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Thursday 10th July National Strike thread
Biffo the Bear
Posts: 25,859 Forum Member
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Good to see predictions of millions of workers turning out for the strike on Thursday to stand up for a better deal which will benefit the whole economy.
I think the public sector has performed really well since the austerity drive started; I believe that everyone could see the reason why there needed to be some efficiencies here and there.
However, growing poverty is the biggest sign that public sector workers are being used as austerity whipping boys, despite providing vital services to children, the disabled, elderly and infirm. While being told how necessary it is, they see tax breaks for the rich and a wealthy political elite and their friends splashed across the newspapers sipping on champagne and living the high life.
I hope something comes of this action, and I truly believe that the majority of the country will be behind the strike, especially as success in negotiations will have a knock-on effect of boosting the private sector and self-employed too. Everyone wins.
I think the public sector has performed really well since the austerity drive started; I believe that everyone could see the reason why there needed to be some efficiencies here and there.
However, growing poverty is the biggest sign that public sector workers are being used as austerity whipping boys, despite providing vital services to children, the disabled, elderly and infirm. While being told how necessary it is, they see tax breaks for the rich and a wealthy political elite and their friends splashed across the newspapers sipping on champagne and living the high life.
I hope something comes of this action, and I truly believe that the majority of the country will be behind the strike, especially as success in negotiations will have a knock-on effect of boosting the private sector and self-employed too. Everyone wins.
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Thursday, July 10th, 2014
Thursday Morning Temperature: 14°C
A mix of cloud and sun with a chance of showers. Windy at times.
Thursday Afternoon Temperature: 16°C
Cloudy with a few showers. 6 to 11 mm of rain. Windy at times.
Thursday Evening Temperature: 14°C
Cloudy with a few showers. 4 to 8 mm of rain.
I would like to see far greater recognition of unions and what they really stand up for. The media and right wing governments have, for too long, portrayed them as 'the enemy'. They are only the enemy of the few, they stand up for the majority.
Just shows how media propaganda works on the public, from benefits to house prices. War to public services, the media portray it in a way that suits the few with blame being laid at the feet of the many. We need a decent media before we get some real debate about issues.
I think it's good to see so many people willing to give up a day's pay - every little helps. Now if they'd just agree to slashing those fat pensions ...then everyone else wins
Isn't that the point of a strike though? To be inconvenient. If the effect was ignored then it would seem like the strike accomplished nothing. If you focus entirely on the strikers and not at all on those effected, it looks like business as usual and things run fine without those on strike therefore what purpose do those on strike actually serve if they went back to work?
There is a national strike tomorrow - have not heard anything
Any 'national' strike will not have anything like the effect of the strike of 1926 given the number of people working and the proportion that are in a union.
Maybe the Tory supporting national media have been 'requested' by the Government not to publicise the strike.
We will have to wait and see how much (if any) publicity the strike gets tomorrow
I also read the Guardian - which is not traditionally right wing. Although having said that the Guardian did have this report quotes 1m workers, which is not the same as millions. It also talking about just public sector workers.
1m is roughly 3.34% of the workforce
Indeed, it appears to be going up according to the last two months spending figures.
What will happen to the dinner ladies if the children decide they prefer the packed lunches?
Bound too, those net 212,000 new arrivals this year all need to be looked after.
Need to shed more public sector jobs to compensate.
I doubt every child in the school will decide they prefer a packed lunch, if they did/do then parents would be sending their children to school with a packed lunch instead of paying dinner money.
Not alot, but the government will have wasted million more pounds fitting all these new kitchens into schools that should be ready by september, but thousands will not be, just another mess of this government
Oh. OK.
Have a nice day those that are involved.
Well sorry to say but they cannot keep taking pay cuts., for years at a time
What well can be done?
Cut number in the Public Sector and everyone goes out on strike.
Freeze or introduce lower pay rises and everyone goes out on strike.
It is a case of whichever way a Government turns people go out on strike.
Supporters are happy to see a number of non jobs exist and above inflation pay rises as long as it keeps their friends in the public sector happy.
They also think their is an unlimited pot of money in which to fund public services.
Unless of course a few dozen idiots break a window or knock a coppers hat off, then the media and the usual subjects on this forum will totally ignore the overwhelmingly vast majority of people who didn't break any laws, as well as their reasons for the strike,
and will as ever, gleefully leap on the behaviour of a tiny minority and use them as "proof" that all trades unionists, and people who don't fall in line and agree without question with what this government tells them to agree with, are just a bunch of lawless thugs who deserve no consideration or rights,
Not like "us decent people"
Firefighters who are involved in a row over pensions and retirement age
The Public and Commercial Services Union - which represents civil servants, passport office workers and other public sector staff - in a dispute over pay, cuts to jobs, pensions and the privatisation of services
Unison which represents, among others, workers in local government, healthcare, colleges and schools and the GMB representing, among others, workers who serve school meals, clean streets, empty bins, carers and school support workers, in a row over this year's pay offer
Unite members - including local government staff, council workers and teaching staff - who also dismissed the "insulting" pay offer
The National Union of Teachers which says teachers are "under attack" from the government on pay, pensions, workload pressure and conditions