Greed - strikes

[TheMindfulMum]

I'm not normally one to comment on such things or get political as it were but here goes.

I've just seen a headline that today barristers went on strike over pay. Now granted, I don't know the details of their pay BUT my gut response is if people were less greedy this country would be in a much better place?

I think I'm safe to assume that most barristers earn a very decent wage. Probably enough not to be worrying about the cost of living rise many other families are rightly fearful of at the moment. This weekend we went through our finances and worked out what we can afford to spend per week on food. I doubt a barrister has ever done that?!

I'm all for people being paid what they're due but there comes a line when it is just greed. Wanting a 15% pay increase when they're probably already on mega bucks feels frustratingly and morally wrong in the current climate. Especially when you take into account the pandemic and what our NHS staff do every day on a pittance, comparatively.

Anyone else feel like the rich continue to get richer and greed is a horrible horrible trait in society?

I was a shop steward at the time of the 80s anti union laws and the miners strike. I'm just glad to see that an increasing number of groups of workers today are realising again that withdrawing their labour is a valid way of seeking better treatment, as it always has been.

I also think that it's clearer than ever who the really greedy members of our society are.

Exactly.

Bloody hell.

Do you honestly think anyone would strike unless every other avenue had been explored.

Such a stupid thread.

You can join a Union in the third sector but it isn't cohesive enough to strike and hasn't got a no redundancy policy as a result, or even many protections.

I work in a council. I cannot ever be made redundant. I literally have a job for life plus a great pension. We will get a pay rise and funding to the third sector will be cut to pay for it.

I agree with strikes but they do favour those who are already on good conditions.

What I don't understand is why people in other industries with poor pay and conditions see people like railway workers going on strike to protect their own good pay and conditions and feel pissed off at them, calling them greedy etc. Do they think railway workers should have worse pay like they do? Instead, why don't other workers want to have better pay and conditions, just like railway workers do instead of wanting to drag railway workers down?

Because they are generally hard of thinking and get their news from twitter etc. @Kendodd . Unfortunately they also get the right to vote.

It's a very individualistic mindset that has been increasingly promoted since the Thatcher years. It serves the purposes of the wealthy class though, because all the envy and infighting distracts people from the fact that the true greedy layabouts, the ones who live in luxury on the back of other people's labour, are the so called elite.

The problem is the wage stagnation over the last decade plus. Virtually every industry/job has suffered except of course those at the very top eg CEOs.

We have a system now though that is based on greed, though not of the workers. So any increase in rail workers salaries will be pushed onto ticket prices etc.

OP has held up her hands and acknowledged she was mistaken. Can we lower pitchforks now, please?