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Would you ever go on strike?

John Fitzsimons
by Lovemoney Staff John Fitzsimons on 10 September 2012  |  Comments 41 comments

With large trade unions talking of strike action ahead, would you ever join the picket line?

Would you ever go on strike?

Strikes are back at the top of the news agenda, with talk of co-ordinated strikes between two of the nation’s biggest trade unions.

The latest protests will once again surround the issue of public sector pay, in particular the pay freeze the Government is implementing.

Unison and GMB have said that their members will strike if there is no change in the situation, while the TUC will also be tackling the issue at its annual Congress which takes place this week.

Just last week the National Union of Teachers voted to strike over the “erosion” of their pay and working conditions. It may attempt to strike in unison with the NASUWT teachers’ union, which has already voted in favour of industrial action.

With the prospect of so much industrial action ahead, have you ever been on strike? What was the issue? Would you ever consider going on strike in the future? Does industrial action and protest make any difference?

Let us know your thoughts in the comment box below.

More on the economy:

Why the banks are still strangling British business

Shock jump in inflation in July

Why base rate hasn't been cut to 0%

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Comments (41)

  • mambach
    Love rating 33
    mambach said

    I love how people still think that we have a public sector.

    Look at the memberships of the unions in question. Teachers - employed by schools, which are businesses. Nursing and NHS staff - primary care trust, which is a business. Binmen and council bureacrats and dinnerladies and...- most of these services are provided by private companies.

    The public sector now consists of a list of jobs and a bloke to hand out the contracts. Since the company is about making money for shareholders. the game becomes 'how little can we do with how few people'

    The public sector put tax money in and got services out. The privatised sector puts tax money in and gets profits out.

    As for striking - those few who are employees can, but the run the risk of being fired - illegal, but that's hardly going to stop the likes of any of the employers we're talking about.

    It does seem odd to me that the going rate for teaching is less than the minimum threshold to pay back the Student Loan you need for the degree to get in. I'm told nursing pay in graduate positions is similar.

    Report on 18 September 2012  |  Love thisLove  1 love
  • DaveDB
    Love rating 14
    DaveDB said

    Striking in the Public Sector is a form of blackmail. In the Private Sector, if your firm prices itself out of the market and you lose your job, you have only yourself to blame. War never has a happy ending for everybody involved.

    Report on 18 September 2012  |  Love thisLove  0 loves

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