aibu to be worried at how much these strikes are going to cost me financially?

[watchoutforthatsnail]

I'm a lone working parent, part time work, low wage.
I have noone that can look after dd. All annual leave is being refused.
I have found childcare at a cost of £30, which I can't really afford, least of all right now.

The news is reporting that this will be the first of many, and I'm sure I can't be the only one in this situation.

What am I meant to do?

Point still stands though, that there will be loads of families like me put in a really awful position due to the strikes

i think your anger is directed in the wrong direction - why can't your employer let you take the leave that's due to you? i'd be angry with them if i were you not the striking workers (who are also losing a days pay)

Why should op have to take holiday to cover strike action?
Not her choice.

I don't believe I said I was angry at those striking. Nor that I.didn't support them. Just that I was/ am worried about how this is going to financially impact my family.

I am with maybenow - the situation you are in is why this strike is necessary. 40 years ago, a person working in the "city" was paid approximately 4 times the average wage in the country, now they are paid 40 times the average wage. That difference is unneccessary.

I went on the march earlier in the year, and what saddened me most was that despite 500,000 people expressing their democratic right to express their voices, the tory government said on the Andrew Marr show "we don't care, we are not interested." What a truly democratic governmnent should have said was "wow, 120th of the whole country made the effort to congregate in one place on one day, maybe we should listen to them, and engage in meaningful dialogue".

The free market economics have meant a few have really prospered, when all should have. Can you imagine how well off as a country we would be now, if there was still the same 4 fold difference in wages...

well BE angry and argue with your employer, if it's such a small place then it seems clear there could be room to be flexible over this if you really argued strongly enough - after all the people striking are striking against cuts that are affecting your sevice/business.

YANBU but your employer is by not giving you the time off! I work in the public sector so will be striking anyway but I would be very annoyed if I were in your situation and relied on school as childcare.

Stop calling school childcare!!

Our school is offering childcare for the school day (not lessons) for those families who have no other option. I will not be using it although my DDs fancied a day of just playing. But I am amazed and pleased that they have offered this to families with no other help.

You are lucky with your school pinky.

My DD's school only confirmed by text last night that it would be closing. Three whole working days' notice. How the fuck are parents supposed to make 'alternative arrangements'?

You are going to get all the -well what would you do if your child was sick/ snow day etc- Linerunner!
You wait!!

The hope is people like you will be out of pocket/have childcare headaches and say to the Government "Don't care what it costs, give them what they want."

Fucking hell. I really wouldn't be putting your eggs in that basket.

What's really happening is that a lot of people are siding with the government because they're so fucked off with losing money in order to enable a strike which, if successful in its aims, would then result in them losing even more money in taxes!

If my DCs were ill enough to miss school, they would be so ill that I would need to be with them and I would work round that rare and individual occasion with my employer.

Snow - schools can and should plan to stay open.

Strikes - it seems a bit of an own goal at a time when we regularly get letters saying that we should never allow our DCs to miss even a day of school unnecessarily, and threatening fines (and leaving it so so late to confirm the closure).

DP and I both in teaching unions, both on strike on Wednesday. Together we will have approx £200 (before tax) deducted from our wages in Jan. Everyone is a loser, those striking and those affected by the strikes.

kitty How can you compare the teachers loss with that of parents - you chose your union, balloted and agreed to action and are aware of when it is planned for.
As a HV I was given a letter this evening that the strike will happen on wednesday. My employers will not authorise leave and if I take the day off will lose a days pay. My CM works in a nursery and worked on wednesdays which meant childcare would be a massive issue. Forces family with friends I trust leaving next week. No parents or family close by to help. Fortunately the CM gave up working on wednesdays and will have Dd but I will now have to pay a full days childcare. I DIDN'T HAVE THE LUXURY OF CHOICE. However, more importantly for those on a low income with 3 children that could cost 120 quid for one day of strikes, thats the difference between children receiving gifts for xmas or not, getting new clothes/shoes or not. I am furious about the strikes and have voiced my opinion too.

Well said Linerunner

I am not back in work until next week, so would have to phone my parents who I am due to see and cancel visits, making me look incompetent and unprofessional

that is 'client' parents as opposed to my DPs.

Anxious. I would suggest your post is addressed to the government rather than to individual teachers or public sector workers.
The whole point of a strike is to errr... strike.
It causes everyone the utmost inconvenience and is the last resort when employers ( in this case government) refuses to listen.
Believe me, I cannot afford this strike, do not want this strike but the government has forced the hand of the unions.

Anxious - I DIDN'T HAVE THE LUXURY OF CHOICE.
Neither do I.
Strike= loss of a days pay.
Not strike= pay full days Childcare (if I could find any) for DD whose school is closed on Wednesday.

The teachers had a ballot, we all did, notice the nursing profession with the exception of Unite have all voted against it because of their professional ethics and responsibility to patient care. You could have voted as a body not to strike but didn't.
The government are not making cuts for the good of their health, we cannot continue overspending by 120 billion per year and pensions are a huge potential money pit for everyone whether private or public sector. The issue of pensions should have been tackled 20 years ago but was ignored due to the spineless politicians that have been in power. At least the government are tackling the wider issue and are not sweeping it under the carpet.
Striking is futile in the current economical chaos. If the money was there then I would back teachers/ public sector strikes all the way. The fact is that it isn't so I don't.

The Royal Wedding gave a feel-good factor and a boost to the economy

Striking is getting everyone down and causing financial impovrishement.

Gonna be slated .... I spent 20 years as a union rep ...5 of those as a seconded rep. I refuse to be the rep where I work now.

Lovely email from the Head ..... teachers will lose 1/365th of their pay ..... support staff will lose 1/5th of a weeks wages .... equate that out to the fact we only get paid for 193 days (not 365 days) ..... we lose a hell of a lot more both monitarily and percentage wise. Averaging out our pay is a lot lower. We lose twice as much.

having said that I 've rep'd for 20 years I dont agree with strikes. I will however support my union . But not this time. Why? Simply because when I asked my teaching collegues about marches/palaqards/manning the gates/picket lines I was met with the following:

"my mums in hospital and I want to visit" (ok I can go with that)
"yippee! A day at bluewater" (FFS)
"My wifes school isnt striking, we have no child minder" (hmm)
and the best one ......
"Excellent, a day to do all my marking" (hello! that defeats the object of striking)

So, no, I know my pension is totally fucked, and I really couldnt give a toss about self absorbed egocentric teachers with all their PPA time (spent supping coffee, leaving TAs to pick up the disruptives/challenging children)

So, no, I know my pension is totally fucked, and I really couldnt give a toss about self absorbed egocentric teachers with all their PPA time (spent supping coffee, leaving TAs to pick up the disruptives/challenging children)