Strikes strikes strikes

[Rainyrunway]

So many people are striking at the moment. We're personally affected and having to change plans or appointments by 3 over the next few days (nurses, teachers and engineers at a theme park!) I'm not making a judgement call here btw just putting a personal perspective. Anyone have any idea how or when they'll all end? Obviously they can't go on forever but it feels like if one group reaches a settlement, another group starts.

The RCN situation is truly bizarre to me. And it definitely challenges the rhetoric that this is militant union bosses radicalising their members.

No, it's the members, who work in these jobs day in day out, who are saying they can't take any more, the system can't take any more, and something has to change.

We know that the only people to blame are the Tories!

I agree, the government is actively making things more polarized. It's the same with teachers- a higher percentage of the overall NEU membership voted to reject the offer than voted in the indicative strike ballot. Because the offer was that bad!

Yes I think this. But I’m also on strike. The situation in education is dire and we need to take action now. Both can be true.

I voted in the RCN to accept the pay offer. Because I needed the cash bribe that was offered; thought as advised by my union that it would be the best offer i'd likely get so just be grateful and give up. And I am tired and don't want to go through prolonged voting for further industrial action.

But since Steve Barclay lied, gas-lit and threatened ME and all nurses directly if we strike this weekend - I'm doing it even though I will lose money by not working.

It's bullying tactics which proved to me once and for all that this isn't about money for the NHS for the government.

it's about them wanting a cowed, scared workforce that gratefully accept any crumbs they're given as it's a 'vocation' and they can then continue to underfund the public sector.

And then blame the workers when things aren't going well and also blame public sector workers using their rights to industrial action to paint them as heartless f-ers who don't care about the public they had a "vocation to serve".

I've been apathetic for many years due to being in it for so long, fights for better ignored years ago so thinking it is what is it, there isn't enough money and if there is, we won't get it . No funding for the services, no pay rise for the workers etc.

But SB directly attacked nurses this week and his disrespect, disdain and threats were so apparent.

Fuck him and the Tory government he works for.

I wasn't galvanised into industrial action by a 'militant socialist union'. I was galvanised into industrial action by Steve Barclay and his shit government.

I support the strikes but please stop this nonsense myth that benefit claimants don't go out to work. Many people claiming benefits work full time, myself included because my own wages are so bloody low.

How can 'this is all political' and 'the situation in education is dire and we need to take action now' both be true?

I think it's disingenuous to suggest unions aren't political. So I would say it is likely both.

Every single strike results in lost economic output. Making the country relatively poorer.

If the strikers don't get the money they demand, everyone is worse off.

If the strikers get what they want, everyone apart from the strikers are worse off.

If everyone strikes, everyone is worse off.

So YANBU the culture of striking is causing irrevocable damage to all of us and will continue until we stop protecting the right to strike without consequence.

They will end when the Government comes to the table with a fully funded offer for teachers! We have been offered a derisory award. Scotland and Wales have settled their pay disputes but this Government seems to want confrontation!

If the strikers get what they want, everyone apart from the strikers are worse off.

This is incorrect, in the case of the teacher strikes. If the teachers do not get next year's pay rise funded with new money (which is what they want), then children will be worse off.

The NEU isn't politically affiliated and I don't believe any of the other education unions are, either. A Labour government being elected wouldn't stop the strikes.

The only thing that will stop the strikes is a decent pay offer, with serious talk about workload as well.

Absolute total nonsense.

How does improving school funding and paying teachers/support staff fairly hurt everyone?

1. Students get a better education. This is long term good for the economy, there is a lot of evidence to support this. In fact, by not doing this, we are hurting the economy long term and creating a vicious cycle where things get worse and worse.

2. At the moment, many schools aren't recruiting for support roles. If the money/funding was there, then they would be doing this. They'd be directly creating jobs in local communities, which helps the person with the job, and the community more widely.

3. Funded schools spend money on stuff. That could be buying more resources, which helps other businesses. It could be that they get some non essential building work done, which creates employment for local trades people. It could be that they go on more trips, which puts money in the pocket of various businesses and attractions.

4. A lot of teachers I know have seriously cut back their spending in the last 12 months- both on resources for their classrooms, and more generally. If people aren't going out, or aren't buying their Friday night takeaway, or aren't buying new clothes, or cutting back on their gym membership- all of those things hurt the local economy. In a rural town, that can actually have quite a significant impact- we've got over 150 staff where I work, it's a relatively small town, but serves a wider rural catchment. It used to be, for example, a number of staff would go to a local pub at least a couple of times a half term- now people can only afford about once a term, if that. I'm not saying it's the be all and end all for these places, just that it has an impact.

5. Teachers with goodwill are more likely to run clubs etc- this helps parents out sometimes in terms of childcare, and again, often leads to more spending. Schools with money are also more likely to be able to run some sort of subsidised breakfast club etc.

The idea that paying some people more means others have less is just untrue- in fact, the more of people's income goes on necessities, and the less disposable income they have, the greater the impact on the whole economy.

When they get wot they think they deserve or the government make it illegal for them to strike.

100% agree. The RCN was bizarre in this situation. I do believe there was never any '19% pay rise demand' and that that was government/media spin because it presents Nurses as greedy and 'making demands'. The RCN have refuted that they ever made that 'demand' and I can't see anywhere where they said that. What they did say was 19% would be pay restoration, to inform the government of pay loss that that nurses have experienced in real terms, but that was never to my knowledge a 'demand'.

But the RCN leaders did say a 10% pay rise would be a good outcome in discussion with the government.

The RCN was 100% backing and planning strikes then called off planned strikes as the government was finally willing to 'get round the table'.

Then they came out with 5% which was only 1.5% more than planned anyway. And a one-off sweetener cash payment which would appeal to many voters already struggling for money. The RCN urged their members to accept this. Repeatedly. Frequent emails to all members and social media posts.

So it certainly wasn't a 'militant leftist socialist union' galvanising their members into striking or revolting against the government.

The opposite in fact. RCN members were really puzzled and aggrieved as to why the RCN heavily pushing this 'deal' when it fell far short to what the RCN were seeking as in 10%?

Which is where it was suggested and 'leaked' that the government only agreed to get around the table if the RCN agreed to present any offer to their members for vote and urge them to accept.

The kind of things I was seeing/hearing on social media and within colleagues was that the RCN had thrown it's members under the bus and couldn't call itself a workers union. Lots of calls for a vote of no- confidence in its leadership and many accusations that Pat Cullen must have been paid off by the Tories to have done such a 180. I'm not a conspiracy theroist so believe it's more likely the RCN got stitched up by Steve Barclay and not that Pat Cullen the RCN Union leader has pocketed bribes.

But It's extremely odd that the RCN went into negotiations seeking 10%, didn't get it and then heavily pressured their members into accepting. I received several emails entreating me to accept.

And then when a minority didn't, the RCN are all guns blazing "we're striking, no derogations, we're working for you the workers, we'll fight the government to the end, they're disgusting bullies trying to take us to court'

Which doesn't quite gel with the previous 'accept this offer' advice the RCN was previously pushing.

If the government succeed in pushing through their anti-strike laws, I think a lot of teachers and nurses and so on will leave. Particularly if it happens in the middle of an industrial dispute.

I agree that if anyone is radicalising workers it's the government. For the 1st time in its history the RCN went out on strike and yesterday for the 1st time in history our Head Teachers went out on strike.

Tax payers don't want to pay more tax because our government is incompetent and corrupt. The strikes will continue and may even spread until this shower of shite Tory government fuck off into the sunset next year, having bled the UK dry.

I don't think Pat Cullen took bribes, but I don't think she's a very good union leader (sorry). I think the comments she's made about not co-ordinating strikes, and fighting for nurses only are short sighted, and there's a few things that the RCN seem to have messed up recently.

I do think the conditions were genuine. The NEU said the DfE put similar positions on their talks. BUT the NEU came out telling members to reject anyway. To be honest, if members had voted to accept, it would have put the DfE in a really difficult position- would they really have withdrawn the offer and risked more strikes? They'd have looked completely ridiculous.

As it was, obviously members voted to reject anyway, so at least it feels like leadership and members are working together.

Ultimately, it's the members who make the unions though- not the people in charge of them.

That's the Tory mantra. Let them strike and strike until the public have had enough.

Well the engineers strike was off days before you wrote this post so you can go to chessington now. Bonus 🤣

Not according to the Twitter comments:

https://twitter.com/lbc/status/1651480323140509697?s=46&t=eg_3Kd3btjfiAYzI3yZ-lA

@SingAlongAndItMightJustGetYouThrough we'd already rescheduled unfortunately. Dammit.

We got hit with one of the first strikes - local buses and since then it's been a lot of disruption usually around public transport as we don't drive it's been going on so long now.

It's inflation and low pay rises for past decade and in some area like health care and education lack of investment and staff retention and longer term issues reaching crisis point.

I've heard some commentators like Ian Hislop also suggest it's a lack of experience in government of dealing with pay demands and strikes so understanding a compromise needs to be reach seems to be a steep learning curve - that frankly they don't seem to be climbing up.

If the government succeed in pushing through their anti-strike laws

Unlikely - House of Lords vetoed this only this week.

BUT the NEU came out telling members to reject anyway

ALL four unions recommended members reject. And the other three are balloting/reballoting.

Doesn't seem to be working though for the Tories. RMT and CWU have both had good offers recently.

At the end of the day, it's not public opinion that will bring a strike to an end. And if the government refuse to negotiate, they equally look unreasonable.

NASUWT's recommendation was spectacularly unclear. They're another union who need to up their game.