should the government be ashamed

Yes, and at the end of the day we will all pay more in taxes to cover the extra pay after stikes.

We really need to clip the top salaries & bonuses to reduce the pay range, from a base level, which is the minimum wage and top salaries + extras, which would need saving up to buy yachts, etc. .

Oreo

Not completely to answer the OP
I think they should have sorted things out for the NHS as they are a special case you could say, after the pandemic.So a payrise of say 8 to 9%.
The train drivers and all others on strike, not so much!
I’ve not much sympathy for them tbh.As for postal workers!
Any government’s not responsible for all the ills in the country.
The railways were kept going by furlough, and this is what they now do.

I think we should all think about why these industries are striking. With the trains, it is NOT the drivers who are on strike! The RMT only represents a handful of drivers - it is the others who keep the railways open. And it is isn't just about money for either them or the postal workers. (All of whom were working through the pandemic!) - it is the changes to working practices. I for one do not want to travel late at night on a train with only a train driver in charge. Trapped on a train with no guard is simply indefensible as far as I am concerned.
And the government IS responsible for many of the ills in this country ... just listen to Rishi Sunak, "It is so sad to see so many people using food banks." !!!!! They sit back and wait for the country to collapse.

No. I don't agree with the strikes. 17% is far too much to ask for. Even the Labour government said they could not afford that much. What about supermarket staff who are paid far less worked through the pandemic? They also suffer abuse and long hours.

I say why choose to strike at a time like this. Post and rail disrupted when people need these two services more than any other time. If at any other time of year I would have had sympathy.

Oreo

Not completely to answer the OP
I think they should have sorted things out for the NHS as they are a special case you could say, after the pandemic.So a payrise of say 8 to 9%.
The train drivers and all others on strike, not so much!
I’ve not much sympathy for them tbh.As for postal workers!
Any government’s not responsible for all the ills in the country.
The railways were kept going by furlough, and this is what they now do.

Oreo the railways weren't kept going by furlough. The rail industry was exempt from putting workers on furlough.
The train drivers aren't on strike.
Personally I back fully anyone who strikes. They don't do it for giggles, they have genuine grievances and striking is the last resort when they're being ignored.
And now that some brave people have taken a stance you can rest assured that others will follow. So I urge you to rethink and to put pressure on your precious government to come to the table and discuss the issues.
For too long employees have been asked to give more and more and it's not sustainable.
The government need to act instead of bleating that it's not their problem.

Most of the train disruption over the Christmas period is due to engineering works. The fact that the strikes are planned for this period won't make any difference to passengers as the majority of rail lines will already be closed.

Wong

No! We gave t hit the money to give the nurses a 19% pay rise. It will send our taxes, on our already stretched pay packets through the roof. That will encourage more strikes, prices will go up to pay for extra wages and then it will all go full circle. High earners whose taxes we need would then move abroad to a country where they will pay less tax. Remember the brain drain??? I wish I earned even a junior nurse’s salary but I don’t! It’s tough for us all and we just have to help each and be realistic. By the way I’m just about to start Chemo after Xmas. Don’t fancy my chances but hey ho I’m obviously not important or nurses wouldn’t put my life in jepody.

I am undergoing cancer treatment and it hasn't affected mine. It isn't a case of every nurse downing tools. Critical care continues, they haven't totally abandoned every patient

I rarely post on here but I'm afraid that Oreo's comment about the Postal workers hit a very raw spot. They, the actual 'feet on the ground in all weathers' troops, can see their jobs disappearing rapidly under the current regime with all potentially profit=making activities being hived off to outside agencies. They are being asked/told to work more areas with fewer staff and even more unsocial hours for little extra reward while seeing the bosses and major shareholders coining it in.
Sorry for the 'rant' but I have
posties' in the family and all my own wonderful deliverers need my/our support in this.
I'm not a great supporter of strike action but it seems as though negotiation is not 'cutting the mustard' at the present time in any areas. Unfortunately, asking for inflation busting raises is totally unwearable as all that does is make the whole financial situation worse. Piling bricks on bricks comes to mind.

Volver You need to keep up. Nurses have rejected the new renegotiated pay rise, strikes looming in New Year. Air ambulance from Arran to main land. No ambulance available to take person to hospital. Another helicopter flight needed to access an ambulance I think near Glasgow to take patient to Crosshouse hospital. Teachers on strike. Wasn't Royal Mail sold off. Rail network also privatised. Employees reaped shares. Isn't it tgerefire the company owners who should be sorting out the strikes. In Scotland Gov bought back a part of the railway, haven't niticed any difference, still a shambles. Ferries come to mind!

Ali23

I truly believe that the strikers have no choice. Its not just about pay. It’s about all of our safety too.
This government and those preceding it have so much to answer for.
Public services have been eroded for far too long.

There is always a "choice"

Sorry and I know I am about to castigated but I truly believe this a political fight to bring the government down. I see the nurses in Scotland hsve refused 8%

That should be ‘we haven’t got the money’

No! We gave t hit the money to give the nurses a 19% pay rise. It will send our taxes, on our already stretched pay packets through the roof. That will encourage more strikes, prices will go up to pay for extra wages and then it will all go full circle. High earners whose taxes we need would then move abroad to a country where they will pay less tax. Remember the brain drain??? I wish I earned even a junior nurse’s salary but I don’t! It’s tough for us all and we just have to help each and be realistic. By the way I’m just about to start Chemo after Xmas. Don’t fancy my chances but hey ho I’m obviously not important or nurses wouldn’t put my life in jepody.

It’s the oldest trick in the book; divide and conquer.
I'm well aware of the use of this strategy.
Just because I don't agree with striking now doesn't mean I'm on the government side - at all.

And yes WWM we desperately need rid of this bunch. I've just looked and the next GE is 2025!

I could agree if people admitted that no politician dares to change the way the NHS is run. It is reportedly the largest emplyer in Europe. Organisation of such a behemoth enterprise is extremely difficult. Every government since it’s formation have thrown money at the NHS but it is never enough. These days nurses have degrees and in my experience staying quite a few periods in hospital nurses aides do a lot of the daily grind of taking vitals and answering patients calls. Nobody seems to mention previous efforts to open more hospitals such as the private finance initiative during the reign of Tony Blair. He had the best of intentions but Trusts were left with huge debts to service.

I do agree that the various trusts seem unable to keep costs under control or do not have the best methods of organisation. I was a volunteer at a very large well known hospital. I wanted to help patients who had no visitors and become useful to elderly people with early Mental health issues. I attended a course and got a certificate but most of my time was taken up making up trays and delivering meals to patients. Many patients were dozing or unable to feed themselves but I was told firmly not to try to help them to eat so many meals were left untouched. I was never used to be of real help to patients and I found it very frustrating. I just wish that people would realise that it is not the fault of any one government but of all governments who do not have the guts to accept that the NzHS is not the best in the world so why don’t we accept that we need a very different way of organising healthcare?

Calendargirl

Sounds like we had better hunker down in bed all day tomorrow, and not risk doing anything!

I'm not so sure about that because I understand that the most likely place to die is in your bed!

My granddaughter is a nurse and she has been working 12 hour shifts for years. Not in the UK,either. It seems to be a problem everywhere, especially since Covid. We also have a lack of doctors and nurses .

On Facebook today a friend had posted a long message from an A&E doctor about the lack of beds, the lack of doctors and nurses, and the lack of GPs and saying the government should be doing far more. I thought it was a description of how bad things are post Covid but in fact it was written in 2017 when the Tories had no excuse and presumably had all that money saved by Brexit to finance it?

Spent few days in hospital couple of years ago & was disgusted by the hours that the Nurses had to work! They never seem to be praised by the government only blamed for all the things wrong with the NHS! One girl worked her 12 hour shift then because another Nurse called in sick she was asked to do overtime to cover! She agreed as she said she needed the money. She was dead on her feet but carried on doing a night shift after her 12 hour long day shift! The Nurses,Ambulance staff etc need to be paid more as they are worth 100+ times what they are paid now! We rely on them but the government have their private health policies looking after them so have no idea what normal people have to do to earn a wage that is not enough to live on! Any party in government now or in the near future will have no idea of what life is like for any of the normal people working in the NHS! They are all wealthy & have no idea what ordinary life is like! Pay the NHS what they are worth do not allow America to take it over!

I’m so relieved that most people here are supportive towards the strikers. It’s clear much of the press is in the government’s pocket and determined to turn the public against them. It’s the oldest trick in the book; divide and conquer.

We desperately need an election.

I don’t think things have ever been so bad

The latest is that the Conservative Government were putting pressure on the independent Honours Committee to hand out honours. It was to Tory donors. Rather like Boris handed out a peerage to his Brother and Zac Goldsmith. His brother who actually resigned from Boris’s Government and Zac who allowed Boris to holiday in his holiday home but failed to get elected to Richmond Park.
And check out Baroness Mone, A Tory peer who has made millions from PPE. She has had the Tory Whip removed. Ugh the corruption is unbelievable.

No mention of the war in Ukraine I notice, which has pushed fuel prices up, and is a major cause of our inflation. No mention nurses already had a pay rise which I agree does need topping up but to the amount they want? It just isn’t practical at the moment. As for working 12 hour shifts this has been going on for years and years. The NHS spends millions of pounds on inclusivity officers. Agency nurses were in use over 40 years ago. Successive governments have failed to do anything about it.

My DGS aged 2was rushed to A&E on Drs orders, with a chest, throat and ear infection, reaction to Amoxycilin and extreme temperature. He was trialed within an hours than had a 9 hour wait to see a Dr. They eventually discharged themselves at 3 am after being told there were no beds, and his Mum would have to sit in a chair all night, holding him. Not the fault of the staff, but 3 Dr's for an entire regional hospital at the height of Strep A.

The government should be totally ashamed - but I've never met a Conservative MP who has that ability. Having come from a strong CONservative seat I've met a few, sadly.

I don't know about them being ashamed, they should be all locked up and made to pay for all the problems they have caused and all the lies they have told.