Real-life MMD: Holiday nightmare - should we forgo £6,000 or pay £1,000 more?

SueC_2

coopersalty wrote: »

Yes, it's a thing called solidarity, a very old and outdated idea that you probably never heard of. It means looking after your brothers and sisters anywhere in the world who are in dispute over a cut in wages, or terms and conditions of pay. As Donne said " "No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main. Therefore never send to know for whom the bells tolls; it tolls for thee". The workers have a long day of up to 16 hours and were locked out of work for not accepting new arrangements that meant they weren't paid overtime anymore after 8 hours (They asked for overtime after 11 hours and were willing to accept zero pay rise) I would try ad avoid crosssing a picket line because "An injury to one is an injury to all" but then I'm very old fashioned.:money:

So why do we bother having different unions for different industries (or should I say trades, as in Trade Union) then?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trade_union

If everyone's in it together, why don't we just have The Union?

adouglasmhor

Last time I was on strike we gave a pamphlet to the people who were not in our union asking them not to do any extra work to cover work usualy done by a member. When the other union in the workplace was out they did the same.

SueC_2

Brian_Steele wrote: »

I have a similar (but cheaper) problem every time I discover I have inadvertently purchased a Nestle product, which is all too easy to do.

I completely agree. But there is a big difference between knowingly boycotting a company because you disagree with its ethics, morals or whatever, and refusing to cross a picket line (as a customer not a worker) even though you know nothing about the dispute that's in progress.

The wording of the original post implied that this was a case of the latter situation. Had it been worded "I am booked to go on the holiday of a lifetime, but have since discovered that I fundamentally disagree with the way the company is treating its workforce, should I still go...?", then I'm guessing responses may have been more sympathetic.

Fujiko

bobthedambuilder wrote: »

OP, I'm sure you switched off your electricity last time there was a dispute at a power station, and parked your car up last time the oil refineries were picketed - NOT!

Get over yourself - if you can afford a £12K holiday, even if it's once in a lifetime, you're not one of the downtrodden workers.

I agree - and I do not see that the company was under any obligation to inform you about a dispute which could well be over by the time you get there. For most people it would not be a problem Just be grateful you can afford £12k for a holiday and if your conscience won't allow you to enjoy it be grateful also that you can afford to lose a lot of money.

tallgirld

What a strange question. Well here comes a stranger answer.

Cancel and lose 6 grand.

janiebquick

Saetana wrote: »

Oh please, this is not a dilemma - but it does remind me why I find trade unionists incredibly irritating and why I regret the one time I joined one. Its YOUR problem and not that of the travel agency, I assume they only informed you in the first place because of possible delays on that part of the trip - it is not down to them because you refuse to cross a picket line for an unknown company in another blooming country during a dispute you know nothing about. Either pay the extra or cancel, I honestly don't care either way.

MSE - these so-called moral dilemmas are getting ridiculous, if you haven't got a good one that people can relate to then give it a miss that week, they have been going from the ridiculous to the sublime lately

Right on! Couldn't agree more! I also found irritating the way the OP has tried to blame the holiday company for 'deceiving' them. In what possible way have you been deceived?

simonlilly

If you have the money to throw away in membership fees for a Union, then I think you should be able to afford to forgo £6,000.

For all you lefty union members - please add up all your union contributions and let us all know what you have given away please ? I bet it could buy many holidays!

What is it with union members who think they have to fight battles in every company/country - busybodies

joehoover

Being part of a union shouldn't mean you blindly support every picket and issue raised. That just suggests you are putting no thought into the cause if you are unaware of what it is about, surely you need to know what it is before you decide to stand on either side of the fence. Therein lies the problem with unions, it removes a subjective thought process and demands you side with them regardless. I am glad I am of free will to make my own decisions in life (the decision is usually between walking or riding my bike since the tubes would probably be on strike)

I don't see why the company would draw attention to it unless it caused a delay that you'd have to divert or get on a bus and rejoin the train later. I don't believe they can try and cover the beliefs of all their passengers, some people may take offence if they saw a bear scratching it's !!!! through the window, but they wouldn't very well put that as a disclaimer

Frankl

Trade Unions and their picket lines will eventually destroy the union and the cause that they are trying to save exactly as they did to the Coal Mining Industry in the 1970's. Unfortunately most people are too young to remember and the unions rely on this. You will be doing them a favour by showing them the error of their ways.

sharnad

cross the picket line you cant support every strike around the world the whole time you would never get anything done