people (mostly just me) the idea of unions calls forth images of uppity, management-hating, strike-at-the-drop-of-a-hat shop stewards, like the immortal Fred Kite, or Kenneth Cope in Carry On at Your Convenience. But it turns out that unions do good things too. One such union, The Writers' Guild of Great Britain protects the interests of the scribes of this scepter'd isle. Best of all, their website tells you how much you should be getting paid. For most things at least, except books, which apparently doesn't fall under their lobbying. Still, if you're yearning to be a member of something other than the Beano club, then annual membership starts at £20.

The Writers' Guild of Great Britain