Strikes

[Christmas themed thank]

So there's another strike on SWR on the 31st December.

This has got me thinking about strikes. They are a part of a democracy and it is a legal right but on the other hand, it is mightily inconvenient for passengers.

What I am confused about is the striking. My understanding is that it is another strike about driver-only operated doors. I'm a bit bemused why the train companies are so insistent on doing this as they keep saying they won't cut the number of staff on the train, which if true, why bother with this policy? It seems odd to me but I'm not a train expert so perhaps somebody could explain better.

The issue is clearly compounded by the continued rising in fares but that is down to an IMHO failed privatised system but we can debate that as well separately.

So strikes, what do you all think?

 

[robfosters]

I get strikes over poor pay and safety, but I can’t see what there is to strike over here. No one getting the sack and safety is not compromised in any way. DOO doors are already used on 30% of the network and I don’t think there has been any major incidents.

Unless the union feel that the initial promise of no job losses won’t last long, which is more than possible.

I don’t like DOO. If it’s a cold day and the trains nearly empty, it’s horrible when the doors open and no one gets on and you get freezing cold air rushing in.

 

[adolf hamster]

it's a double edged sword.

striking for good reason will raise awareness, get you some public sympathy and potentially pressure to get your issue resolved.

striking for a poor reason (or a badly comunicated good reason) will get you public annoyance and a reputation.

 

[terley]

Bus strikes where a joke in the north west recently they are being paid way over national living wage, and the only people effected are those that cannot drive or don't earn enough to do so..

Unlike SWR in the NW there are very few places that public transport is an actual better option, the strikes here lead to Elderly people being trapped at home, and students unable to engage with studies.. Absolutely ridiculous.

Similar to the Jr Doctors strikes, a joke of a cause..

The country is starting to look more and more like a pre-thatcher mess.

 

[Efour]

Race to the bottom Britain. You are all in this together. Just you wait when employment law will be uncertain in a year's time. All the commies will find their voices.

 

[Dolph]

Strikes are increasingly being used as blackmail to obtain unwarranted benefits, rather than to address injustice. This is certainly the case in the railways and public sector.

Striking is not the action of desperate employees, but greedy ones who want more despite not being able to get more by changing roles or employer which would suggest their work was being under valued.

We need more controls, restrictions and consequences on strike action.

 

[Diddums]

The people who strike in this country are doing it the wrong way around. Instead of striking to affect the people who pay your wages, open all the gates so that those who pay can still use your services, and those who claim their nice big bonuses every year and put up the prices get stung the hardest. I've no idea what the safety implications of this would be however.

 

[ubersonic]

So strikes, what do you all think?

They have their purpose but not in public services, mainly because they don't work. Striking in a private company can be useful (when justified) as it hurts the bosses cash flow, however when you work for a public service all you are doing is hurting the general public (the people you want on your side).

 

[Dirk Diggler]

I've been involved in a few ballots in the last couple of years, and one thing I've really noticed is just how difficult it is for a union to go from workplace grievance to actual strike. In our case it never got that far, and that's in spite of some really major changes being forced upon us with absolutely no consultation at all. Even trying to set up a campaign to raise awareness is a major legal manoeuvre.

Another thing I've noticed throughout the years is the shift in people's attitude to strikes. Strikes used to be viewed as a person's right to challenge unscrupulous decisions by employers. These days, society will only be sympathetic to a strike if a couple of conditions are met:

• The person striking makes less money than the me.
• The person striking works in conditions I wouldn't want to work in.
• The person striking doesn't get more time off than me.
• The person striking can't afford a nicer house/car/things than me.
• Above all, that strike better not inconvenience me!

So, if a cleaner or a nurse wants to strike then just as long as the place is still clean and everyone can get the medical attention when they demand it, fire away. If anyone else feels aggrieved then they can just get on with it.

To answer the OP, I personally think strikes are our last resort and it disgusts me to see the selfish attitude that most people show towards a strike. If it were their pay and conditions under threat then it would be different, but we now live in an "I'm alright, Jack" society and it's little surprise that the gig economy thrives in this country.

 

[Deleted member 66701]

This has got me thinking about strikes. They are a part of a democracy and it is a legal right but on the other hand, it is mightily inconvenient for passengers.

I don't think passenger inconvenience should trump employees perusing their legitimate rights.

The country is starting to look more and more like a pre-thatcher mess.

Strikes are petty much at an all time low, so I think you're being a bit over dramatic there.

Striking is not the action of desperate employees, but greedy ones who want more

Oh you

and why 31st December or would it be too much to assume that the Union knows it'll get more YES votes given the drivers/guards happy to take an unpaid day off on New Years Eve.

Well of course, that's just common sense. When I used to organise strikes I always used to set them for summer - much more likely to get good attendance at pickets versus the wet, cold and windy winter.

btw, do the strikers loose a full days worth of pay?

Yes, unless the union have a strike fund (which is super rare) so they can pay members direct. Even then, most of the time the strike fund is just a token £10 a day or something.

 

[platinum87]

The central line used to be that you push a button and the door opens. But for a long time every door is opened by the driver.

No idea why they changed it tbh?

Anyone can explain this?

 

[Bazzards]

Cannot stand strikes, unless they are for a proven purposes.
I don’t see that, and they generally result in an aggravated general populous, including me.

 

[UTmaniac]

As things stand, the newly announced additional RMT strike days on 23rd and 27th have screwed up us visiting my side of the family, the reduced Cross Country service isn't operating on strike days between Bournemouth and Reading.