Border staff strike - should strikers be sacked ?

[Worthingite]

Yes of course. Lets sack them all and get the good old Private Sector to do the job. Someone like G4S would be good and they only charge £53 million!

Don't be so bloody minded. Here's an original thought, why not employ people who actually give a shit about having a job, rather than employing cynical cnuts that are out for themselves and have no idea on whats going on in the real world outside the civil service? Or is that too simplistic.

 

[withdeanwombat]

Oh Lord.

Another chance for Daily Mail NSC to have a rant.

Still,nice bit of fishing.

 

[Spicy]

Yes of course. Lets sack them all and get the good old Private Sector to do the job. Someone like G4S would be good and they only charge £53 million!

Exactly and in this country there is a democratic right to strike. Private sector companies are employed in the public sector at quadruple the price and then show us how good their contracts are - just like G4S has done.

 

[Mileoakman]

Don't be so bloody minded. Here's an original thought, why not employ people who actually give a shit about having a job, rather than employing cynical cnuts that are out for themselves and have no idea on whats going on in the real world outside the civil service? Or is that too simplistic.

Er yes it is!

 

[ferring seagull]

Smoke coming out of my ears now !

The Unions representing Borders agency staff and the RMT are, in my opinion, a total disgrace. Trade Unions were appropriate in a totalitarian state but not in the UK (which now has so many safeguards for the ' under privileged' via employment law) is no longer appropriate. To introduce this action now, during an Olympic Games, is the lowest of the low in my opinion.

BTW, I was a member of Unison and, when I had a problem, they failed to return my e mails. THAT should prove conclusively that they are very much only interested in their own kind, ie Union Staff !

As someone previously posted, b--- them !

 

[Silent Bob]

I don't give a shit about them but deliberately disrupting them is the pretty despicable

I see.

 

[Saint Lennard]

Exactly and in this country there is a democratic right to strike. Private sector companies are employed in the public sector at quadruple the price and then show us how good their contracts are - just like G4S has done.

This. If the current government continues with it's mission to privatise public services the daily mail lovers will be the first to moan why their pension isn't being paid or there are not enough doctors on call.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

I wouldn't take away their right per se, but I was interested to read that there was only a 20% turn out in their ballot, and only 57% voted for strike action. Seems to me that less than one in ten of their union members actually voted for the strike.

Im afraid this is democracy. Its the same with the general election. If a person chooses to abstain or waste their vote that's their choice and those that do vote decide the outcome.

 

[Worthingite]

Er yes it is!

explain?

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

but not in the UK (which now has so many safeguards for the ' under privileged' via employment law)

Have you seen the Beechcroft report? Given this report its probably best not to get rid of the unions just yet as they will be needed if he gets his way.

 

[Ninja Elephant]

If they don't want their job, I'll do it.

 

[Mileoakman]

explain?

Because its far too simplistic for you to state that you believe that the people who work for the Border Agency don't give a shit and are only looking after themselves. They have suffered massive job cuts, a pay freeze for a number of years and are expected to carry on doing ever more for less. Perhaps they feel that by taking action the Government might be forced into recognising the job they do and do something that might just increase our security and make us all just a bit safer.

As you have no idea what the job entails and what conditions the present staff are expected to work under, to simply make out that they are lazy buggers just in it for themslves shows a lack of understanding of the problem.

And before you ask I do know what I'm talking about as one of my relatives worked for the Border Agency and has now been made redundant, just what we need at the moment.

 

[Westdene Seagull]

I can't find the standard salary of a Border Agency employee typically sat behind a counter most of the time ( with guaranteed breaks and relative comfort ) but I'm pretty sure it will be much more than the squaddies risking their life for a little under £20k. Get back to work you ungrateful, lazy tossers.

 

[Silent Bob]

I can't find the standard salary of a Border Agency employee typically sat behind a counter most of the time ( with guaranteed breaks and relative comfort ) but I'm pretty sure it will be much more than the squaddies risking their life for a little under £20k. Get back to work you ungrateful, lazy tossers.

You and a few others seem very concerned that there are some people who have worse working conditions and lower wages than these. So shouldn't you be calling for a general strike, I don't really see how worse conditions for some helps those that already don't have good conditions.

 

[Westdene Seagull]

You and a few others seem very concerned that there are some people who have worse working conditions and lower wages than these. So shouldn't you be calling for a general strike, I don't really see how worse conditions for some helps those that already don't have good conditions.

It's more the point that given the current economic climate that the Border Agency staff DO have decent working conditions ( as do many public sector workers who have gone on strike ).

 

[Cheshire Cat]

No

Some of the comments and comparisons on this thread are frankly ludicrous

 

[Captain Sensible]

No, They obviously have some reason for being victimsed by their Bosses (which always happens in strikes), going without pay and putting up with enormous public pressure. I've been on strike before. Its not an easy decision to make, especially if you have a family.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

What, you want to sack BOTH of our UK border staff?

 

[Dandyman]

I wouldn't take away their right per se, but I was interested to read that there was only a 20% turn out in their ballot, and only 57% voted for strike action. Seems to me that less than one in ten of their union members actually voted for the strike. It's not hard to guess that it's only the most militant of union reps that have actually voted. And why are they striking? Over "potential" job cuts - not DEFINATE job cuts. Potentially I might go to the end of my road and skinny dip in the sea, doesn't mean it's ACTUALLY going to happen. Their union chief wants stringing up for this.

And how many of the British public actually voted for the current Government ?

 

[Hatterlovesbrighton]

The actual impact on border queues by the PCS strike will be small, maybe even negligible. Relatively few of the Immigration Officers manning the desks are members of PCS (most IO's are part of the Immigration Services Union) with most of the PCS membership being in support functions etc.

This is all more to do with Serwotka showing off to his left wing union chums by trying to appear tough and "militant" by striking during the OLympics. The troube is (unlike Bob Crow etc) he never actually achieves anything for his members.