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Strike: Would you cross a picket line?


The_Rev

If your company went on strike, would you cross the picket line?  

42 members have voted

  1. 1. If your company went on strike, would you cross the picket line?

    • yes
      23
    • no
      20


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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.

Hey Nick. I think i agree with you on a political issue for once! :shock: :winkold:

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.

the government can't do this if said "industries" have been largely privatised, as has been gradually happening over the years in both sectors you mention here, and is likely to continue apace.

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!

again, largely agree Nick. I've never been involved in a strike and never had the opportunity to do so, but in principle i think it's wrong. If i have an issue with my employment and employment conditions, then i seek talks with my bosses, and on the outcome of that either get on with what i've got, or look for employment elsewhere. I'm just not a fan of Trade Unions. They try to hold industries/sectors to ransom, anmd it is often the general public that suffer.

OK, so if the workers are being trampled upon, then a collective voice is often required, but for me some of the justifications for many of these strikes are very weak indeed. Job cuts happen in many industries all the time. T'is the nature of a modern economy i'm afraid.

I'd back Moylesy on this one .....

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I really could weep at some of the misconceptions of people today .Scargill wasn't in charge in 1974 Joe Gormley was.The miners struck in 1984 because of a secret hit list to close British pits down and import cheap coal from countries where workers were paid a pittance China , Poland etc. The Tories denied this. Who has been proved right ?

All unions today have to go through a democratic ballot before ANY action can be taken. Eployers have always been far more powerful than the trade unions. And far more ruthless, throwing families on the streets, employing union busters, spying on activists,even, in countries such as Brazil,resorting to murder and bribery. Employers organizations such as the CBI and the far right Institute of directors, have sought through their influence to limit the ability of employees to support each other in their struggles.H istory shows that we have each other or we have nothing. Power in this country still by and large lies in the hands of powerful unelected corporations. Waving your silly little CV in the air as you so casually dismiss the possibility of influencing your lives through collective action, is simply a cop out by a people who never made a difference in this world and probably never will. I stood on the picket line with the miners in 1984 and was proud to do so. They were and are the finest people I ever met. I married into a Polish family. I remember my wifes family during the great struggles of solidarity when the trade union movement fought to give the Polish people a better life where they could influence their futures. Have our own people so easily forgotten the struggles our fathers fought for us. No organizations are perfect, unions and workers have made mistakes. The Nottinghamshire miners crossed the NUM picket lines , and now there is no mining industry in that area. Who was right in the long run? I suspect that many of the individuals pontificating here about unions have never actually been a member of one. They probably rely on the Daily Mail to think for them. If I ever find myself in a fix, and have to rely on my fellow worker to help me out . I'll take a miner or a car worker any day. CV.....must stand for cranial void !Up the Villa...and up the workers too!

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"Would I cross a picket line? Yes."

I pity you.Will you show the same courage when it comes to picketing Ellis out of VP Richard. Or are your brave words just that , mere words. Sounds like you are just a chocolate soldier after all. Now where's that record.

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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!

Well, yes and no.

The "general public have to suffer" thing is also a line that the managment will use to attempt to emotionally blackmail staff.

Ive only ever been involved in one strike ballot (and i voted against the strike) which incidently, never happened. And that excuse was used against us. People should have the right to demand improved terms and conditions. People should have the right to withdraw labour. If that wasnt the case, a lot of us would still be working in victorian style sweatshops. Maybe services had to suffer to get us out of these sweatshops.

Its about balance. If you have serious concerns about the way your job is going, then you should have the right to do something about it. We shouldnt be like the French though, who seem to go on strike if they dont like the colour of the new carpet in the office!

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Sounds like you are just a chocolate soldier after all.

Chocolate soldiers. Mmmmmmmm ...... Chocolatey .....

are they like that chocolate money stuff you can get :)

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"Would I cross a picket line? Yes."

I pity you.Will you show the same courage when it comes to picketing Ellis out of VP Richard. Or are your brave words just that , mere words. Sounds like you are just a chocolate soldier after all. Now where's that record.

Listen, what I choose to do is my own right an my opinion. I would cross a picket line because I have that freedom.

Surely unions believe in that freedom of choice as well? If not then they are just as autocratic and show just as much bad treatment as your earlier rant against employers.

"Picketing Ellis out of VP" is a completely different matter for every reason you could wish to imagine.

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  • 2 years later...

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!

Well, yes and no.

The "general public have to suffer" thing is also a line that the managment will use to attempt to emotionally blackmail staff.

Ive only ever been involved in one strike ballot (and i voted against the strike) which incidently, never happened. And that excuse was used against us. People should have the right to demand improved terms and conditions. People should have the right to withdraw labour. If that wasnt the case, a lot of us would still be working in victorian style sweatshops. Maybe services had to suffer to get us out of these sweatshops.

Its about balance. If you have serious concerns about the way your job is going, then you should have the right to do something about it. We shouldnt be like the French though, who seem to go on strike if they dont like the colour of the new carpet in the office!

You always have the right to withdraw your labour, it's called a notice period. Perhaps this would then open a vacancies for someone who would appricate the job. Whilst you move on to a more suitable job?

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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.

Regardless of the details of the post i think the sentiment of it is spot on.

It's not a black and white issue, i would cross a picket line if i disagreed with a strike, just as i would strike if i agreed with the reasons. I would assess the situation and make my choice as an individual. In fact it seems so obvious that it's a bit of a non-subject really.

Quite like the idea on page 1 of striking by not charging for tickets that day or not doing paperwork. Still effective and as mentioned doesnt disrupt the public.

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Why do you think it's disgraceful?

You talk about people depending on post Nick, if the Royal Mail fat cats had it their way, you guys would have been collecting your mail from your local office years ago had it not been for the posties and their union sticking up for Joe public.

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I just find the whole idea of striking disgraceful, if you read back through the thread, you will see my opinions of it.

And I think if the Royal Mail had tried that, they would have been out of business in a few months... As private companies would have seen the gap in service and taken it on board!

Your Ex-Forces as I am, what do you think of the Army Striking?

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It depends, if they are striking for a meaningful reason like the boss is wanting to cut 90% of the workforce so he can get a Bentley, then no, I wouldn't cross the picket line.

However if they decided to strike because the number of teas during the day has to be cut to 12 then no, I would have no qualms crossing the picket line.

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I'm on strike on Friday with the posties, just wondered what you guys on here thought about it?

The Royal Mail and the Post Office are on their arse anyway and this is just going to speed it up IMO.

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It depends upon what the issue is. If the strike is called because suddenly our wages are halved just so the company can increase profits then I wouldn't cross the picket line.

You can't call somebody a coward for crossing a picket if their beliefs differ for the reasons for the strike.

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Exactly, if I am happy with my current wage and working conditions, why should I strike and lose my wages, because others may be greedy! Also if am so unhappy why continue to work for an employer that treats you like shit... move on... pretty bloody simple to me!

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I just find the whole idea of striking disgraceful, if you read back through the thread, you will see my opinions of it.

Your emotions about it are clear.

I think people are asking about a reasoned argument in support of your emotional position, though.

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