The_Rev Posted May 23, 2005 Share Posted May 23, 2005 Ok, the BBC have been on strike today. Some 11,000 of their staff are taking action it seems. Now im not sure what unions are involved , but i think its more than one. Anyway, they have had a picket line outside of BBC buildings throughout Britain, and the actions of two of the most high profile employees were very different. Chris Moyles crossed the picket line. Jeremey Paxman refused to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimmygreaves Posted May 23, 2005 Share Posted May 23, 2005 I thought the strike was more specifically BBC news staff. I don't think Chris Moyles is a BBC employee - he works freelance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigwheels Posted May 23, 2005 Share Posted May 23, 2005 On a related note, some countries do something subtley different with strikes. For example, I think the French fire brigade have been on strike for years. They still put out fires but do little, if none of the paperwork. Either Australia or Sweden sees its transport strikes running a full service but with no charge for it, for a day. That must have more of an effect on the management while keeping the customers onside. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Rev Posted May 23, 2005 Author Share Posted May 23, 2005 I still think Moyles is in the same boat contractually as Paxman. Personally, i wouldnt have crossed the picket line if i had been him, but then i work in a highly unionised industry (i think the union im in, ASLEF has an almost 100% membership rate) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PauloBarnesi Posted May 23, 2005 Share Posted May 23, 2005 Depends if the strike is justified and whether a fair and democratic vote has been taken. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Rev Posted May 23, 2005 Author Share Posted May 23, 2005 Assuming it is, like todays was. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Juju Posted May 23, 2005 Share Posted May 23, 2005 So Chris Moyles is a scab... so whats new...? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Rev Posted May 23, 2005 Author Share Posted May 23, 2005 The Playstation 3 is quite new, apparently... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ligs Posted May 23, 2005 Share Posted May 23, 2005 Seems today that as soon as job cuts are announced, people go on strike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bill Posted May 23, 2005 Share Posted May 23, 2005 ANYBODY who crosses a picket line is a scab, and should hang their head in shame. Scumbag Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dont_do_it_doug. Posted May 23, 2005 Share Posted May 23, 2005 ANYBODY who crosses a picket line is a scab, and should hang their head in shame. Scumbag What a load of bollocks. Its so bollocks its not even worth arguing with. :roll: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahamaad Posted May 23, 2005 Share Posted May 23, 2005 I was on strike the first year I started work (1998), but it was 'work to rule', so I guess it doesn't count. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nrogers Posted May 23, 2005 Share Posted May 23, 2005 I think striking is disgraceful..... I know a lot of you will disagree with this but hear me out. Firstly, you choose to enter a profession, knowing full well what the pay and conditions are like, if you don't like said pay and conditions after being in that employ for a while, send out your CV and find another job. Before people rave on about Nurses and Teachers, the point is that if lots of people leave these industries, the government will have no choice but to raise wages and improve conditions. Striking a disgusting, especially in public sectors, where the general public have to suffer!! If you don't like your job, find another one like the rest of the country do! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IainG Posted May 23, 2005 Share Posted May 23, 2005 There's also the possibility that people who cross the picket line don't agree with the reasons for the strike, so go about their working day normally... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahamaad Posted May 23, 2005 Share Posted May 23, 2005 I think striking is disgraceful..... I know a lot of you will disagree with this but hear me out. Firstly, you choose to enter a profession, knowing full well what the pay and conditions are like, if you don't like said pay and conditions after being in that employ for a while, send out your CV and find another job. Before people rave on about Nurses and Teachers, the point is that if lots of people leave these industries, the government will have no choice but to raise wages and improve conditions. Striking a disgusting, especially in public sectors, where the general public have to suffer!! If you don't like your job, find another one like the rest of the country do! Your point about Nurses and teachers leaving so the gov't will raise wages is not really a valid one. I can only speka for nurses, but the gap is filled by nurses from foregin countries, mostly South Africa and the Philipines where the pay here is extremely favourable compared to in their native country, and there is an excess of staff there compared to here. The gov't are a bunch of sneaky bastards at the best of times! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bill Posted May 24, 2005 Share Posted May 24, 2005 What is the right to strike. It is the right of ordinary people to withdraw their labour in order to fight for better working conditions and pay. Any study of social history will show that the powerful vested interests of the ruling elite have opposed almost all improvements to the lot of ordinary working people, be that the inception of the welfare state or the struggle for decent wages and conditions. None of these things were ever given on a plate to people, they had to be fought for. I suggest some of the people contributing so ignorantly to this site , take a visit to the museum at Tolpuddle and read about the brave men there who were transported to Australia simply for holding a meeting to discuss how they might better their working conditions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bill Posted May 24, 2005 Share Posted May 24, 2005 [ What a load of bollocks. Its so bollocks its not even worth arguing with. :ro ll: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PauloBarnesi Posted May 24, 2005 Share Posted May 24, 2005 I can see your point Bill, but then you get the opposite side; Unions aren’t always democratic organisations are they. Look at the tatics of Scargill; it had less to do with conditions and closures, more to do with his political ambitions. He bought down the Tory government in 74, and tried again in the miners strike; he refused to call a democratic vote, which led to Nottinghamshire refusing to strike. They sent in pickets to try and stop them. Yet the men in Nottinghamshire always maintained that if there was a vote they would strike. Ultimately in a democracy no man should stop another man from working; its an indvidual’s choice. Yes people should go to Tolpuddle, but equally they should look at the British car industry and its decline for which union action must take a large share of blame. Unions are good and bad. Striking can be good and bad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nrogers Posted May 24, 2005 Share Posted May 24, 2005 I can't see Bill's point, what about those that don't have powerful unions that control strikes? They do what normal working people do, if they don't like their pay and conditions, they talk to HR, if HR don't agree, they start looking for a new job. Strikers hold the country to ransom, using tactics that harm the country, no better than common criminals. Why should the normal working/injured person be hindered because you don't like you pay..... In some jobs I haven't liked my pay, so I moved on.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
savolover Posted May 24, 2005 Share Posted May 24, 2005 i've just been balloted (sic) on industrial action. Whilst i'd be prepared to withdraw overtime and goodwill, There would have to be a damn good reason for me to withdraw my labour. Not what the union decides is a good reason, what i decide. Somethings are most definately worth losing money for, others are to for furthering peoples agendas who i wouldnt give the time of day to. Principle when appropriate, pragmatism when appropriate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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