Watch this space ...

[Barch]

Defence minister Dr Andrew Murrison has told >> Forces News << he "sincerely hopes" Christmas leave will not be cancelled for members of the Armed Forces to cover strikes.

In other words, fúck your plans, you will be on standby !!

 

[Downsizer]

Errrr he is behind the drag curve or lying.

 

[muttywhitedog]

Aye - All those RAF Movers at Brize who struggle to deal with one flight a day without generating massive queues are really gonna save the day at Heathrow.

 

[mullah lite]

Aye - All those RAF Movers at Brize who struggle to deal with one flight a day without generating massive queues are really gonna save the day at Heathrow.

I'll bite (a little), you're cherry picking your strike actions. The BF is probably the least disruptive for most. Who, frankly, gives a monkey's if the Christmas jet setters are inconvenienced? It's been happening for the last two years or more anyway.

I suspect an inability to get from a to b by rail and healthcare workers may have more of an effect on most people's lives, or potentially deaths.
To expect inflation busting wage increases is beyond unrealistic, and the unions know it. It's politics!

 

[ady eflog]

Tell that to the RAF lads dicked this week to drive ambulances and Border Force

 

[mullah lite]

Tell that to the RAF lads dicked this week to drive ambulances and Border Force

I have every sympathy for them but it's a sad fact of life that OP DENY CHRISTMAS, comes but once a year. We've probably all been there.
It doesnt make it less irritating to those 'selected' but it's part and parcel of military life, and the time off should be recoverable.

From the FBU in the past through to the current shenanigans, it's politically driven, to further a narrative of a government more in crisis than it actually is (if that's possible) The good people of Britain don't like being inconvenienced, I expect a stream of MSM 'stories'based on someone's tweet from 'hours long airport queues' over the next few weeks, and, sadly there will be even longer waits for ambulances and emergency treatment for some who really need it.

Without fundamental change, the NHS is and will continue to be a moneypit.
BF are under resourced and appear to have their hands tied, the front line staff have justification for grievance.
Rail and postal may be the death knell for both.

 

[Deltaitem]

Most of these workers have had a real terms drop in wages for years, pay freeze for years, and at a time when the cap on bankers bonuses will be potentially lifted, you can see where the government's priorities are.
It may not have got to such an entrenched position if the government had at least shown up for negotiations. I'd wager they wouldn't actually need to play a role, employer and unions always talk to each other, but showing up would have shown at least an interest.
The government has been pushing this into a fight for months, so yes, it's political all right.
As always, the workers are fighting their own corner, good on 'em.

 

[fourteen2two]

Yet our MPs will get a decent pay rise and probably claim their energy bills on their London accommodation on expenses!

 

[busby1971]

This shouldn’t be about us and them, them and them or us and us, pay rises have to be affordable, other wise companies go bust or taxes have to go up.

I’d expect most private sector rises to be much lower than the rate of inflation, mine is, and I don’t feel hard done by, I will just wait and see what the next couple of years brings and if it doesn’t catch up I’ll look for an increase in responsibility with my current employer or jump ship and get a rise that way (much easier to get a pay rise that way).

What I would say is, that all this strike action will certainly put the nail in the coffin of any nationalisation of industries (ie where all the monopoly provision and most union members reside)

 

[Tin basher]

What I would say is, that all this strike action will certainly put the nail in the coffin of any nationalisation of industries (ie where all the monopoly provision and most union members reside)

If this is correct the Royal Mail is losing around £1M per day, every day. How is a business losing that amount expected to boost salaries and yet not accelerate the rate of loss. No private business would survive long with losses like that. Still it's out brothers out and demands for more even though royal mail is already a money pit.

Royal Mail loses £1 million a day | Logistics Manager

www.logisticsmanager.com

Some companies are moving to other couriers whilst royal Mail commits business suicide.

Britain's Currys to avoid using Royal Mail 'for now' over strikes

British electricals retailer Currys will not use Royal Mail as a delivery provider "for now" to reduce any impact from strike action, the company's chief executive officer Alex Baldock said on Sunday.

www.reuters.com

If the new couriers do the job why would Currys go back?

 

[Talk Wrench]

What I would say is, that all this strike action will certainly put the nail in the coffin of any nationalisation of industries (ie where all the monopoly provision and most union members reside)

The lack of resistance to these strikes by the incumbent government suggests that you may very well be correct.

 

[Oldstacker]

If this is correct the Royal Mail is losing around £1M per day, every day. How is a business losing that amount expected to boost salaries and yet not accelerate the rate of loss. No private business would survive long with losses like that. Still it's out brothers out and demands for more even though royal mail is already a money pit.

Royal Mail loses £1 million a day | Logistics Manager

www.logisticsmanager.com

Some companies are moving to other couriers whilst royal Mail commits business suicide.

Britain's Currys to avoid using Royal Mail 'for now' over strikes

British electricals retailer Currys will not use Royal Mail as a delivery provider "for now" to reduce any impact from strike action, the company's chief executive officer Alex Baldock said on Sunday.

www.reuters.com

If the new couriers do the job why would Currys go back?

The unions are carrying out a co-ordinated and deliberate campaign aimed not at helping their members but at bringing down the government.
The PCS (civil service), for example, put a suggested 'requirement' for this year's pay round before it's members at the beginning of the year that included a 10% pay rise, shorter working week and increased leave allowance. Needless to say a majority of members voted for that because it would be nice and who wouldn't want those things?
It was also hopelessly unrealistic and never likely to be met by any government trying to recover from the last 2 years of handouts (furlough etc) during Covid. Come the pay offer (a much worse offer) to the defence CS, the defence sub-committee voted to accept the offer but the main committee (no defence representation I'm told) turned it down flat without balloting members on it and is mobilising CS across departments to strike.
Insufficient defence CS voted to strike so we will all be working afaik.

Royal Mail is a private company now so if it's losing money they can't afford more and the government doesn't have to bail them out. Similarly the railways. In both cases, however, if the companies lose too many customers as a result of the strikes and go under, jobs will go too.

 

[Rocket_Ronster]

The unions are carrying out a co-ordinated and deliberate campaign aimed not at helping their members but at bringing down the government.
The PCS (civil service), for example, put a suggested 'requirement' for this year's pay round before it's members at the beginning of the year that included a 10% pay rise, shorter working week and increased leave allowance. Needless to say a majority of members voted for that because it would be nice and who wouldn't want those things?
It was also hopelessly unrealistic and never likely to be met by any government trying to recover from the last 2 years of handouts (furlough etc) during Covid. Come the pay offer (a much worse offer) to the defence CS, the defence sub-committee voted to accept the offer but the main committee (no defence representation I'm told) turned it down flat without balloting members on it and is mobilising CS across departments to strike.
Insufficient defence CS voted to strike so we will all be working afaik.

Royal Mail is a private company now so if it's losing money they can't afford more and the government doesn't have to bail them out. Similarly the railways. In both cases, however, if the companies lose too many customers as a result of the strikes and go under, jobs will go too.

Sorry mate, you're so wrong it's embarrassing.

Just because 17 (or whatever) sections go on strike, doesn't mean it's coordinated action.

Are you really telling me you believe there's a link between barristers and railway signallers ??? Border Force and teachers ???

Come on. The only link is we've got an inept and incompetent govt, with no mandate and no ability to put anything through, except bankers bonuses apparently.

As to Royal Mail.
Eight months ago they were making so much money they paid out thousands in management bonuses and millions in dividends. Now they're losing a mill a day ??? If I was that incompetent I'd keep me gob shut, not go on national telly to tell everyone.

Yet, management get rewarded for incompetence. Witness the bloke who brought Railtrack down, then went and did the same for Woolworths.

 

[muttywhitedog]

I'm a union member and voted for industrial action. Not for me, but for my colleagues. A 10% pay rise for me would push me into the 40% bracket, so I'd hardly benefit. Folk at my place are turning down the opportunity to Work from Home because they cant afford to heat their house all day. One of my team members walks 2 miles to work because they cant afford the bus fare each day. Many of them turn to food banks. I'm one of the lucky ones that my RAF pension makes me pretty well off and I dont have to worry about heating or eating. I gave my £400 energy rebate to my daughter who is paying a fortune to heat her rented house with shit insulation to 18C.

Its a piss take by this nose-in-trough government. Have a 3% pay rise, but your Tory council can put up council tax by 5% each year whilst giving you less and less service each year. Have a 3% pay rise, but Michelle Mone can trouser millions of public money in dodgy PPE payments. Have a 3% pay rise, but see the Govt's take in VAT increase by 10% when the cost of everything goes up. Have a 3% pay rise and see the Govt getting almost double in fuel VAT what they were getting 2 years' ago. Have a 3% pay rise and see shareholders and Chief Execs at Royal mail extracting millions from a company that apparently is losing £1m a week.

Daft enough as it sounds, but I get the need to reduce wage rises to kill inflation, but it seems the rich amongst us are quite happy to plunder their companies (or the taxpayer-funded elements of them) to extract maximum gain for them whilst telling us all to be thankful we have a job.

 

[muttywhitedog]

The unions are carrying out a co-ordinated and deliberate campaign aimed not at helping their members but at bringing down the government.
The PCS (civil service), for example, put a suggested 'requirement' for this year's pay round before it's members at the beginning of the year that included a 10% pay rise, shorter working week and increased leave allowance. Needless to say a majority of members voted for that because it would be nice and who wouldn't want those things?

In 2015, the difference between an AO grade in the Home Office and National Minimum Wage was around 40% higher. Come next April, it will be around 10% higher. Folk can literally get more at Lidl on a till than they can for deciding whether someone has British Nationality, whether someone can legally enter the country to work or study, or whether they get rescued from a sinking dinghy in the channel.

 

[Oldstacker]

Sorry mate, you're so wrong it's embarrassing.

Just because 17 (or whatever) sections go on strike, doesn't mean it's coordinated action.

Are you really telling me you believe there's a link between barristers and railway signallers ??? Border Force and teachers ???

Come on. The only link is we've got an inept and incompetent govt, with no mandate and no ability to put anything through, except bankers bonuses apparently.

As to Royal Mail.
Eight months ago they were making so much money they paid out thousands in management bonuses and millions in dividends. Now they're losing a mill a day ??? If I was that incompetent I'd keep me gob shut, not go on national telly to tell everyone.

Yet, management get rewarded for incompetence. Witness the bloke who brought Railtrack down, then went and did the same for Woolworths.

Not co-ordinated? Have the unions backtracked then? https://www.independent.co.uk/indep.../frances-o-grady-tuc-strike-pay-b2156767.html

And in case the Indy is too right wing for you

Britain needs profit restraint not wage restraint, Frances O’Grady tells TUC Congress

Frances O'Grady gave a blistering attack on the Tory government and the cost of living crisis

leftfootforward.org

 

[Rocket_Ronster]

Not co-ordinated? Have the unions backtracked then? https://www.independent.co.uk/indep.../frances-o-grady-tuc-strike-pay-b2156767.html

And in case the Indy is too right wing for you

Britain needs profit restraint not wage restraint, Frances O’Grady tells TUC Congress

Frances O'Grady gave a blistering attack on the Tory government and the cost of living crisis

leftfootforward.org

You're opening sentence was "....to bring down the Govt."
That, is utter bollox....unless you can find me a quite from the likes of Frances saying that's their aim ????

Thought not.

 

[busby1971]

when it comes to the public sector, I’d recommend any one look up the ‘fat man theory’.

https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&r...y-matt-zolbe&usg=AOvVaw1xdOf-Gyr6NcWIWLsnjRuj​

Due to a lack of open support for the strikers from Labour, what do these ‘lefties’ think Labour will do?

 

[muttywhitedog]

Due to a lack of open support for the strikers from Labour, what do these ‘lefties’ think Labour will do?

Bring the two sides together for a start, and not interfere and then block the path to possible settlement, as reported in one of your more tory-friendly newspapers:

Treasury blocks pay deal for train staff amid fears of wage-price spiral

Officials said to have vetoed rise of up to 9pc that could have averted Christmas strikes

www.telegraph.co.uk

And note the words UP TO 9% before you get on your high horse about the figure being too high.

 

[muttywhitedog]

when it comes to the public sector, I’d recommend any one look up the ‘fat man theory’.

Genuine question here to someone who espouses the private sector - how much in % terms has your annual salary changed since this time last year?