Good old Serwotka.

[Danthus]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-18912742

Thousands of Home Office staff will strike the day before the Olympics open, the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union has said.

PCS members will strike for 24 hours next Thursday - when many thousands of visitors are due to arrive in the UK.

Home Secretary Theresa May said the action was "shameful" as it threatens disruption to people travelling to London for the Games.

Immigration minister Damian Green said contingency plans were in place.

East Midlands Trains staff have also voted to strike during the Olympics.

PCS union members will take other forms of action from July 27 to August 20, including working-to-rule and an overtime ban.

The PCS said 57.2% of those who voted backed strike action - the turnout was 20%.

Only 1 in 5 bothered to vote, it is disgusting that a minority can cause this disruption.

 

[doofer]

Lolympics.

 

['Harry]

Haha what a farce this is turning out to be. Can Britain do ANYTHING right?

 

[Danthus]

Haha what a farce this is turning out to be. Can Britain do ANYTHING right?

What do you mean?

 

[scorza]

If only 1 in 5 PCS members strike then there won't be any problem will there? But the vast majority will strike because they support the action.

For the vast majority of British people it's better to put up with one bad day due to industrial action during the Olympics than suffer weeks and months of disruption after the Olympics due to the government's mishandled cuts.

 

[Marky]

Good ol' Britain. We're hosting an event that literally billions will watch all over the world - and some decide to take advantage and strike to get more money.

 

[Castiel]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-18912742
Only 1 in 5 bothered to vote, it is disgusting that a minority can cause this disruption.

It's not disgusting, it is the fault of the 4/5 employees who didn't care enough to vote one way or the other. If they did then the strike might not have happened, as they didn't then they are effectively in support, whether they are personally in favour or not.

Besides I don't care enough about the Olympics in any case.

 

[The Halk]

I don't understand how a motion can be considered carried if only 11.2% of people voted for it.

The Tories mumbled about putting minimum turnout percentages on unions to stop this type of thing happening.

I don't know what to think about the 80% that didn't bother to vote. If it was an issue to them then they'd have bothered to vote - either way. I guess they really are just saying "lol I dunno you decide".

Anyway - striking on the olympics is a pretty low form of blackmail. **** em. Don't give in to their demands.

 

[Castiel]

I don't understand how a motion can be considered carried if only 11.2% of people voted for it.

The Tories mumbled about putting minimum turnout percentages on unions to stop this type of thing happening.

If only 20% of the electorate turn put to vote in a general election does that mean the result isn't valid?

If the Tories want to put minimum turnout stipulations in democratic processes then they should do so with all elections......will that happen?..I doubt it.

 

[scorza]

I don't understand how a motion can be considered carried if only 11.2% of people voted for it.

The Tories mumbled about putting minimum turnout percentages on unions to stop this type of thing happening.

I don't know what to think about the 80% that didn't bother to vote. If it was an issue to them then they'd have bothered to vote - either way. I guess they really are just saying "lol I dunno you decide".

Anyway - striking on the olympics is a pretty low form of blackmail. **** em. Don't give in to their demands.

If only 11.2% of people voted against the strike, the strike should go ahead then? You can't have it both ways.

 

[Fenris]

I wouldn't be surprised if they'd been planning this for 4 years.

Besides I don't care enough about the Olympics in any case.

Unfortunately Castiel however much I respect your opinions on pretty much everything, this time it is utterly redundant. The fact is at this time the UK needs the Olympics to go off without a hitch, or as close to that as possible, this kind of action is entirely selfish and will achieve nothing.

 

[The Halk]

If only 20% of the electorate turn put to vote in a general election does that mean the result isn't valid?

If the Tories want to put minimum turnout stipulations in democratic processes then they should do so with all elections......will that happen?..I doubt it.

If only 11.2% of people voted against the strike, the strike should go ahead then? You can't have it both ways.

See when I said I didn't understand how it could be carried and I didn't know what to think about the other 80%. What I meant was I didn't understand how it could be carried and I didn't know what to think about the other 80%.

You both appear to have assumed I have an opinion formed which I'm firmly behind, and you're arguing against. I don't. While only 11% appear to have voted for it, less than 11% have voted against - so it's no ringing mandate but equally that's what the majority of union members who expressed an opinion said.

 

[scorza]

See when I said I didn't understand how it could be carried and I didn't know what to think about the other 80%. What I meant was I didn't understand how it could be carried and I didn't know what to think about the other 80%.

You both appear to have assumed I have an opinion formed which I'm firmly behind, and you're arguing against. I don't. While only 11% appear to have voted for it, less than 11% have voted against - so it's no ringing mandate but equally that's what the majority of union members who expressed an opinion said.

Isn't that what successive governments have wanted? Apathy and subservience?

 

[The Halk]

Isn't that what successive governments have wanted? Apathy and subservience?

I think that's pretty much what anyone in power wants, yep. And our system of elections favours those who want to keep being politicians, and to them apathy and subservience I guess are good things.

 

[Castiel]

Unfortunately Castiel however much I respect your opinions on pretty much everything, this time it is utterly redundant. The fact is at this time the UK needs the Olympics to go off without a hitch, or as close to that as possible, this kind of action is entirely selfish and will achieve nothing.

I am suffering from Olympics Apathy to be honest and I find it difficult to care about something that has cost so much and has such short term impact. I don't think the PCS are being selfish, I think they have valid concerns and complaints and choosing the day before the Olympics is an astute choice as the Govt is obviously not listening to them and are pushing them into a situation where they have little choice but to strike.

I also find it pretty disgusting how Theresa May is haranguing the Home Office staff as being shameful and selfish when she has had nothing to say about G4S and that little debacle.

It is all very well to say we should all support the Olympics, but not at the expense of people and their livelihoods, which in my opinion is far more important than a few weeks of track and field.

I voted for the Conservatives in the GE, and I have been fairly comfortable with that choice, however recently I find myself increasingly ashamed to have made that choice, as it seems the weaker the LDs become in the Coalition, the more Thatcherite the Government is becoming with regard employees rights and how they are treating the less well off in our society.

Having said that, I hope it all goes well and while I will be avoiding the Olympics like the plague, I hope everyone has a great time and that the GB team and the US team both do equally well.....

 

[kwerk]

Oh heavens whatever will the UK do with the non-jobbers on strike?

 

[The Halk]

All 3 main parties since the turn of the century have fully surrendered to populism. My hope with the coalition was that they had not - I was wrong.

However it's not the government that lose out if there's strikes damaging the olympics, it's Britain as a whole - even if you don't care about the olympics on a personal level (I don't either) it's going to harm the prestige we're trying to get from running them (even if I don't think there's a net benefit).

 

[Collider]

It does strike me as a bit of hyperbole actually in terms of impact.

I worked in the former IND. Most of the members of this union are not immigration officers. The majority of this union's members are either AIOs or they work in the agencies processing passports and record applications. Immigration officers have a different union.

While for the Olympics they are no doubt putting a lot of support staff on the front of the terminals, the PSU represents more support staff. The idea that this will actually really disrupt the Olympics strikes me as headline grabbing nonsense and to be honest its opportunistic by the Union in suggesting they will damage the reputation of Britain and the Olympics and everyone is so bonkers about the whole thing anything is a massive headline about it.

We do really seem to hate success sometimes in the UK..if its not a potential disaster it just ain't news.

 

[Castiel]

All 3 main parties since the turn of the century have fully surrendered to populism. My hope with the coalition was that they had not - I was wrong.

That was my hope.....I had hoped the Conservatives had learned from mistakes of Thatcherism and that the Lob Dems would have a positive influence on them....I was hoping that one would both complement and curb the excesses of the other....It would appear I was too optimistic.

However it's not the government that lose out if there's strikes damaging the olympics, it's Britain as a whole - even if you don't care about the olympics on a personal level (I don't either) it's going to harm the prestige we're trying to get from running them (even if I don't think there's a net benefit).

I don't think it will, I doubt that there will be too much impact to begin with and any potential damage that there might be will be aimed at the Government as the opposition and media will ensure it does.....I also expect that any damage to British reputation will be shortlived as soon as the Olympics is done with and the next newsworthy cockup enters the public consciousness.

Big mountains out of rather tiny molehills......

 

[Deleted member 66701]

Only 1 in 5 bothered to vote, it is disgusting that a minority can cause this disruption.

Yeah democracy is a *****!

Then again, if it's good enough to get the Tories into power then I suppose it's ok?