People that strike - what do we think of them?
Poll: People that strike - what do we think of them?
Total Members Polled: 440
Discussion
Me, I don't like the unions, I've never joined one although in my present occupation it might be a good idea and I might fall into their clutches soon...
I don't like the way employees can raise their middle fingers to their employers and make all sorts of s
tty demands or they'll refuse to work.
I don't like the way any union that has ever asked me to join makes donations to Labour.
Who suffers? More often than not, it's the innocent parties. Teachers don't go to work, kids can't go to school, parents have to take unscheduled time off work, they won't get paid and may even pick up a disciplinary because of their absense. Who gets the public sympathy? Not the fking teachers. Those s tell us they're in it for the love of widening the horizons of children then they throw their toys out the pram because an unrealistic pension is being brought more into line with the rest of us? Caring people, my arse!
Baggage handlers go on strike, millions can't fly. People fly for various reasons, it's not just millionaires going to Barbados for the fourth time this year, sometimes it's normal people whose families live far away, they've saved for months to see their mother but now can't go because 2.5% is deemed insufficient reward for the highly challenging job of lifting a bag and throwing it on a trailer.
Firemen go on strike for two days over bonfire night because their bosses wanted to change their shift pattern. What's the problem? Ah, it'd mean less time wking in the toilets and getting paid for sleeping. Again, an occupation where you do it because you want to make some sort of a difference but this lot thought it'd be a good idea to take two days off when fire-setting is at its peak. Nice one.
Anyway, I didn't mean for this to be a rant, I just want to know what the Pistonheads massive think. Is striking ever justified?
I don't like the way employees can raise their middle fingers to their employers and make all sorts of s
tty demands or they'll refuse to work. I don't like the way any union that has ever asked me to join makes donations to Labour.
Who suffers? More often than not, it's the innocent parties. Teachers don't go to work, kids can't go to school, parents have to take unscheduled time off work, they won't get paid and may even pick up a disciplinary because of their absense. Who gets the public sympathy? Not the f
king teachers. Those s tell us they're in it for the love of widening the horizons of children then they throw their toys out the pram because an unrealistic pension is being brought more into line with the rest of us? Caring people, my arse!Baggage handlers go on strike, millions can't fly. People fly for various reasons, it's not just millionaires going to Barbados for the fourth time this year, sometimes it's normal people whose families live far away, they've saved for months to see their mother but now can't go because 2.5% is deemed insufficient reward for the highly challenging job of lifting a bag and throwing it on a trailer.
Firemen go on strike for two days over bonfire night because their bosses wanted to change their shift pattern. What's the problem? Ah, it'd mean less time w
king in the toilets and getting paid for sleeping. Again, an occupation where you do it because you want to make some sort of a difference but this lot thought it'd be a good idea to take two days off when fire-setting is at its peak. Nice one.Anyway, I didn't mean for this to be a rant, I just want to know what the Pistonheads massive think. Is striking ever justified?
What other ways do the workforce have to safely and legally make a point and make sure it's heard?
This isn't pro/anti so much as an actual question: what are the other options? Are they better/less inconvenient/more civilised?
PS talk to a firefighter about their specific issues sometime... it's complex and many are opposed because they genuinely think it's less safe. What would you do?
This isn't pro/anti so much as an actual question: what are the other options? Are they better/less inconvenient/more civilised?
PS talk to a firefighter about their specific issues sometime... it's complex and many are opposed because they genuinely think it's less safe. What would you do?
Paddy_N_Murphy said:
ffs some 24 year old poppet on the news tonight - teacher - says she choose to become a teacher because of the Pension.
Lying bh.
You show me a 24 year old that 'knows' about Pensions existing, never mind choosing a career because of it !!
WTF?? That's not the sort of person I'd want teaching my kids, I do hope her board of governors spots her, that could put the brakes on a career very quickly.Lying b
h.You show me a 24 year old that 'knows' about Pensions existing, never mind choosing a career because of it !!
I must say I'm a little annoyed that my pay has been frozen for at least two years and our pensions are getting messed about with - not to mention the possibility of redundancy over the next four years, but in my line of work going on strike isn't an option. I certainly think that the pensions in the public sector are one of the reasons for choosing that career path - in my case anyway.
Unfortunately unions are a very necessary evil.
The headline reasons for a strike are usually nothing more than triggers for a show of strength that hides many other underlying issues.
Your beef isn't with airport workers for ruining your holiday or tube drivers for messing your day up- it's with BAA or tube management for failing to manage their company effectively to provide the service- how and why that came about is irrelevant, and in any event, can normally be averted with good leadership.
The headline reasons for a strike are usually nothing more than triggers for a show of strength that hides many other underlying issues.
Your beef isn't with airport workers for ruining your holiday or tube drivers for messing your day up- it's with BAA or tube management for failing to manage their company effectively to provide the service- how and why that came about is irrelevant, and in any event, can normally be averted with good leadership.
The threat of strike action can be empowering, the act of strike action can be useful.
My wife is a nurse, finishing her 4th 12 hour shift this week (2 more to go), has been sworn at and kicked already this week, no sob story, it's a typical week - the salary in return is frankly st for such a responsible important job which requires a University education.
How do the government get away with it - because they know the nurses won't strike. At least one of the nursing unions actually has a specific 'no strike' policy.
Action does bring results, it might be inconvenient for others but sometimes you have to put yourself first.
Edited to correct a life threatening grammatical error.
My wife is a nurse, finishing her 4th 12 hour shift this week (2 more to go), has been sworn at and kicked already this week, no sob story, it's a typical week - the salary in return is frankly s
t for such a responsible important job which requires a University education.How do the government get away with it - because they know the nurses won't strike. At least one of the nursing unions actually has a specific 'no strike' policy.
Action does bring results, it might be inconvenient for others but sometimes you have to put yourself first.
Edited to correct a life threatening grammatical error.
Edited by anonymous-user on Thursday 30th June 18:34
Papa Hotel said:
WTF?? That's not the sort of person I'd want teaching my kids, I do hope her board of governors spots her, that could put the brakes on a career very quickly.
The type of people you don't want teaching your kids are the three wastrels that lived with my Mrs. during their university teaching "education" degree thing.A bunch of more useless, ill-educated, intellectually retarded individuals you would be hard pressed to find.
I used to console myself with the fact that they were surely just wasting time and tax payers' money on this folly; for surely nobody would or could employ such cretins!
All three are now perpetuating the cycle of poor education onto the next generation of unfortunates.
I simply cannot imagine the standards of the hundreds who applied for and failed to gain the employment popsitions that they maintain.
hairyben said:
Unfortunately unions are a very necessary evil.
The headline reasons for a strike are usually nothing more than triggers for a show of strength that hides many other underlying issues.
Your beef isn't with airport workers for ruining your holiday or tube drivers for messing your day up- it's with BAA or tube management for failing to manage their company effectively to provide the service- how and why that came about is irrelevant, and in any event, can normally be averted with good leadership.
No, my beef is with the unions; at least those unions who elect to strike When their members have a more than fair settlement available. The headline reasons for a strike are usually nothing more than triggers for a show of strength that hides many other underlying issues.
Your beef isn't with airport workers for ruining your holiday or tube drivers for messing your day up- it's with BAA or tube management for failing to manage their company effectively to provide the service- how and why that came about is irrelevant, and in any event, can normally be averted with good leadership.
Kwai Chang Caine said:
Nope. It's just that the reason you cited is no different to that of the government.
I'm referring to striking in general, not the issues at the centre of today's strike, and I think firms/governments/authorities don't always try to make changes that are wholly necessary, but rather changes that they think are acceptable/that they can get away with - striking is a way of a collective voice having some power to say that it's not acceptable.Yes, I did have a hissy fit, with the amount of grammar/spelling nazis on this site it's sometimes hard not to
yellowbentines said:
The threat of strike action can be empowering, the act of strike action can be useful.
My wife is a nurse, finishing her 4th 12 hour shift this week (2 more to go), has been sworn at and kicked already this week, no sob story, it's a typical week - the salary in return is frankly st for such a responsible important job which requires a University education.
How do the government get away with it - because they know the nurses won't strike. At least one of the nursing unions actually has a specific 'no strike' policy.
Action does bring results, it might be inconvenient for others but sometimes you have to put yourself first.
Edited to correct a life threatening grammatical error.
Yes that's all very commendable etc, however, I'm quite sure the job was the same when she looked into doing it as a career initially so why complain now?My wife is a nurse, finishing her 4th 12 hour shift this week (2 more to go), has been sworn at and kicked already this week, no sob story, it's a typical week - the salary in return is frankly s
t for such a responsible important job which requires a University education.How do the government get away with it - because they know the nurses won't strike. At least one of the nursing unions actually has a specific 'no strike' policy.
Action does bring results, it might be inconvenient for others but sometimes you have to put yourself first.
Edited to correct a life threatening grammatical error.
Edited by yellowbentines on Thursday 30th June 18:34
It's like cock womble complaining he's driving all day, stuck in his cab and not able to go faster than 56mph!
If people don't like their jobs then leave or if they're stuck then just be dignified and shut up.
I don’t disagree with striking, as historically it has made many a working family man’s job better/safer. But I cannot and will not accept that in the current climate, striking because you don’t like a change that is sorely needed. I listened to the Radio today and was stunned to hear a teacher say
"why should we accept a change to our pensions, I am sure if anyone in the private sector had a change of their pension forced on them, they would strike"
We'll I work in the private sector and 8 years ago, my company saw the writing on the wall about final salary and no contribution pensions and forced this exact change on us, what did we do, we joined together and took them to court over it (as it was a contractual change we didn’t agree to), and we lost, as the company were able to show that if they didn’t change, then the current pension scheme would simply ruin them. We accepted that we lost, and got on with our jobs, some with the same company some with new companies, we didn’t "down tools" and didn’t expect any one else to in sympathy for us.
I am proud of the teachers at my sons school, who all without fail turned up today, realising that the important part of their job is not just what they get from their employer but also (and to us more important) what they get from the children who we entrust to them for 5/6 hours a day.
"why should we accept a change to our pensions, I am sure if anyone in the private sector had a change of their pension forced on them, they would strike"
We'll I work in the private sector and 8 years ago, my company saw the writing on the wall about final salary and no contribution pensions and forced this exact change on us, what did we do, we joined together and took them to court over it (as it was a contractual change we didn’t agree to), and we lost, as the company were able to show that if they didn’t change, then the current pension scheme would simply ruin them. We accepted that we lost, and got on with our jobs, some with the same company some with new companies, we didn’t "down tools" and didn’t expect any one else to in sympathy for us.
I am proud of the teachers at my sons school, who all without fail turned up today, realising that the important part of their job is not just what they get from their employer but also (and to us more important) what they get from the children who we entrust to them for 5/6 hours a day.
yellowbentines said:
I'm referring to striking in general, not the issues at the centre of today's strike, and I think firms/governments/authorities don't always try to make changes that are wholly necessary, but rather changes that they think are acceptable/that they can get away with - striking is a way of a collective voice having some power to say that it's not acceptable.
Yes, I did have a hissy fit, with the amount of grammar/spelling nazis on this site it's sometimes hard not to
It's not the 1800s, and we're not talking about the time of the founding of the Labour party when the proletariat were disenfranchised. Workers these days "have never had it so good", and would do well to remember that. Companies will always try to take the piss, that's pretty much a given, but employees do have many more ways of getting even (and I speak from experience).Yes, I did have a hissy fit, with the amount of grammar/spelling nazis on this site it's sometimes hard not to
yellowbentines said:
I'm referring to striking in general, not the issues at the centre of today's strike, and I think firms/governments/authorities don't always try to make changes that are wholly necessary, but rather changes that they think are acceptable/that they can get away with - striking is a way of a collective voice having some power to say that it's not acceptable.
Yes, I did have a hissy fit, with the amount of grammar/spelling nazis on this site it's sometimes hard not to
Sure, that's one way of looking at it. Another way would be to say it's a protection racket. "Give in to our demands or suffer the consequences".Yes, I did have a hissy fit, with the amount of grammar/spelling nazis on this site it's sometimes hard not to
GTIR said:
I'm quite sure the job was the same when she looked into doing it as a career initially
Not at all. Clever "restructuring" by NHS bosses that have never left an office results in altered pay grades, lower unsocial hours pay, lower holiday pay, lower nightshift allowance etc meaning you get paid less for doing the equivalent hours, with less equipment and higher patient per staff member ratio.
I have no doubt the above can be applied to many jobs and industries.
Also, certain jobs such as firefighters, nurses, police officers etc provide little option of moving employers.
yellowbentines said:
Also, certain jobs such as firefighters, nurses, police officers etc provide little option of moving employers.
Really? So the ex-copper I worked with a few years ago who was working as a salesman (and a bodyguard prior to that) and earning good money was what, exactly?Gassing Station | News, Politics & Economics | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff