Strike! Strike!

Abraxaz1

Abraxaz1

Abraxaz1

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So had a nice email from my union and it looks like the first strike of the British steel industry in 35 years, we have been told we are walking out on in July and are only working to contracted hours until then.

The main reasons for the strike seem to be:
* Closure of the British steel pension.
* Company not paying back the £750m it borrowed from the fund during the recession.
* Company raising the retirement age from 60 to 65 and docking people who retire after 60 and before 65 25% of their total pension.

I am honestly striking because there is no way I can work in this manner until I'm 65, I'll die before then. The managers own pensions are being effected just ours.

Also the company is raising the targets to unattainable levels so we can never hit them.

Anyway do you guys support industrial action over this?
 
Dolph said:
Tata steel lost £400m last year, and there is a deficit of £2bn in the pension fund.

Will you be better off if they tata just give up and shut the lot?
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The loss they claim isn't actually against real figures, it is actually against the targets the top management set. The ones where we have to roll 24 hours a day 7 days a week with no stops for maintenance or incidents. The actually profit for last year is in the £100milion mark but they don't publish it.

We would be better if we had the European laws for working in heavy industry, i.e early retirement.
Its going to get to the point where people will complete work at 65 and die at 66, a steel workers life is a lot harder than most industries.
 
Ahleckz said:
If you're going to be dead if you work until 65, then there are a lot bigger issues than you simply having to work.

Of course you shouldn't be striking, this is endemic of the culture we live in nowadays. Times are changing, people shouldn't be retiring at 60 when they have 20+ years of life to lead and it's ridiculous to think that the state should support them. You want a decent pension in your later life? You pay for it.
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The problems is the average life expectancy has no bearing on some industries, steel workers have significantly lower life expectancies than other professions due to the atmosphere (full of dust), contact with chemicals ( plenty of carcinogenic substance), work is a lot harder due to size and heat of plant.

Problem is you can't expect a 65 year old to work 12 hour shifts. They will die.
 
haz_pro said:
If you think your career is going to kill you before retirement I'd suggest you take the strike day and interview for some new roles...
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Its not about me, its about the guys that have put 34+ years into the place and are being told they have to work another 15 for what was promised them at 60.

If they close it I will just find a job abroad, less tax better treatment and quality of life. Swansea and the vallys will become a even bigger area of depression
 
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