What are your views on unions & strikes?

Solidarity with the Rail Workers. This is not just about wages, but about safety and proper maintenance for passengers.
Sadly, those lower down the chain will be the first to be inconvenienced, but the situation will soon be reversed when those at the top find that their servants are unavailable!

Full support from me.
We hear of some who feel their wages and salaries are not great. Let them join a union. Let them strike.
If you’re not prepared to strike then you have no rite to moan.
I was on strike years ago and had to pay my employer for being off work for the day. Had I not done so my continued employment would be broken.
This was a local authority. Total bandits who made my life a misery for years after the strike and of course no chance then of promotion.
I still see my colleagues who moan about their salary. Well they didn’t strike so get what they deserve when they crossed a picket line.
Yes I support the Rail strike.

Someone here mentioned Doctors being unable to see patients.
Really! My GPsurgery has 6 GPs
None work full time. 1 has had 2 paternity leaves recently, one when doctors returned to work. He delayed the leave. You couldn’t make it up.
During lockdown 1 receptionist and 1 nurse were physically on the surgery premises. I know this because I live within seeing distance. The nurse did blood checks from the car park. Oh the surgery had new carpets fitted during this time.
Only phone calls from the work at home GPs.
The only person who could really work from home was the receptionist and she was in the surgery.
I think GPs should be on a wage cut.

What is so bewildering is that the government don’t seem bothered about covering up their lies.

Maybe they are convinced the electorate are totally gullible?

The publicly owned railways were privatised in an absurd way, by splitting the rail track from the trains and dividing the train services up into a number of "competing" companies.

Fast forward a number of years and the golden rule of privatisation comes in to play - privatise the profits but make the taxpayers pay for the losses. Brilliant for the private companies - heads we win - tails you (the taxpayer) looses.

There is a good case for re-nationalising the railways. Just look at how well that works in other European countries.

varian

The publicly owned railways were privatised in an absurd way, by splitting the rail track from the trains and dividing the train services up into a number of "competing" companies.

Fast forward a number of years and the golden rule of privatisation comes in to play - privatise the profits but make the taxpayers pay for the losses. Brilliant for the private companies - heads we win - tails you (the taxpayer) looses.

There is a good case for re-nationalising the railways. Just look at how well that works in other European countries.

Yes

Firstly I believe in the right to strike. However I’m against this strike by the railway workers. The Government bailed them out massively during Covid and the numbers using the service aren’t back to pre-Covid levels. Any large salary increases will be put onto the paying customers who are already being squeezed. My neighbour is a tube train driver and has told us he earns over £55,000 and has 43 days holiday. The nurses, paramedics, teachers etc can only dream of these salaries.

58% of people asked approved of the strike and 66% of people think that the government has failed to get a grip and prevent the strike.

Interesting considering the media narrative that is constantly attacking the RMT.

Beesh

Firstly I believe in the right to strike. However I’m against this strike by the railway workers. The Government bailed them out massively during Covid and the numbers using the service aren’t back to pre-Covid levels. Any large salary increases will be put onto the paying customers who are already being squeezed. My neighbour is a tube train driver and has told us he earns over £55,000 and has 43 days holiday. The nurses, paramedics, teachers etc can only dream of these salaries.

The nurses, teachers etc.are not being paid enough because of government policy

Whitewavemark2

Beesh

Firstly I believe in the right to strike. However I’m against this strike by the railway workers. The Government bailed them out massively during Covid and the numbers using the service aren’t back to pre-Covid levels. Any large salary increases will be put onto the paying customers who are already being squeezed. My neighbour is a tube train driver and has told us he earns over £55,000 and has 43 days holiday. The nurses, paramedics, teachers etc can only dream of these salaries.

The nurses, teachers etc.are not being paid enough because of government policy

I agree. What happened to the millions of pounds that was going towards the NHS?

Someone on tv today was saying that the Labour must again be shown to be the party of working people. But it crossed my mind that this tribalism ( if that’s the right word) needs to end. Surely the government, whichever party hat is, should represent everyone in the country? Especially when we have a government now that subscribes to the divide and rule way of government.

Sadly I have to tell anyone who doesn't already know that the promise of £350m per week for the NHS was a lie.

inews.co.uk/opinion/the-brexit-bus-promised-the-nhs-350m-a-week-but-its-british-workers-paying-the-price-in-higher-taxes-1559762

LovelyLady

Someone here mentioned Doctors being unable to see patients.
Really! My GPsurgery has 6 GPs
None work full time. 1 has had 2 paternity leaves recently, one when doctors returned to work. He delayed the leave. You couldn’t make it up.
During lockdown 1 receptionist and 1 nurse were physically on the surgery premises. I know this because I live within seeing distance. The nurse did blood checks from the car park. Oh the surgery had new carpets fitted during this time.
Only phone calls from the work at home GPs.
The only person who could really work from home was the receptionist and she was in the surgery.
I think GPs should be on a wage cut.

Three GPs in my family. I can’t be bothered to inform you properly of what GPs and other doctors did during lockdown. It’s not worth wasting my time in the face of such bigotry and complete lack of knowledge.

MayBee70

Someone on tv today was saying that the Labour must again be shown to be the party of working people. But it crossed my mind that this tribalism ( if that’s the right word) needs to end. Surely the government, whichever party hat is, should represent everyone in the country? Especially when we have a government now that subscribes to the divide and rule way of government.

I agree, tribalism doesn’t help anyone or anything.

We desparately need a coalition government which represents most, if not all of the people.

MaizieD

Milliedog

And I'd just like to emphasise that there is no magic money tree. The increases in their wages have to come from somewhere.

And I'd just like to emphasise that there is a 'magic money tree'. It's called the Bank of England and it issues money on the instructions of parliament.

That's where much of the £billions to cover the covid expenses came from. It didn't come from taxation and it wasn't 'borrowed' from anyone. It was issued by the BoE.

All public sector workers, whose pay has been frozen for a lot of years, could get a decent pay rise but the government is ideologically opposed to funding the public sector.

So where does the B of E magic it from? They can’t just print money, that’s what Germany did before WW11 and their currency became worthless. Currency has to be backed up with something surely.

varian

HannahLoisLuke

Generally I’m against strikes unless the workers have a genuine case. Having looked at the average wage for train drivers I think they’ve got a bloody cheek. Cleaners and other staff I’d support.
Let’s not forget the eye watering salaries of union leaders too, I suppose they have to call a strike every so often to justify their existence!

Those RMT members who are striking earn, on average £31k pa. It just suits the Tory government and their cheerleaders in the right wing press to quote driver's pay to make people angry.

I don't believe that train drivers, who are paid much more but belong to another union ASLEF, are actually involved in this strike.

Not the Tory press. It’s all online.

Just heard of a surgeon who has had to cancel 6 operations today. Two of which are life threatening
So , am I I favour of these rail strikes? No , I cant believe how arranging strikes at this time is anything but incredibly mind blowing horrendous
We are all struggling, so let's all pull together and hold off these actions for a while. How crippling a transport system helps , I really can't see. It's the poorer people that cant afford an taxi to get to work or a hospital appointment etc.

Varian ASLEF and TFL are striking this week.

The news about this strike is being manipulated by the government controlled press. The key strikers are NOT the train rivers, but platform staff, cleaners and general staff who are low paid and in danger of being replaced by technology....do you want a train line where a drone has decided if a bolt is coming loose? Some great messages from station staff about how they go above and beyond their roles to help people- which we, the public, rarely acknowledge.
Please check out what this is really about. Don't be seduced by the Tory manipulated press. Remember where the poor, operation recovering PM spent last night.. at Murdoch's summer bash with the rest of his cabinet. That's who runs this country.
Unless you take the time to read more than just the Mail, Express, Sun or Times, you are being deceived and ill-informed!!!

You are absolutely right CvD66 Losing maintenance staff means reducing safety. Losing train guards means reducing safety.
Closing all the ticket offices means greater inconvenience for the passengers.

GrannyGravy13

Varian ASLEF and TFL are striking this week.

They have not done so yet, but strikes do tend to escalate.

varian

GrannyGravy13

Varian ASLEF and TFL are striking this week.

They have not done so yet, but strikes do tend to escalate.

It is on TFL and ASLEF websites the dates/times/lines where they are striking this week.

The key strikers are NOT the train rivers, but platform staff, cleaners and general staff who are low paid
This situation is frequently true, and the % increase is always less for those who need it most. My Pa-in-law always said 100% increase of 0 isn’t worth anything .

Currency has to be backed up by something surely.

It does. It’s called gold or the gold reserves.