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I wish to gripe about people who go on strike and cause mass disruption to innocent members of the public. Sadly, there are many examples to choose from. I'll just pick the ones that have annoyed me the most in recent years.
Postal workers. What exactly gives them the right to deprive people of their post? Innocent people could have been deprived of anything from birthday cards to x-ray results. People could have lost money because of late delivery of cheques or legal documents. The possibilities for suffering caused by this are endless.
Fire fighters. These heroes have gone down in my estimation. They have absolutely no right to put lives in danger during their squabble with their paymasters. How dare they leave people to burn while they sort out a problem with their pay packet. What happened to their principles, their priorities, their morals?
Public transport workers... Once again the innocent public are made to suffer...
Public transport workers. Once again the innocent public are made to suffer because of the gripes of a minority. Lack of transport is a serious matter. It stops people getting to their jobs. Stops them getting to visit relatives in hospital. For many elderly or vulnerable people, public transport is a lifeline. Why make people suffer? It's not their fault!
My general gripe with strike action is that they happily accepted the pay and conditions when they took the job... So if they didn't like it, they shouldn't have taken the job. The vast majority of us, when we need better money, go look for a better paid job. What gives anyone the right to stamp their feet and throw a tantrum because they want more, instead of doing it the hard way?
There are thousands of unemployed people out there who are lining up ready to work for any sort of wage. There are people who'd gladly step into the role of a tube driver or postman tomorrow, at the same or less wages than the going rate. There are thousands currently in work who are currently taking pay cuts just to keep their jobs, and thousands more who've been made redundant. Tell me, how do you think it looks to those people, when they see spoiled arrogant brats, still in full employment, moaning that their lot isn't good enough? It's an insult.
Strikers? Sack the lot of them, and give their jobs to grateful people who are ready willing and able to take them.
By: A Worker
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So if it was refuse you would have a 4 weeks worth which is nuts. Luckily it got suspended all they wanted was a wage increase of like 2% which is rediculas I earn 7.28 an hour I am happy with that I would never strike
I think that drivers and other staff should be well paid and get a day off in lieu for working Boxing Day, but it is part of their contract and they knew when they took the job that they would have to work that day.
As it is London is the only world class city that does not operate a basic public transport service on Christmas Day for people who want to visit family or who have to work, as many do.
As for it being a tradition that goes back centuries, there has always been a tube service on Boxing Day as far as I know.
Management use the public to back up their claim that they are right, when in fact in mamy cases they are stubbornly wrong.
If a service fails blame management first.
Managers today are greedy scheisters
email from TFL: Dear Ms M,
I am writing to let you know that the ASLEF union have called a Tube strike. If the strike goes ahead, there is likely to be significant disruption to Tube services throughout Boxing Day, Sunday 26 December.
Bus, DLR, Tramlink and River services will operate, although some of these will have a reduced service. Cycling or walking may be practical options for many.
Please check local news and travel reports before you travel. To plan your journey in advance, or for live travel news on the day, please visit tfl.gov.uk/tube
Please also note that on Christmas Day, Saturday 25 December, there is no service on the entire network, and on Boxing Day, Sunday 26 December there will be no London Overground service. For a comprehensive guide to services during the festive period please visit tfl.gov.uk/festivetravel
Yours sincerely,
Vernon Everitt
Vernon Everitt
Managing Director, Marketing and Communications
Dear Mr V Everitt
Please tell your few selfish workers that cycling or walking is not an option for the millions of commuters that wish/have to travel on the 26th. I hope that their families are very proud of them as no one else is going to be. With regards, a few million londoners and visitors, Merry Christmas.
Bob Crow should grow up. It's a recession. Deal with it. Or, if they persist, SACK them all. There are enough unemployed people out there who would jump at a £40000 per annum job with little training needed (the trains on the Victoria Line have been able to run automated since 1964). GROW UP. If you don't like it, let someone else do the job and see if your overpaid, underworked brains could get gainful employement elsewhere. I think not...
In some cases strikes may be the only way to draw attention to conditions of work eg nurses with heavy workloads because of reduced staffing (the heavy workloads may mean working non-stop with the addition of cluttered or difficult environments and dealing with difficult and demanding members of the public, and senior staff - which whilst tolerable under normal economic climates, with a decent level of staffing, might become barely tolerable/ intolerable under harsher economic climates)...
...which people who condemn those striking may not have factored into the equation.
I have of course encountered those working like this who say 'But the job of .....is a vocation...therefore we should accept .... and .....'. Interestingly those that have said that have
a) suffered a nervous breakdown because of their own desire to do everything and be sacrificial
b) occassionally take long periods of paid sick leave, leaving other staff to cover their work
You will usually find it is due to employers proposing new T & Cs that may mean less pay for more responsibility, or failing to provide adequate pay rises in line with other employers.
Strike action does cause massive inconvenience and this is why it is used - to create a situation whereby the employer has no choice but to back down. Remember that union members lose pay and some benefits when they strike and although it seems to happen a lot, it is usually the last resort in a very long chain of consultations. You have to admit that being given more work and responsibility for less pay, or being made to work in unsatisfactory/dangerous conditions, would upset anyone - the difference is do you sit and take all your employer's crap or do you join the union and exercise some people power?
Gilly