Britain walks out: UK braced for biggest wave of strikes since the 1980s

[marmar]

from the Independent UK:



Britain walks out: UK braced for biggest wave of strikes since the 1980s
Hundreds of thousands of public employees set to strike, with co-ordinated day of action on 30 June

By Andy McSmith and Nigel Morris
Thursday, 16 June 2011


Britain is facing the largest wave of strikes since the 1980s as about 750,000 public-sector employees stage a protest against threatened changes to their pensions. The Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union yesterday announced that its members had voted to join teachers and university lecturers in a one-day co-ordinated walk-out on 30 June.

There is the prospect of much larger strikes in the autumn, with other unions joining the fight. The ballot by the 300,000-strong PCS provoked fresh hints from the Government that strike laws could be rewritten if there is a return to 1980s-style union militancy.

The strike could force thousands of parents of state school children to take a day off work or make childcare arrangements unless the handful of senior teachers uninvolved in the action keep their schools open.

Three teaching unions with a combined membership of more than 440,000 teachers and lecturers have already voted to strike on 30 June. The PCS's decision to join the co-ordinated protest will mean that job centres, government offices, courts and the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency will be hit, as well as schools and colleges. Prison staff, community-support police and immigration officials will also be drawn into it. ..............(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/britain-walks-out-uk-braced-for-biggest-wave-of-strikes-since-the-1980s-2298105.html

[malaise]

1. It's going to be a long hot summer

across the globe

[socialist_n_TN]

2. It looks like it. And it's about time

as far as I'm concerned. THEY need to know we won't lie down. And if we can't do it here, maybe the rest of the world will show US how it's done.

[malaise]

12. The reason things have reached this far has been

our docile behavior.
It's time to fight back

[socialist_n_TN]

18. Word! And that word IS

solidarity! :fistbump: :)

[amborin]

13. a hot summer indeed!

[HFCanMan]

3. And yet we wonder why people hate unions.

I'm not saying I disagree with the Unions actions, I fully support them.

The thing is most people don't care what they are going on strike for and why, they simply care they had to make other arrangements and were inconvenienced.

IN my mind such large strikes can only hurt the unions.

[marmar]

4. "And yet we wonder why people hate unions."

Perhaps you should start hanging with a different crowd. Nobody in my social circle hates unions.

[HFCanMan]

5. Right now in Canada...

Canada post and Air Canada are on strike.

Simply being out in town I hear tons of genitive things about the unions because on a simple inconvenience. Many people only care about themselves and won't deal with the minuscule inconvenience that will in turn benefit everyone.

If they can't send a letter or send their kids to school nothing else matters to many.

If only I could have recoded the conversations while I was having my coffee today.

[Ikonoklast]

16. Too bad, strikes are supposed to inconvenience people.

If they were paying attention at all, they would walk the picket lines in solidarity; if those people that only care about themselves are put out a little bit over it, they deserve to be put out.

Anyone that is anti-Union is lower than whale shit, and deserves their lot in life.

[novealphtang]

24. Funny that you should brng up whales....

...because the whaling industry in Japan is a good example of a union acting ore like a particularly noxious MNC. Harming the global commons permanently so that they can save their butts may not be quite as odious as doing so so the top shareholders can make an even grater return on their investment,yet it still stinks. I dont want to minimize the huge unemployment problem Japan has, but for the economic viability of Japanese seaside villages,the fishing industry is killing off what cannot be restored to the environment.

[laundry_queen]

21. That sounds pretty much par for the course where I am as well.

Seems like everyone has turned into a narcissist when they talk about the postal strike.

[socialist_n_TN]

6. So, we should just take what the capitalists determine

that we're worth? We shouldn't fight back at all? Remember the only thing that the working class has is their labor. And the ability to withhold that labor. \

Anyway, that sounds like a pretty damn big action. Perhaps most of the people will support the action. It's not like they won't have time to make other arrangements. Maybe EVERYBODY should decide to strike. Make it a national holiday.

[HFCanMan]

8. No...

we shouldn't and yes we should fight back.

I think it's essential to fight back but I don't know if some strikes are a good idea in general. The one in the story seams okay, but the ones that stretch into the weeks are huge issues.

I personally like rotating strikes. Canada Posts Union was doing those and costing the company a lot of money, yet not causing so much of a disturbance to lose support. Now Canada post has locked them out and they've gotten even more support.

[socialist_n_TN]

15. I have no problem with rotating strikes either

Especially while a revolutionary situation is building. Rotating, limited general strikes, even illegal wildcat strikes. No problems with any of them while things are building. Ask your buds what they will do when the capitalists break the unions all together. Because make no mistake, that's their goal. So, who's side are they on? That's the key question.

[whatchamacallit]

7. Snark delete n/t

[HFCanMan]

10. Of which..

I'm neither. I explained my opinion in my other replies.

[whatchamacallit]

17. Dig

I'll fix it.

[amborin]

9. strikes help unions, for many reasons

there's a large literature showing this

as for the idiots who cannot see beyond their bubble: they're just ignorant, selfish, and myopic

[HFCanMan]

11. I agree but...

"
as for the idiots who cannot see beyond their bubble: they're just ignorant, selfish, and myopic"

I've found that to be a terrible amount of people.

[Dappleganger]

14. You don't fully support unions if you don't support their right to strike.

[coalition_unwilling]

19. Political consciousness is far more advanced in the UK than in the

U.S. Yes, people in the UK will be inconvenienced by the general strike but they also understand far better than the working class here what the stakes are. Such large strikes, far from hurting the unions, can actually accomplish a lot of positive societal change.

[Hugabear]

20. You don't quite grasp the concept of unions, do you?

It's not as if union workers enjoy going on strike. Strikes are usually a means of last resort, when all other methods have been tried.

Strikes are designed to not only shut down productivity, but to also draw public attention to the workers' plight. They're supposed to be inconvenient.

By the way, I hope you realize that many of the working conditions you take for granted were fought for and won by unions. Do yo enjoy having weekends off? Do you enjoy having vacation time? Do you like overtime pay? Do you appreciate being able to work in a safe environment?

[Prophet 451]

22. Um, most people DO know why they're going on strike

They're striking over the ConDem's insane austerity measures, everyone knows this and a good portion of the public agrees with them.

[Prophet 451]

23. Huzzah!

I'm a Brit and the unions here have been very clear about what their problem is (the insane cuts by the ConDems that will put up to a million out of work) and a fair portion of the public agrees with them (I certainly do). Given how hated the ConDems are only a year after they snuck into power, the government will be lucky to see out half a term.