Striking

[Duke Fame]

The observations that you make are good.

However, public opinion is not everything.

Bob Crow is more interested in "members opinion" than public opinion.

in the 1960's the miners seemed to be on strike every year if not more frequently. Public opinion was dead - set  against them every time as they continually held the country to ransom and challenged whatever government was holding office at the time. Yet they still went out on strike at every opportunity and also won every dispute hands down. I accept that we now live in different times but in many ways today is more to the advantage of the militant.

If you withheld your labour you'd get the sack, so you won't do it.  So your example there is not really true. Bob Crow's members won't get sacked - so they will/might do it. They've got a choice you have not.   

 

The thing with strikes is the workers are led to believe by their leaders that they are irreplaceable. Of course, they are. When they really push it, as in the miners' case, the industry as a whole finds it's replaceable as the customer just finds an alternative. The train co may have done a great job getting more passengers but a few strikes would have us all in cars and on bikes so we don't need trains.

[simonesaffron]

The observations that you make are good.

However, public opinion is not everything.

Bob Crow is more interested in "members opinion" than public opinion.

in the 1960's the miners seemed to be on strike every year if not more frequently. Public opinion was dead - set  against them every time as they continually held the country to ransom and challenged whatever government was holding office at the time. Yet they still went out on strike at every opportunity and also won every dispute hands down. I accept that we now live in different times but in many ways today is more to the advantage of the militant.

If you withheld your labour you'd get the sack, so you won't do it.  So your example there is not really true. Bob Crow's members won't get sacked - so they will/might do it. They've got a choice you have not.   

 

[Belly]

Belly,

That's all political and cultural theory. It belongs on the middle shelf of some emeritus Professor of Modern History.

Neither the Strikers, their leaders, the government nor the public are interested in ideological definitions of what a "strike" is. If you've got to get the train to work and there aren't any then you don't care if it is being described as an employer/employee dispute or a piece of "political opportunism"  all you know is that you can't get to work. 

There is absolutely no point in withdrawing your labour if it goes unnoticed. To reiterate Duke's example about the "paper clipper", no inconvenience there to anybody(probably only to the paper clipper) so who cared? Exactly!

If all the collar and tie local government officers went on strike for a month who'd notice apart from their own families but if the binmen went on strike - that's different - why? Public Inconvenience. It is a major component of any succesfull labour dispute.   

However, I think Bob Crow knows all this, don't you?

But now you are speaking from a public / private perspective. If I were to strike this afternoon (working in the private sector), my employer would notice good and proper. I wouldn't have to wait until an important deadline came into view just to withdraw my labout to make a point.

I think Bob Crow and some of the unions make a critical mistake when thinking they should go for maximum public disruption all the time. All it does is alienate the public and make them very anti their cause. Get a reputation for striking and being unreasonable and you get no support at all. For example if Mr Crow decided to call a tube strike during the olympics do you think the public would applaud him. I don't think so.... they would all think him an arrogant and yet again puffed up with his own self importance.

[bluebelly]

duke , please dont tell my wife i can be replaced by automation....

[simonesaffron]

Belly,

That's all political and cultural theory. It belongs on the middle shelf of some emeritus Professor of Modern History.

Neither the Strikers, their leaders, the government nor the public are interested in ideological definitions of what a "strike" is. If you've got to get the train to work and there aren't any then you don't care if it is being described as an employer/employee dispute or a piece of "political opportunism"  all you know is that you can't get to work. 

There is absolutely no point in withdrawing your labour if it goes unnoticed. To reiterate Duke's example about the "paper clipper", no inconvenience there to anybody(probably only to the paper clipper) so who cared? Exactly!

If all the collar and tie local government officers went on strike for a month who'd notice apart from their own families but if the binmen went on strike - that's different - why? Public Inconvenience. It is a major component of any succesfull labour dispute.   

However, I think Bob Crow knows all this, don't you?

[Belly]

saving my strike days up for the olimpics..

Ha Ha, sadly I'd not put that past roly poly cockernee sparra Bob Crow

No point in going to the trouble of organising an industrial dispute unless you cause maximum disruption and inconvenience. What is the point of having a "strike" that nobody feels ?

The only point in striking is if you aren't worth the money you already receive. After all, if you really are worth more, you'd move jobs.

Look at the strikes last year, nobody cared if some paper-clipper took a day off from the council & went to London with a bedsheet and a tin of paint. Bob crows lot have the ability to cause havoc but essentially are over paid/ low skilled and replaceable with automation. The govt should destroy bob crow like Thatcher did with the miners.

I dont agree with that analysis of railway staff.

I do, however, take issue that striking needs to cause maximum public inconvenience. Any labour dispute is with the employers not the public. Choosing the busiest time of the year or deliberately timing strikes to hit events such as the olympics smacks of political opportunism and not a labour dispute.

[Duke Fame]

saving my strike days up for the olimpics..

Ha Ha, sadly I'd not put that past roly poly cockernee sparra Bob Crow

No point in going to the trouble of organising an industrial dispute unless you cause maximum disruption and inconvenience. What is the point of having a "strike" that nobody feels ?

The only point in striking is if you aren't worth the money you already receive. After all, if you really are worth more, you'd move jobs.

Look at the strikes last year, nobody cared if some paper-clipper took a day off from the council & went to London with a bedsheet and a tin of paint. Bob crows lot have the ability to cause havoc but essentially are over paid/ low skilled and replaceable with automation. The govt should destroy bob crow like Thatcher did with the miners.

[simonesaffron]

saving my strike days up for the olimpics..

Ha Ha, sadly I'd not put that past roly poly cockernee sparra Bob Crow

No point in going to the trouble of organising an industrial dispute unless you cause maximum disruption and inconvenience. What is the point of having a "strike" that nobody feels ?

[Duke Fame]

saving my strike days up for the olimpics..

Ha Ha, sadly I'd not put that past roly poly cockernee sparra Bob Crow

[bluebelly]

saving my strike days up for the olimpics..

[Duke Fame]

your right, no trains on sunday .just shows how much i know and i work for them, dohhhhh

It's difficult to know when you are always in strike