Strike but not in a Union?

eamon

To HCB42

This current government and its predecessor both skirt(ed) around the issue of public debt. I don't deny that current public finances and debt is a serious issue and needs to be sorted out. But I want honesty and a bit of forthrightness from our minority elected leaders.

I don't believe or buy the mistruth that public sector services and employees are the cause and hence should pay the cost of solving the problems that we currently have. A better idea than fiddling about with indirect and regressive taxation policies/levels would be to raise the amount of money generated from income tax and actively collect the tax due from those that currently evade and avoid paying tax. I also don't buy the myth that grabbing more from the City of London would cause them all to **** off to Dubai or Singapore, we have a moderate climate and nature abhores a vacuum etc.

Don't fall for the myth of gold plated pensions for all public sectors workers. Only the people at the top levels get that. Most public sectors workers are women, have a broken work history (children) , many work part time. Their forecasted annual average pension is way less than £8 pa. As for my many friends and fellow workers in the private sector I have nothing to offer except my rage at the greed of many of their employers. I worked in the private sector for many years and only one employer had a pension scheme were they also paid in. The rest didn't pay enough to allow me to save much let alone fund a personal pension scheme.

I'm dumbfunded that are actually those that consider racing to the bottom a good thing. Surely a better idea is to encourage the private sector to be better. Other countries can do it.

Googlewhacker

Out of interest, if you are not in a union how do you go about differentiating between withdrawing labour and being AWOL?

hcb42

MoreOn wrote: »

So, salary? Perks? time spent in eduction? .... tell all...If you did have a pension, i'll assume you'll get tax break, which the public sector pay for...

Salary, none of your business, comfortable but certainly not excessive (in an industry which pays well below par - at 32 I earned twice as much as I do now).

Perks? None. Not even a single day company sick pay despite working long hours.

Pension, had private one in different industry, paid personal contribution which was matched. But last payment into that by company was 11-12 years ago.

Education. Lots. Paid about £18K out of my own pocket in last 11 years getting 2 degrees on PT basis. Did not go to university when I was younger however. Did 2 degrees PT basis completely in my own time. while working long hours in industry. Family have forgotten who I am lol.

tax break? unlikely. Dont understand the question there.

Personally I dont care if public sector workers do strike on Wed or not.

SarEl

Googlewhacker wrote: »

Out of interest, if you are not in a union how do you go about differentiating between withdrawing labour and being AWOL?

It's ever so easy - you TELL them you are going to be on strike. Public sector employers have systems set up to notify mangers of those people who declare themselves on strike - anyone who doesn't is AWOL. Simples.

emg

if you are not contracted to be at work then that's ok, it's only unauthorised absences if you are meant to be at work. If you are in the union but it is not a day you work then you are not actually on strike.

MoreOn

SarEl wrote: »

Any employee is entitled to strike. You do not have to be a union member. Dismissal SOLEY because you legitimately withdrew your labour as part of a dispute is ILLEGAL and UNLAWFUL it's actually unlawful, but people will insist on using the word illegal! And what is more, because I kinow unions - ANY employee vistimised for exercising their LEGAL RIGHT to withdraw labour would immediately become the darling of the unions - they would be fighting to recrit and support you.

the dispute isn't with our employers.... it's with the pension fund managers or are they just another set of bankers

Torry_Quine

MoreOn wrote: »

the dispute isn't with our employers.... it's with the pension fund managers or are they just another set of bankers

I thought the dispute was with the employer ie the government who is funded by us the taxpayers

tesuhoha

Well, I'm not going out on strike. It was my first day of work on Monday after being out of work since March (redundancy). We have been told its illegal to strike if we are not in the union and I am not going to risk my job even if it means braving the picket line. My son is long term unemployed with no hope for the future and I am just grateful to have a job, the last thing I want to do is strike. I don't have the luxury of a large pension as I am on a low pay anyway. The union did nothing to help me when I was in a redundancy situation, I have to help myself alone I am afraid.