There are times when I do think strike action is necessary, but there are also times when strike action is not possible. It would appear to be the professionals and the higher paid workers, who are able to strike in this country, with a view to holding a gun to a head.
The low paid worker in McDonalds has no choice. They get either take it or leave it. The same with all the small businesses, that more often than not are owned by persons who have not a clue about works ethics etc.
There are also the contracts which will not exceed two years. Therefore nobody can be considered for rent or purchase unless they have been employed for over two years in the same job. We also find in certain sectors that lunch hour/lunch half hour has been eroded, and it is now 20mins if working over 7 hours.
Where are the unions in those cases ? Those are the things they should be targeting but all those re-designed practices were put into force by the last government, which was really working against the very people they purported to support.
In the 60's and 70's, they did get better working conditions not only pay, but Unions took it too far and brought the country to it's knees.
So in my opinion the Unions are of no worth now, you can just keep giving them your money to pay their mostly excessive salaries. They have to appear to be doing something and if winding people up into taking action, then that's their reason for being there !
The total pay of the general secretaries and chief executives earning over £100,000
was over £4.6 million in 2009-10, that was up 5.4 per cent from under £4.4
million in 2008-09 for the leaders of the same unions.
Top of the list, according to the report, was Michael Bradley, of the General Federation of Trade Unions, whose package totalled £203,416. His salary was £65,594, but other benefits, including pension payments, were worth £137,822 – boosted by a ‘loss of office’ payment of £30,000 when he retired at the end of December last year
Derek Simpson from Unite £186,000.in 2012
Makes your eyes water doesn't it ?
The Uk has always followed in America's footsteps. What happens there, finds it's way over here a few years later.
NYC might appear to be a great place from the view of the visitor, but as half the population is living in near poverty, are we expected to follow that tradition of theirs too ?
March 2014
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/04/30/nyc-poverty_n_5240355.htmlThe study revealed 45.6 percent of New Yorkers are barely making ends meet, even with more adults working full-time since the recession. A combination of low wages, rising rents, and a lack of benefits is largely to blame.
I've said too much again... but I would like to see someone make it possible for the lower paid to keep a roof over their heads before we end up like yet another eastern European country with a nation of beggars and thieves. Why should people not be allowed to have some dignity in this life ?