to think the Unions have a point?

[weresquirrel]

So many companies/services have been privatised. The effect seems to be branch closures, loss of staff to be replaced by machines, longer queues, worse service and a lot more expensive.

I also think it is frightening how many workers rights are being eroded and workers are expected to work far longer, for less pay and in worse conditions.

Of course the media makes out that the Unions are all evil, Christmas wrecking baddies but actually with the rise of zero-hours contracts and loss of any kind of security for so many people, I think they actually have a point.

Of course I don't wish any one delays and I hate the frustration of getting places on strike days but perhaps it is better that we have all this now while there is still the possibility of workers rights being maintained than we have a population of workers that has no rights and forced to acquiesce to the whims of the Government and big business?

Busybee99 the leaders are not on strike though. Your argument has no logic only spite.

It's like the argument that you can only be a socialist if you are poor. Just fallacious. Union leaders are funded by their members. They are paid the rate for the job which is what unions are all about.

You would only be happy if they worked for nothing.

I am an activist I volunteer my time to help people. You?

YANBU OP, we need Unions as much as ever.

Namechangebitch. If I was a worker called to strike it would be nice to think that the fat cat leader also stood shoulder to shoulder.

ita disgraceful to strike like this over Xmas break when people on lower incomes than, for example, well paid train drivers, want to travel to see family. The unions should be ashamed of themselves. They have no sympathy from me. Get back to work.

Yanbu.

They aren't after your sympathy, they are trying to make you realise how much you rely on them.

BTW those striking won't have well paid jobs in the future if they don't take action. It isn't a race to the bottom.

Unions represent the ordinary person. They are why workers have decent working conditions. Non-unionised workplaces are usually massive shitshows.

If people are serious about free market capitalism then unions are integral part of the "invisible hand" setting the cost of labour.

Take away unions and all you have is a race to the bottom to increase margins for shareholders. All other priorities rescinded.

"Ordinary people" might be inconvenienced by strikes but those same "ordinary people" will be much more than inconvenienced in future if strike action is made illegal.

How else will they get sick pay, maternity leave, pensions, right to breaks if their employers don't have any incentive to negotiate these terms with them?

Good because they won't get any from me. Some people who use southern rail network have had to give up their jobs because of the idiotic dispute over pay and 'the doors'.

Non unionised workplaces are shitstorms?

What a load of codswallop

fat cat leader

Do you write for the Daily Mail?

"Non unionised workplaces are shitstorms? "

Well it certainly seems so doesn't it? In lots of places where trade unions do not represent the staff there is a massive race to the bottom in terms of standards. There have been several very prominent stories about tens of thousands employed in places like that this year.

So your "codswallop" comment is rubbish.

Nope. Just a lowly private sector worker here running a small business that suffers when Royal Mail et al go on strike

If you look at workplaces that are in the news for being shitshows for workers, they either have very low union membership or they have actively union-busting employers. It's not a coincidence.

So you rely on Royal Mail staff for your business to work, but won't support them in maintaining their term and conditions. Quite hypocritical.

We are switching to private run delivery now. Fed up of being held to ransom by Royal Mail/post office.

I will never be a union sympathiser.

Yeah, good luck with Yodel, Hermes etc when their pittance paid drivers chuck your precious deliveries into a hedge

yeah cus our postman has never just chucked something over the fence. Right.

My god, you're one severely bitter person.

I support the unions and the strikers 100%

Yup, or when Yodel won't let you send something to a more rural, or the driver who is "self employed" decides to ditch your stuff.

Good luck with your small business.

There has been a strong shift in favour of employers in recent years, Another example of this being the introduction of massive fees in Employment Tribunals. It used to cost zero to bring a tribunal claim, and now costs £1250. Due to this, the number of tribunal claims has gone down by approx 80%. So much for access to justice.

You're right OP but the vested interests clan and the media who post on here will be along to tell you that public sector workers and their privatised counterparts are just workshy lefties

I used to support the unions and the right to strike. Having been held hostage by southern rail for a year now, and watched people lose their jobs, miss out on seeing their families and have to sell their homes and relocate, I have had enough. This isn't right at all when it's making 300,000 service users' lives hell.

Oh gosh yes I am incredibly bitter when unions disrupt ordinary hard working decent people's lives. You are right on something at last

hard working decent people's

My god, you talk like a random DM quote generator.

If you say so