To be stressed out about pressure to strike

[peppapighastakenovermylife]

Without saying too much, my 'organisation' has announced strike action.

I really do not want to do it but feel awful at not. I wouldnt actually have to cross a picket line or anything (can simply work at home) but feel like I 'should' strike.

The strike is over our pensions. I understand the impact but feel that I can't worry about something now that will happen in probably 35 - 40 years time. I feel pretty lucky to even be able to afford to pay anything into a pension, let alone a company one. The returns are still better than other private pensions. However I understand why some are striking.

It is potentially two days strike. I cannot afford to lose that money. I am the main wage earner and just come off SMP. If I strike food will either be going on the credit card with no clear means of paying it off soon. There are more pressing issues such as redundancy, fuel costs, reductions in tax credits and so on looming. I feel like I need to worry about now rather than way in the future and do not have the 'luxury' that many well paid members of staff might have of not really noticing the loss of a days pay.

Would you strike? Have you gone on strike in the past? I am too 'young' (I wish ) to have really been in this situation before

You shouldn't be a member of a union if you are not prepared to support the decisions of its members. It may well be a low turn out but that goes for a lot of things including general elections. We still have to accept the vote of the majority who could actually be arsed to vote

I assume you voted against which is why it rankles but that's part and parcel of being in a union. You grit your teeth and have a days unpaid leave if you don't agree with the issue and you get your arse out on the picket line if you do agree with it. We got free coffee and cakes from a cafe the last time I picketed, it was great!

I understand why you feel like this but would suggest you leave the union and not place yourself in this situation again.

Now free coffee and cake might cheer me up

Yes - need to have a long think about whether I can actually afford to be in a union

Unions are the sum total of their members. If someone says the union does nothing for them I'd be inclined to ask what they do to support their union. It always seems to be the case that very few people take the opportunity to attend any branch meetings and often people don't even vote in ballots. People often see union membership as something passive they can use if they find themselves in trouble.

I agree with those who say that being a member means you abide by majority decisions such as strike ballots.

I appreciate that the OP has said she now realises what that responsibility means, but in my view those who ignore union majority votes or cross picket lines are scabs, pure and simple.

If you don't support the strike then don't go on strike. Causing yourself financial hardship for a cause you don't support isn't sensible

"If you don't support the strike then don't go on strike."

If that's the case: leave the union then. The OP has at least accepted this premise, if others haven't.

OP, I think YANBU.
Mainly because there is an AWFUL lot more to worry and feel anxious about at the moment than whether your union wants to strike or not! Like, for example, the fact that our welfare state is essentially being broken into tiny pieces. And that so many things that were campaigned for and cherished by the working people who went before us are now being taken away.
The point of being in a union is to be a part of a collective, so if you are not happy to take collective action then don't be a member of the union.
Unions are not just for if you have a disciplinary hearing or feel you are being bullied, or have other individual problems at work.
If ballot papers were sent out, you should have returned them and if you returned a 'no' to striking but more people said 'yes' then the majority vote has it, and to cross a picket line is to act against your colleagues and co workers.
The Union I belong to has only been on strike once I think since I began work, and I was really pissed off to lose a day's pay over something I believed was a bit of a non issue (can't even remember what it was) but I would no way have gone to work on a strike day and I would NEVER cross a picket line, EVER. One for all and all for one.

Whats not to get? The entire point of the union is that you move as a whole. The members vote, then everyone follows. Whats not to get?

Pretty depressing that you don't understand something so simple.

smallwhitecat I think what is depressing is that the 80s did happen

"You join a union, therefore you have to support all its decisions, whether you agree or not?"

That's right: after a democratic ballot you abide by a majority decision.

"If it decided to strike in support of the slaughter of the first-born would you be obliged to go along with it?"

A ridiculous analogy which has nothing to do with conditions of employment and would not even be legal.

"Reading this thread it's like the 80s never happened. Depressing."

I think it's depressing that the 80s under Thatcher emasculated the unions to a large extent and people born after that time often think that's ok and seem to have no understanding of collective action.

OP might it just be easier to 'go with the flow' and do what your colleagues are doing. i respect that you are thinking about it and you can make your voice heard in a vote (if you have one, hope you do) but for the sake of your career do what everyone else does?

You need to think long-term not just short-term I think, you say that you knwo striking is the right things and so I guess your answer is right there...

There has to be a point where people stand up and say no! stop pushing my country in that direction, and the difficulty is that changes are brought in so piecemeal that most of us don't realise what major ideological shifts we are living through til it's far too late

Argh, just realised I said YANBU. Actually, YABU!!!
Exactly what Helen said. Stand up and say no!

you did vote though, right?

Hope you are ok Peppa :(
Reading your Posts, it seems that you would qualify for the hardship fund. I will be on strike this week and next. Changes in provision will have to happen, and i agree that our package is quite good compared to other, but this surely balance the crap we are dealing with on a daily basis? For long term contributors,my hod was telling us that a period of more than 6 months out of the scheme following redudancy would mean loss of final salary (and transfer to new term / average salary - would this be corrected for inflation?). I must confess that i have very little understanding of the pension system.
But to me, the pension was one of the big pluses of working for this very particular "company", offseting what often feel like a very rough ride... What next?

The pension going from final salary to average salary and plus that change the change of how the inflation of the pension is worked to consumer inflation. Added to which at the moment most have pay freezes that will have a knock on effect in later years for the pension we will hopefully live on.

It is tricky - you are obviously aware of the consequences financially if you strike but the consequences of not striking could emotionally be worse if your colleagues are out on strike and losing their pay for something that you could benefit from. This happened to a former colleague during the teachers' strikes and she was completely ostracised for crossing the picket line,eventually she left the school as she couldn't stand it any more.

what has the union ever done for us?

For those who suggested the OP leave the union - wouldn't she be similarly be ostracised?

If you don't belong to the union then you are free to do as you choose and in most circumstances your views would be respected.

The calls to leave from me - are if you don't want to belong to the club as you don't like what is happening then you need to think about where you belong and leave if its not something for you.

If you mean if she leaves the union now the vote has been counted and a strike has been agreed would her position be that her work mates ostracise her - yes probably as she is leaving so not to have to strike. I suppose it would depend on who knows she is a member and whether there are other members in her works that would be expecting her to strike.

If she worked in my work place I wouldn't be to pleased as it would be clear she thought her financal needs where greater than mine - I work a job share and last strike they picked the two days I work..I lost near on a weeks wages 4/5th of my pay - whereas others lost 2/5th. I therefore have to money away for such an event, I also pay my pension for the two days unpaid leave - otherwise it will effect my pension, so it costs me to go on strike.

But would I give up paid annual leave, maternity leave, pensions, safety at work and equal pay for woman no I wouldn't and I doubt that there is anyone working that would give up those perks that the unions have worked hard to achieve.

In my workplace some struck and some didn't (union members) and no one was ostracised but I guess it did cause a realisation that those colleagues you'd always liked the most were indeed the ones who went on strike to support eachother :) And that the colleagues who were less supportive generally were indeed those who did not come out on the day. There were no surprises!

exactly as ivykaty says- those who strike do it for the benefit of all. Should these strikes help the union to win concessions from this horrible govt on pensions then everyone on this thread who works in the public sector will benefit from that. Including you OP.

I think it would be unfair to ostracise someone who had voted no then chose to leave the union because they didn't feel they could strike. As a union member I'd feel that person had acted with integrity: it's those who chose to scab I'd have an issue with.

I think anyone in a unionised profession would be unwise to give up their membership though unless they really felt continued membership to be unsustainable. And of course they'd get any benefits their union colleagues fought for and lost money for, but that would apply to those who weren't members in the first place.

My present company doesn't recognise unions but I joined the appropriate one anyway after years in teaching with union membership. I am at least able to attend local meetings and will have access to advice if our conditions of service are changed next year, which may well happen (with possible redundancies to boot)

ilovesooty - but why vote and then if its not the outcome you want you walk away - a bit like a tantrum as you can't have your own way so left the club after a democratic vote - it that fair behaviour?

better to get out before any voting and not either waste your vote, vote for what you want and know that you will not go along with it if it doesn't go your way but just get out first and stand alone. But realise with redundancies looming you will be on your own if treated unfairly which can well happen when a company know you are standing alone - rightly or wrongly

You'd have a lot more respect for someone who left the union to avoid a strike than for someone that crossed a picket line and stayed in the union. The latter is absolutely beyond the pale.

OP if you don't agree with the unions position then don't go on strike, you don't have to go on strike even if the union has called one.