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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

What do people think about rail strikes?

409 replies

ITUnurse · 20/08/2022 17:21

I cannot find any threads on the rail strikes / opinion of them.

I personally do support the strikes. We in the NHS will face a similar struggle shortly. I support the rights of workers to strike. Conditions at the moment are dire.

However, if England is so right wing and strikes aren't supported and the Tories continue to be voted in. I've not seen much public support online except from a few and I'm at risk of being in an echo chamber.

Ultimately if England is so under the thumb of the tories, I'm not sure what the long term solution is. The rest of the UK doesn't return the Tories in such numbers.

If you don't support strike action, what do you think the rail workers, NHS workers etc should do? We've already got people leaving enmasse. It's difficult to comment on the conditions of a job you don't work in and nurses regularly get gaslighted on here I am genuinely concerned as to what is going to happen to the public sector of the UK with this right wing stranglehold.

Thanks

OP posts:
LadyWithLapdog · 21/08/2022 07:14

@Ilovemycatalot it’s not a race to the bottom. You can support care workers AND others who need a decent wage.

EtnaVesuvius · 21/08/2022 07:27

ILoveMonday · 20/08/2022 23:21

I support strike action too - so long as it's not months of uncertainty and disruption.

This is so hypocritical.

I do not support these strikes. The only people they are harming are the poor general public, so if they think they’re teaching the government a lesson they’re deluded.

Now that dockers at Felixstowe are going to strike too we are going to see already severe shortages get even worse. Basic foodstuffs, medicines, construction materials etc that are already hard to come by.

FYI, they were offered a pay rise of between 8-9%. In a recession! It’s pretty generous. Their reasoning is that Felixstowe Docks is hugely profitable so they should all get more. If you follow that reasoning then anyone who works for an oil company, or Tesco or any other profitable company in the UK where there’s a big pay gap between execs and shop floor would be on strike. How would that work?

Unpopular opinion I know, but these unions are bullies and I admire the govt for standing up to them.

Oh, and for those saying it’s not just about pay? It’s ALWAYS about pay.

NuttyinNotts · 21/08/2022 07:28

Calling it an 8% Pay rise is disingenuous. It's 8% over 3 years. They will get about 4% only this year, on top of changes which will increase their working hours, so their hourly rate will decrease.

EtnaVesuvius · 21/08/2022 07:33

Ilovemycatalot · 21/08/2022 07:12

Lots of jobs have shit pay and working conditions, far worse than rail workers have (care work,retail etc) however they don’t have the backing of a strong union to help them out. Basically the cost of living is shit for most right now and across the board wages have been stagnant for years so does that mean all sectors should go on strike? If anyone deserves a rise imo it’s care workers and childcare workers .

This.

mojokoloko · 21/08/2022 07:35

I support striking workers.

EtnaVesuvius · 21/08/2022 07:35

@NuttyinNotts

It’s still a significant pay rise when many are gettting nothing.

What do they think striking is going to achieve? That the government will suddenly say, oh ok then, here’s a 15% pay rise so you don’t suffer this cost of living crisis that everyone else is suffering?

Ilovemycatalot · 21/08/2022 07:36

But my point is if every sector strikes ( and a lot more are deserving of a strike than rail workers) this country would come to a standstill. Can you imagine a care home getting shut down for the day because of no staff? And it very much depends how good a Union you have people are not interested in those with nmw jobs they just plod on like they have for years. I would rather support a strike that includes fair pay for all including an actual living wage and basic working rights like sick pay etc for all.

Poppyblush · 21/08/2022 07:37

The median salary for a train worker is £60-70k. They are taking the pis.

There are lower paid railway workers - get another job if you don’t like it.

There working conditions are fine compared to some … nurses are the ones being screwed.

goshy · 21/08/2022 07:37

I support strikes, how else can one improve pay & conditions?

goshy · 21/08/2022 07:39

I don’t support strikes.
Wages need to be kept low to stop inflation running away.

Whose wages need to be kept low? We have a skills shortage & an ageing population so plenty of wages will increase due to lack of supply.

HotHeatDays · 21/08/2022 07:41

pli · 21/08/2022 07:02

Must be more important than people realise if you aren't getting paid. No one I know has any clue what's going on or why

Show quote history

They get strike pay, not nothing.

Of course they don't get usual pay though. They aren't working.

Thesefeetaremadeforwalking · 21/08/2022 07:41

I'm on the fence on this one.

As a female that regularly travels by train I deplore the idea of the removal of guards from the trains. I would feel very vulnerable at night if I knew there was no guard on the train.

While I support workers right to strike, I don't know if it will solve the issues.

LadyWithLapdog · 21/08/2022 07:42

@EtnaVesuvius do you have children? Would you like them to be on a low wage? Don’t answer. You said you admire the government. Sick attitude.

changingstages · 21/08/2022 07:42

Very very very supportive, even though it means huge inconvenience re: work and leisure.

RC1234 · 21/08/2022 07:44

Dailymash · 21/08/2022 06:59

If you don’t like it you can find another way of getting to where you want to be.

This.

I support the strikes. If the government wants to stop inflation why don't they do something to keep the cost of living under control instead? Lots of people would be content to be able to afford what they could last year. Should we just be grateful not to starve and doff our hats?

Part of what the RMT is striking for is against a drastic cut to the amount of maintenance work. I don't want to ride on a badly maintained railway! Station staff always seem very busy. Without them a lot of disabled and older passagers would not be able to get on the trains at my most frequently used station and neither would anyone else as the turnstiles are forever breaking. It is sad that it is coming to this, but enough is enough and sometimes stands have to be made.

Minesril · 21/08/2022 07:46

User639921 · 21/08/2022 06:55

I doubt many on here use the trains much so it's quite easy to support something that doesn't really affect you.

Judging by the 'driving is a life skill' and 'I wouldn't date a man who can't drive' posts on here, most people on here don't use the trains and therefore, IMO, shouldn't be allowed an opinion on strikes.

I want to support them as a leftie. But when you've paid almost £50 a day for your child's holiday club and struggle to get him there 3 days in a row, it's very very difficult.

Really this comes down to the greedy bastards at the top doesn't it though. I think anything essential for human life - housing, food, water, energy, and transport - should never be run for profit. Which probably means nationalising everything, which most people wouldn't go for 'cos communism' or something.

goshy · 21/08/2022 07:46

I doubt many on here use the trains much so it's quite easy to support something that doesn't really affect you.

Even if I didn't use trains, changing employment terms & conditions & making employees have less power would impact me because I work & pay tax.

AndreaC74 · 21/08/2022 07:46

@EtnaVesuvius How should care workers get a better pay rise?

Should they go on strike? no they wont, so they get a terrible deal and even now don't get paid for the fuel they use.

Why should Tesco not pay their staff more, when they made 2 billion profit last year? instead, the tax payer subsidises their wages through the benefits systems.

The reality is employers would make their staff pay for the privilege of working for them if they could and striking is the only way to do this when an employer refuses to to negotiate i.e the Govt in the case of the RMT strike.

8% over 3 years and with inflation at 10% p.a (and fuel cap set to be £6000) is not a realistic pay offer for staff that don't earn much in the first place.

If people earned more, we wouldn't be spending almost £50 billion a year in working benefits/childcare.

goshy · 21/08/2022 07:47

If they don't like it then they can find another job.

🙄 the most depressing thing is the level of stupid.

EtnaVesuvius · 21/08/2022 07:47

LadyWithLapdog · 21/08/2022 07:42

@EtnaVesuvius do you have children? Would you like them to be on a low wage? Don’t answer. You said you admire the government. Sick attitude.

How do you know that I’m not on a low wage?

Chesneyhawkes1 · 21/08/2022 07:47

I 100% support them

mojokoloko · 21/08/2022 07:48

I use the train to get to work and I can't drive. I support striking workers. It's not some airy fairy position. It's in my interest to support workers rights because I work and I need rights.

Stichintimesavesstapling · 21/08/2022 07:49

I support the aim but they won't make any impact as so many people are just not needing to commute anymore that the impact isn't as great. In fact it's mainly impacting other people on lower wages in front line roles or retail and service work.

goshy · 21/08/2022 07:49

FYI, they were offered a pay rise of between 8-9%. In a recession! It’s pretty generous. Their reasoning is that Felixstowe Docks is hugely profitable so they should all get more. If you follow that reasoning then anyone who works for an oil company, or Tesco or any other profitable company in the UK where there’s a big pay gap between execs and shop floor would be on strike. How would that work?

Why do you think a huge pay gap between execs & those on the floor is a good thing?

goshy · 21/08/2022 07:50

Lots of jobs have shit pay and working conditions, far worse than rail workers have (care work,retail etc) however they don’t have the backing of a strong union to help them out. Basically the cost of living is shit for most right now and across the board wages have been stagnant for years so does that mean all sectors should go on strike? If anyone deserves a rise imo it’s care workers and childcare workers

Why bring everyone down instead of raising everyone up?