strike

[jamdonut]

I am a TA.I am not striking today,because I don't believe it will achieve anything,although I do believe in the right to strike. But what really annoys me is the people on the news saying "why don't they strike in non- educational time?". Well....because then it wouldn't be a strike,would it? Strikes are meant to cause disruption so they are embarrassing to employers/government,precisely because it causes inconvenience to others,thus drawing attention to their cause.

Or am I being unreasonable?

In Scotland there was a strike a couple of years ago about similar issues. Most of our school went on strike, but the following April the increase in pensions was taken automatically from salaries.

Hmm understand why people are upset over the change in pension rules but then we live longer now, so something has to give.

State pension scheme was introduced in 1908, when life expectancy didn't give many people hope of retiring and getting a pension.

Nowadays most people expect to reach it. Why shouldn't it increase to take allowance for the change.

If my reading of google search was right, average life expetancy in 1908 was 50 ish, and is now 70 something. Seems fair to me. If people are stricking over the meagre pay increse, again I understand that, but it's no different from the public sector who mostly can't afford to strike for fear of losing their job.

What I'm really trying to say is they have my sympathy but not my support.

I'm not a teacher any more, but I'm still in the public sector and I was on strike today.

Jamdonut, if you were called out on strike and didn't go, there's a word for that. We don't do this for the lulz, but to protect jobs, pay and pensions. I am not a Senior Civil Service member or local government high heid yin on £100k per year and looking forward to a golden goodbye, I am on well below £20K with no pension worth anything more than £600 pa. I have been on a pay freeze for years. I am, not to put too fine a point on it, broke.

The media will tell you repeatedly that we in the public sector are like Scrooge McDuck, wallowing in huge pools of wealth, and so you should feel nothing but disgust at the vast riches we possess while daring to strike. DWP staff - the estimate is that 40% of frontline workers will be eligible to claim benefits along with the people they process as their day job. Our members of staff on barely the living wage get sneered at and told that asking for weekend pay or pay for working bank holidays is ridiculous - don't they know that they are rolling in dosh compared to everyone in the private sector? Aren't they grateful for what they have got? Strangely enough, that breeds discontent.

In so far as strike days are days for us to leisurely brown ourselves in the sun - I spent the days beforehand on a combination of pay negotiations and personal cases. Today I got up at 5 to make the picket line for 6.30. I spent the next 4 hours trying to discuss and explain, talk people out of crossing the picket line and got a bad case of sunburn. It wasn't fun, it was necessary.

bloody well said Shocking I have been on strike today - I can't afford to strike either (I have images of the only people striking swigging champagne on the picket lines and lighting fags with £20 notes ) but I also can't afford NOT TO

We lost 55% of our staff last year and before last year we'd gone 4 years without a rise. My pay has changed so it's not impossible to get incremental rises and they are trying to take leave away now (3 days I earned through long service)

It's awful in the public sector now and most of use work there because we want to help people - we didn't cause the recession yet we are bearing the brunt of the cuts - it's shit

I'm a civil servant and a PCS rep, out today. I echo everything shocking and gordy say.

It would be far more effective to refuse to collect and forward all data, done out of teaching hours, thus attacking ill-thought out and unproductive government policy, instigated by both governments, but not harming children's education.

This would get you put onto capability and sacked extremely quickly.

I can't afford to strike either but I have today as I am part of a union that voted to strike. I did vote but voted against striking and I'm afraid if you didn't exercise you right to vote you really can't complain.
Personally, I don't think this type of strike is the way forward but sadly can't think of a better alternative (those mentioned above, no data collection, no planning etc would just get you sacked and frankly the idea of going into a class without planning is frightening!), but I do agree with the reasons for the strike.
If you don't agree with your union's decision, you should leave the union but i think it is wrong to be part of a union but not strike when called on to do so. I'm fairly sure you won't be turning down any benefits gained from this action.

I am a civil servant in PCS and I went on strike today.

I earned just over £10k last year (work 3 days a week) and on a daily basis I deal with people abusing me or threatening to harm themselves.

15 years ago I took a £5k pay cut (moved from the private sector) for better terms and conditions which are now being removed.

About half of my colleagues joined in me in the strike today, I found out tonight that the other half will be doing overtime at the weekend, so will effectively be undoing our efforts.

Soon I won't have any choice but to start competing for jobs in the private sector again. I am sure many other civil servants and government employees feel the same. It will be interesting to see what happens when there is no one left to deal with health, education and crime.

A work to rule has already been in place in school for some time however teachers don't stick to it. Of course we are going to run after school revision sessions etc. Do on theory it has been happening but bit effectively. One day strikes are effective and get into the media. That's the point

None of use can afford to lose a day's pay, can we? But if you're a member of a striking union, then you should be striking. Those of you going to work or not returningyour ballots are undermining our only chance to change things. Personally, I thought to myself 'what would Michael Gove want me to do on strike day?' and then took the opposite course of action.

Well to be honest I joined the union a 3-4 years ago along with several others when the school went into special measures and there was a lot of crap going on. There are 15 TAs,several dinner ladies 5 office staff and the two caretakers in the same union. Only 3 people decided to strike.I'd say that doesn't make me unusual. I don't see that any of us needs to leave the union,I just don't think anyone should be pressured to go on strike .

If you don't want to strike, join a union that doesn't do strikes.

I don't see the point of strikes in this day and age. Striking means whatever point you might have had is immediately ignorable. In fact if you strike? You have no point. If you did you would be negotiating.

If you are a member of a union that calls strike action, you strike.

Anything else is unreasonable.

i would support a three day strike i would even help with babysitting i think its shocking in a so called educated country people need to strike to have their voices heard

It so pisses me off when people join a union to help them as an individual, take any improvements in t&c's negotiated by the union, but don't support the union if strike action is called.

Ffs shockingly did you just imply but not say jamdonut was a scab for not striking?

And this attitude of if your union asks you to strike you do? Are members not allowed to have their own opinions/needs?

Nice pack mentality.

The clue is in the name - union.
If you're in a union and don't strike after a vote in favour you undermine the actions of those striking.

I work in the voluntary sector, and I'm very possibly the only union member in my company. Certainly I'm the only one in my office. I took a day's unpaid leave and went on strike. I can't articulate the contempt I feel for union members who go to work and see no reason why they should leave their unions or why their actions are immoral.

'pack mentality' is another word for united ... if you are part of a union and it has a vote and the majority of people who vote say strike then you strike - that is what being in a UNION means

then when you get shafted by your employer you have all those people behind you - even though they don't have a vested interest in your job or you

and before anyone goes on about % of vote etc these cuts are being driven by a party that got 23% of the vote 4 years ago - but it's okay for them to run the country

Possum why single out shockingly?
She's by no means the only person who's expressed disgust with jamdonut 's pov and actions.

Exactly echt

People who behave like that would be fast enough to ask for union support if they needed it. They just think it's ok to let other people strike and lose the pay for a day.

Because I was reading the replies and that one stood out to me as being a bit shit...is that ok

Of course one persons idea of a bit shit can be others idea of well said. To me someone who undermines strike action is despicable and I'm quite happy to say so.