Has Anyone Had to Cross A Picket Line To Get to Work??

[Skintagain 1983]

As one of the people striking tomorrow I find some of the comments above rather strange. Local Govenment workers have for years been the poor relations when it comes to pay raises and pay in general.

The government have said that no one in the public sector can have a payrise over 2%. This they say is to keep down inflation. Yet the RPI is currently running at nearer 5% and even the governments own way of recording inflation that does not include mortgage or fuel increases is running at nearly 3.5%.

I am chairperson for our branch and I joined the union not because of my political views but to help those people who for one reason or another have got in to trouble. Sometimes this is their own fault by most of the time it is because they have been treated badly by others. I spend a lot of my own time unpaid helping these people out.

Unlike the private sector where payrises are normally reflected by the performance of either you or the company, in local government that is not the case.

The current offer by the employers is in effect a pay cut. We are not asking for much, just to be paid the going rate for what we do. Most of the people striking tomorrow will be on less then £15000 a year so are not the fat cats the press like to make out.

Hi Wardy.

Some of my PCS colleagues in different Departments in the Civil Service will also be taking action alongside public sector workers over pay. In my Department we have been taking discontinuous action for over a year over our terrible imposed 3 year pay offer, and have finally got some movement. No-one wants to take action and lose pay but sometimes you are left with no alternative. All the best to you.

 

[DIFFBROOK]

It really annoys me when people slag off the public sector. Firstly the Civil Service is not overstaffed. Gordon Brown has seen to that. My own Dept shed a third of its worksforce and is now so understaffed that it has to hire agency staff.

Pay is kept to below 2%. Do you really think thats fair when RPI is 4% and private sector deals are running at over 3.5%.

Plus to say that Civil Servants couldn't cut in the outside world is just tosh.

 

[Spiros]

To those going on strike at their low pay rise - do you still get a final-salary based pension when you retire and is it still at 60?

 

[DIFFBROOK]

To those going on strike at their low pay rise - do you still get a final-salary based pension when you retire and is it still at 60?

For those currently in employment yes. But new staff no.

Before you say its a gold linked pension, the average Public Sector pension paid out by the Govt is £4,000 per year. Thats the Govt figs. Low wages = low pension.

 

[Skintagain 1983]

For those currently in employment yes. But new staff no.

Before you say its a gold linked pension, the average Public Sector pension paid out by the Govt is £4,000 per year. Thats the Govt figs. Low wages = low pension.

And the only reason civil servants have still got a final salary linked pension is because we were prepared to take action to fight to keep it. Our victory has probably slowed down the relentless charge towards doing away with final salary pensions elsewhere.

 

[El Presidente]

I voted to go on strike a couple of years ago, but our Union reps were so obnoxious to the non-strikers, especially those close to retirement whose pensions would be cut by going on strike, that I crossed the picket line for a strike I was in favour for. I gave my salary for the day to the NSPCC as it was immoral to take home any money from the whole shabby episode.

Unions do very good work, but some reps are convinced it is 1975 and act accordingly sadly, undoing all the progress made elsewhere.

 

[British Bulldog]

I'm quite unpopular with my view on this. I have crossed picket lines and I will continue to do so. Unions are very outdated (yes there was a time and place for them) and create more problems for industries than they are worth. I see people in my company hiding behind the union for their own puny excuses, instead of helping the union for the benefit of the entire workforce in the company.

Lets not forget that unions are not just about strikes and pay rises they are also insurance policies for a lot of us.

 

[Emily's Mum]

The administrative civil service is full of jobsworths and overstaffed bureaucratic departments. They should think themselves lucky to get a payrise at all. Very few of them would cut it in the private sector. The picket line is as insignificant as they are.

Thanks for those comments. It's local government workers that are striking this week, not civil servants. I'm a civil servant that spent 20 years in the private sector & no I didn't join the civil service for a rest. I'm not a jobsworth or a bureaucrat; I support our boys & girls of the armed forces. I think it's a worthwhile job, I've got a lot to get through & bring my 28 years work experience to the role. The Government rewards me with a salary that is barely over the minimum wage and a pay scale so long that I will never get to the top of it as I will have retired by then. Oh, and my projected pension will be worth about £2000 per annum.
However, to answer the question: I would be the only person at my place of work on the picket line as my colleagues are not allowed to strike!

 

[seagull_special]

Once had to cross a picket fence, does that count?

 

[Muhammad - I’m hard - Bruce Lee]

never have crossed a picket line in my life, wouldnt want to change now

good luck wardy

 

[Wardy]

I voted to go on strike a couple of years ago, but our Union reps were so obnoxious to the non-strikers, especially those close to retirement whose pensions would be cut by going on strike, that I crossed the picket line for a strike I was in favour for. I gave my salary for the day to the NSPCC as it was immoral to take home any money from the whole shabby episode.

Unions do very good work, but some reps are convinced it is 1975 and act accordingly sadly, undoing all the progress made elsewhere.

UNISON gives expemptions to all people in their last year of employment due to the fact that striking in the last year effects your pension. Here in Eastbourne we have lots of other local issues going on have told all members that we will respect their decision to work if they feel that they cannot afford to or do not want to strike.

I know some branches are very millitant and they do tend to give the rest of us a bad name.

 

[Jamon Jamon]

Never hit a woman
Never cross a picket line
and always get your round in at the bar


The Life Persuit


.

 

[Southover Street Seagull]

Expect to be spat at and called a scag. No matter what the weather is a sow-wester and daft hat might be an idea.

You could always retaliate with the lighter and hairspray flamethrower to clear a pathway to your office door.

Strike breakers are generally called scabs, and the last picket line I manned not one person who crossed it was spat at. I don't think Mendoza will get spat at tomorrow, especially as he is not a scab.

 

[Starry]

I'm quite unpopular with my view on this. I have crossed picket lines and I will continue to do so. Unions are very outdated (yes there was a time and place for them) and create more problems for industries than they are worth. I see people in my company hiding behind the union for their own puny excuses, instead of helping the union for the benefit of the entire workforce in the company.

what she said.

constantly threatened with our lot walking out, i told them go right ahead, but so far nothing has happened. they are complaining about pay of course but the thing that started this was because we introduced a sliding scale thing for holiday extra days, a one off treat if you have worked there 0-5 years you got an extra one day, if you worked 5-12 an extra two days and so on. that was on top of extra days given in their annual reviews as well. on top of a pay rise that was according to the tuc rep above average that was reported by their members, yada yada. walk out, do it or don't do it, quit wasting my time with it.

your last sentence is key, tede. too many selfish, me me me rather than us us us as a whole group of people could achieve this or that they all want a piece of a pie that doesn't exist anymore.

i've crossed a picket twice - once i agreed with what the strike was over, the second time i didn't both times the strike solved absolutely nothing.

 

[wigman]

Yes lets turn back the clock to the 70's & 80's . FFS

He has a better wig than me!

 

[Westdene Seagull]

what she said.

constantly threatened with our lot walking out, i told them go right ahead, but so far nothing has happened. they are complaining about pay of course but the thing that started this was because we introduced a sliding scale thing for holiday extra days, a one off treat if you have worked there 0-5 years you got an extra one day, if you worked 5-12 an extra two days and so on. that was on top of extra days given in their annual reviews as well. on top of a pay rise that was according to the tuc rep above average that was reported by their members, yada yada. walk out, do it or don't do it, quit wasting my time with it.

your last sentence is key, tede. too many selfish, me me me rather than us us us as a whole group of people could achieve this or that they all want a piece of a pie that doesn't exist anymore.

i've crossed a picket twice - once i agreed with what the strike was over, the second time i didn't both times the strike solved absolutely nothing.

Absolutely spot on

The thing that annoys me about unions is the "scab" tag for people that choose, IN AN ALMOST FREE COUNTRY, to work rather than strike if they can't afford to strike or don't agree with the strike. It's nothing short of workplace bullying. I also don't like the fact that the unions are aligned with a political party ( yes, I know that's how the Labour party formed ), nowadays they should be completely independant of politics. The up side is the protection they give teachers etc when it comes to false allegations.

That said, if you don't like the job or conditions - FIND ANOTHER ONE !!!!

 

[Evil Edna]

My sisters crossing that line tomorrow. Asked her why she needs the money.

 

[Lord Bracknell]

I've never crossed a picket line in my life - although I once found myself the wrong side of one, when I was appearing on Radio Sussex with a Labour councillor, when BBC staff called one of the one-hour strikes that they were very keen on in those days.

One-hour broadcasting strikes are a great idea! I remember being in Italy watching live coverage of a moon landing on the TV - only for the plugs to be pulled, just as the show got to the exciting bit. Marvellous non-scenes.


The last time local government workers went on strike (which was YEARS ago), I was Chair of the East Sussex branch of NALGO and was involved in organising the picket lines at County Hall, Lewes. We won the strike as well - the employers caved in and agreed to a bigger pay increase than they'd offered. The best picket line of all during that strike was the one at the Seven Sisters Country Park. It was a gloriously hot and sunny day and the countryside rangers had a lovely time, chatting to members of the public who were out walking their dogs.

 

[Questions]

[QUOTE Lord Bracknell

I've never crossed a picket line in my life - although I once found myself the wrong side of one, when I was appearing on Radio Sussex with a Labour councillor, when BBC staff called one of the one-hour strikes that they were very keen on in those days.

One-hour broadcasting strikes are a great idea! I remember being in Italy watching live coverage of a moon landing on the TV - only for the plugs to be pulled, just as the show got to the exciting bit. Marvellous non-scenes.

.........................................................................................................


Did you find out what happened ?
Did they land ok ?

 

[vulture]

simple just vote for the tories and kick labour and one eyed brown out