Topic: Do you support the strikes?

[AndyMuller]

Absolutely.

[Nick110581]

Of course.

That Grant Shapps is a nasty individual.

[RF]

It’s difficult, and I don’t know what the RMT’s end game is. Rail travel may have changed for ever with the pandemic, do staff numbers need to reflect this?? I don’t know.

And what pay % are RMT going to settle at? There’s economic sense in restricting pay below inflation to try to reduce inflation. But when you’re offering so much below inflation, you’re asking workers to suffer too much.

So I support them to a certain extent and within the limits of my own ignorance, but the government can’t be shocked that workers aren’t happy to see their pay going down. The government have no policies to address it, so why would workers not take the matter into their own hands?


And this is only the start of it. When we get to public sector reviews in September there will be more strikes. Because when you give people zero last year (essentially -5%) and say 3% this year, that’s pretty much a 12% pay cut. That’s going to hurt and people will go on strike.

The government need to act to reduce inflation

Royal Mail workers will be next. Ballot papers about to go out. Company saying it has offered a 5.5% payrise.

In reality it has offered 2%. Then a further 1.5 % if changes are agreed including reducing sick pay, starting up to 3hrs later in the day, compulsory working on Sundays at basic rate, removal of certain allowances, anualised hours and vastly reduced ill health retirement package.

A further 2% is dangled in the form of an unachievable bonus scheme if certain targets are hit.  All this after announcing last year that they were going to be paying out £400m to shareholders.

[Wilmo]

Yes.

[Commie Bobbie]

Of course.

That Grant Shapps is a nasty individual.

You mean Michael Green?

[WhereAngelsPlay]

Absolutely.

And Shapps is a c*nt,useless snidey c*nt who kissed arse upwards.

[Elmo!]

I'm out the country and in no way affected so bring it on. 

[RainbowFlick]

Unequivocally, yes.

The Murdoch media empire peddling misinformation and the general conservative media going into meltdown tells you all you need to know.

I'm supportive of a general strike too, although that's probably a bit farfetched. The country has a *LOT* to be striking about.

[Snail]

Yes, absolutely unequivocally.

[Nobby Reserve]

You mean Michael Green?

You're thinking of Sebastian Fox

[Commie Bobbie]

You're thinking of Sebastian Fox

All utter c*nts, and completely out of their depth. Solidarity.

[TheShanklyGates]

Generally supportive, but then there's the elephant in the room.

https://www.rmt.org.uk/news/rmt-sets-out-six-key-reasons-for-leaving-the-eu/

[PaulF]

Pay is but one of the issues* the rail workers are striking over. Mass job cuts, changes to T&Cs (that will make it easier to fire and rehire on worse pay/terms), cuts to pension scheme.

All against the backdrop of the Government slashing £2bn from national rail budgets, and £2bn from TFL.

The Tories once again have engineered this. They slash budgets, then order National Rail/TOCs management to impose 'reform' on the workforce; when the workers take action to protect their jobs, T&C's and pay, the Government and their client media go on the PR warpath.

And look! Bozo's corruption, lying, incompetence and dalliances are off the front pages...

 

Now it's all about lefty militants ruining everyone's lives, and how Labour would drag everyone back to the dark days of the 1970's.


* like I said earlier, though, the media will portray it as being a dispute over the size of pay rises. Worth noting the BBC article on the strike; they have a Q&A thing, and the first question is "How much are Train Drivers paid?" and they quickly say how the median is £59k. Yet train drivers aren't striking

For balance the BBC fact check seems quite prominent. And although they can't match the 33k median the unions are claiming they say it's certainly a realistic figure.  The train drivers figure does seems to distort thibgs in the public eye. I guess it's hard to see why a train driver should be earning twice what a nurse is .

[the 92A]

100 percent in support.

[Elmo!]

My serious answer compared to the earlier flippant one, is that I 100% support it even if it did affect me.

The reality is we have absolutely fuck all of a train network up here though so was always unlikely to affect me.

[Kenny's Jacket]

In support,  Im very interested to know the profits made by the companies and what fat cat bonus' were paid out.

[thaddeus]

Generally supportive, but then there's the elephant in the room.

https://www.rmt.org.uk/news/rmt-sets-out-six-key-reasons-for-leaving-the-eu/

What were they thinking?!

The EU isn't perfect - far from it - but to think a 'free' UK would aspire to better workers' rights and a protected NHS was incredibly naive.  A quick look at the forces driving the Leave vote would have shown them that.  That kind of thinking does at least partly explain the half-hearted approach to the referendum by Labour!

Still, they're right on the current issues.

[Nick110581]

Absolutely.

And Shapps is a c*nt,useless snidey c*nt who kissed arse upwards.

He’s a nasty c*nt.

His behaviour over the last few days proved it.

[ljycb]

Hopefully we one day live in a world where it’s not necessary, but until then, absolutely I support the strikes.

[Kenny's Jacket]

What were they thinking?!

The EU isn't perfect - far from it - but to think a 'free' UK would aspire to better workers' rights and a protected NHS was incredibly naive.  A quick look at the forces driving the Leave vote would have shown them that.  That kind of thinking does at least partly explain the half-hearted approach to the referendum by Labour!

Still, they're right on the current issues.

Its a complete cluster fuck of ideas. Wonder if the railway companies being owned by European companies is significant in the pro Brexit stance

[TepidT2O]

Fuck this public sector workers…

Also, have more money fat cats

[Original]

I am a signal engineer for network rail, I voted to strike and will be taking part over the next 3 days that are effected, our pay is only a small percentage of what this strike is about

[ljycb]

I am a signal engineer for network rail, I voted to strike and will be taking part over the next 3 days that are effected, our pay is only a small percentage of what this strike is about

Solidarity with you, mate.

[Original]

Solidarity with you, mate.

Nice one kidda

[RainbowFlick]

I am a signal engineer for network rail, I voted to strike and will be taking part over the next 3 days that are effected, our pay is only a small percentage of what this strike is about

nice one mate, we're with you.

[west_london_red]

I am a signal engineer for network rail, I voted to strike and will be taking part over the next 3 days that are effected, our pay is only a small percentage of what this strike is about

I’m a TSSA member at TfL and our pay negotiations have only just started but we’re expecting something pretty derisory and to be balloted soon enough.

[oldfordie]

We're heading for a Summer of discontent, the Tory's are setting the Unions and the Labour party up for the blame.
The Torys know Unions are going to be demanding higher wages to keep up with high inflation. how long before we here wage rises are causing high inflation, the Tory's tried to stop these militant unions demanding huge wage rises but they listened to their m8s, the Labour party and went on strike. Truss will be in her element trying to do a Maggie union basher speech.
 The Torys will be blaming the Unions and the Labour party for inflation and all sorts of s,,,by the end of the year.

[Original]

nice one mate, we're with you.

✊️

[ShakaHislop]

EXCLUSIVE: Labour front benchers have been told by the party leadership that they are banned from picket lines this week amid rail strikes:

https://twitter.com/siennamarla/status/1538939029315624961

[TepidT2O]

Thus avoiding the most unsubtle political/media trap there could be.

[LFC_NCL]

100%

[Red-Soldier]

People talking about wage inflation as a potential driver to high inflation; perhaps they should be looking at CEOs:

Pandemic caused pay ratios to fall, but new analysis indicates ratios are now increasing to new highs

    The median CEO/median employee pay ratio across the FTSE 350 was 44:1 in 2020/2021, down from 53:1 in 2019/2020. 2020/21 also saw a decrease in the median CEO/lower quartile employee pay ratio for the FTSE 350, at 59:1 compared to 71:1 the previous year.
    In the FTSE 100, the median CEO/median employee ratio was 67:1 and the median CEO/lower quartile employee ratio was 93:1 (73:1 and 109:1 in 2019/20).
    28 Companies (14% of the total) had a CEO/median employee pay ratio of over 100:1, compared to 43 in 2020.
    Pay gaps are set to rebound post pandemic, with the 69 companies to have reported in the first quarter of 2022 showing a median pay ratio of 63:1, almost double the 34:1 median ratio at these companies in 2021.

This report, supported by the Abrdn Financial Fairness Trust, shows that cuts to executive pay during the pandemic led to a fall in the median CEO/median employee pay ratio across the FTSE 350 to 44:1 in 2020/21, down from 53:1 in 2019/20. The median gap between CEOs and their lower quarter employees fell to 59:1 from 71:1 in 2019/20.

However, early examinations of more recent disclosures indicate that pay gaps will widen again in 2022.

Across the 69 companies that disclosed pay ratios in Q1 2022, the median CEO/median employee ratio was 63:1. This was nearly double the ratio for the same group of companies in 2021, at 34:1.

The research that pay ratios were widest in the retail industry with an average pay ratio of 117:1. Ratios were lowest in media (29:1) and financial services (30:1).

https://highpaycentre.org/high-pay-centre-analysis-of-ftse-350-pay-ratios/

[TepidT2O]

Will no one spare a thought for those millionaires who are struggling in these hard times?

[killer-heels]

This was from the body that sets MP's pay: -

Richard Lloyd, chairman of Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (Ipsa), which sets salaries, said: "This is the first increase in pay for MPs in two years and follows the average of increases across the public sector last year.

"MPs play a vital role in our democracy and this is reflected in their pay. It is right that MPs are paid fairly for the responsibility and the unseen work they do helping their constituents, which dramatically increased last year.

"For parliament to reflect society, it is vital that people from all walks of life can be an MP."

[Rhi]

It's fucked up my plans for the week / weekend but I 100% support the strikes. Solidarity with those striking today and throughout the week.

[Barneylfc∗]

Absolutely 100% yes.

[Crosby Nick]

Yes, and with the added bonus of not having to go into the office today.

[Alan_X]

Yes.

[thaddeus]

This was from the body that sets MP's pay: -

Richard Lloyd, chairman of Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (Ipsa), which sets salaries, said: "This is the first increase in pay for MPs in two years and follows the average of increases across the public sector last year.

"MPs play a vital role in our democracy and this is reflected in their pay. It is right that MPs are paid fairly for the responsibility and the unseen work they do helping their constituents, which dramatically increased last year.

"For parliament to reflect society, it is vital that people from all walks of life can be an MP."

That's some Truss-level maths from Richard Lloyd!  MPs had a 2.7% pay rise from 2021 to 2022.  Considering most of the public sector had 1-3% pay rises there must have been a secret but large sub-section that had very large pay rises.  The ONS had public sector pay as rising on average by 1.9%.

As an aside, without inflation MPs have had a 28% pay rise since 2010.  Even with inflation over that period - ignoring the past few months of ultra-inflation! - they have had a small pay-rise.  If they had mirrored that across the public sector as a whole during their 12 years in power then they would not be facing a summer of strikes (granted the RMT strike is about more than just wages).

[lobsterboy]

Will no one spare a thought for those millionaires who are struggling in these hard times?

My sympathy is with the billionaires. They've really had it tough.