Should there be an energy/fuel payment strike in the UK?

[girasol]

Inspired by this tweet, YES!!!!!! There should be some form or strike or protest. The energy companies are still making huge profits out of this crisis. Even before I saw the tweet, I was thinking, "what if we all refuse to pay our bills in protest?"

Well, there are precedents in other countries, so why the hell not? What do urbanites think?



Some of the other posts on that thread, in case you don't want to go there

"You don't have to be very bright to see what's happening France: energy prices up 4% UK: energy prices up 54%"

"Spanish citizens organised on social media platforms to switch off their power for 10 minutes at 10pm. Spain has since agreed costs to be the same price as was paid in 2019. It works to show our governments that we can organise at short notice, silent revolution"

"Attention:- British citizens turn off your power for 10 minutes at 10pm on 10th April. Let’s follow the Spanish & show our leaders that we can ALSO organise a SILENT PROTEST at short notice to get our costs back to pre pandemic prices! RT it GO! using #PowerOff"

 

[planetgeli]

Yes. They can afford it. The French government forced EDF to take a 8 billion euro hit.

France to force EDF to take €8.4bn hit with energy bill cap

Company loses fifth of market value after French government sets out plan to protect households

www.theguardian.com

Let's do the same from the bottom up.

 

[Serge Forward]

Yes, there should girasol. But you'd have to put in the legwork and build for something like that, getting at least hundreds of thousands pledging to strike. Otherwise it'd just be a few hundred people getting picked off and cut off.

I'm involved in a local level anti price rises group. The masses are not exactly signing up in their... er... masses. It really doesn't feel like a poll tax moment.

Ever the optimist though , maybe that'll come later.

 

[StoneRoad]

I vote yes.

Energy & fuel companies are very, very quick to put up their prices & very, very slow to bring them back down again. [and the reduction is never by the full amount - look what happened with Sunak's pissing in the wind of 5p off fuel duty, a lot of pumps saw limited reductions ...]

I think there is a lot of gouging going on, in addition to the jumps caused by wholesale price increases ...

 

[fucthest8]

Once the reality has sunk in over this weekend maybe it will start to gain traction

 

[girasol]

I think this might be a start?

"Attention:- British citizens turn off your power for 10 minutes at 10pm on 10th April. Let’s follow the Spanish & show our leaders that we can ALSO organise a SILENT PROTEST at short notice to get our costs back to pre pandemic prices! RT it GO! using #PowerOff"



I took umbrage with the "British citizen" bit - as it alienates a lot of UK residents...

 

[muscovyduck]

I don't think there's going to be a strike. I think the amount of people who just literally cannot pay will overwhelm the system more than a (realistic) organised refusal to pay would. It's going to get ugly though

 

[magneze]

Would Martin Lewis promote this on his website?

 

[Serge Forward]

So, these times when t'internet rules, it might be worth someone setting up one of them petitions... but not a petition, more a pledge site. Then when it reaches eg 1 million pledgers, that's when a million people stop paying. But, and it's a big but, it'd all need to be backed up with building community mutual aid groups for when the strike happens. Is it doable? I'm not sure. Is it worth trying? Course it is

 

[girasol]

I think I'm warming to the the idea of stopping using first, for short periods of time, as a warning... Thanks to social media, easy to organise too. I found that #PowerOff campaign as I was scrolling that tweet on my OP.

 

[A380]

Price increases are shit.they will especially hit the poor. Some energy suppliers are making huge windfall profits and should be taxed. But these prices more accurately reflect t the true costs of an energy system build on hydrocarbons. We have to give up our addiction on cheap energy and move to more renewables and a far more efficient system of heat and power. Like the oil crisis did, this will help shift us. Although of course It might be too late, and it will definitely hurt a lot of people in the short and mid term.

 

[Pickman's model]

Price increases are shit.they will especially hit the poor. Some energy suppliers are making huge windfall profits and should be taxed. But these prices more accurately reflect t the true costs of an energy system build on hydrocarbons. We have to give up our addiction on cheap energy and move to more renewables and a far more efficient system of heat and power. Like the oil crisis did, this will help shift us. Although of course It might be too late, and it will definitely hurt a little of people in the short and mid term.

This is nonetheless a political choice not the inexorable workings of 'the market'

 

[pogofish]

Would Martin Lewis promote this on his website?

Here's their Energy Forum:

Energy

Discuss utility providers, tariffs, bills and energy-saving tips. Use the main board for electricity and gas, or explore the sub-boards for water bills, heat pumps and other fuels.

forums.moneysavingexpert.com

And their Campaigns board, where you can suggest stuff:

Campaigns corner

Want to raise awareness of a MoneySaving campaign? You can share experiences and encourage change via discussions here.

forums.moneysavingexpert.com

Lewis sold MSE some years back, so his current involvement is minimal. The days he was as active on the boards as the Editor is here are long gone! Since Moneysupermarket bought them over, I have to say that the tone is much less confrontational than it used to be.

 

[Sasaferrato]

There will be significant change, but it will be presaged with a lot of trauma. I see people simply not being able to pay the bill, and not paying it.

There will be a huge number of cases. When it starts to go to people being hauled into civil court for non payment in numbers, the government will act, not for humanitarian reasons, but because of what will then be an upcoming election.

 

[Artaxerxes]

Nice meter reading shame it’s a hundred units out

 

[Dystopiary]

As if it couldn't get any worse, the Government have announced they will cut support through the Warm Home Discount from over 200,000* disabled people.

They're planning to bring in new laws to prevent people claiming Disability Living Allowance (DLA), Personal Independence Payments (PIP) or Attendance Allowance (AA) from applying for the Warm Discount Scheme. The charity Scope have condemned the move.

We warned of the consequences of this last month.

The government is set to announce this week that it is raising Warm Home Discount payments from £140 to £150, and expanding the pool of people able to claim it by 780,000.

But it will exclude around 210,000 people on DLA, PIP and AA from getting these payments, The Mirror understands.

People on these benefits are currently eligible for the energy bill discounts, but will be barred when the changes kick in.

The government needs to bring in new laws to do this, but this is not likely to happen until the end of the year.

Scope consumer affairs policy manager Tom Marsland said: “It’s shocking that a huge number of disabled people are about to be cut loose from the Warm Home Discount.

“This comes at a time when energy prices and the cost of living are skyrocketing, and many disabled people will already be facing some extremely difficult choices."

Marsland pointed out that "life costs more if you are disabled" and urged the government to rethink its policy.

Sadly, I can't say I find this "shocking" at all. They are complete bastards. But maybe the emotive language will get more people on board who are in a position to do something about it. (I'm sceptical tbh. They've repeatedly ignored experts and disabled people over many concerns for years.)

I can move this post to another thread if it's not considered appropriate here. Just wasn't sure where else, it would better fit, and didn't want to start yet another thread about the cost of heating.



*Edited nearer to correct number.

 

[A380]

This is nonetheless a political choice not the inexorable workings of 'the market'

I’m not sure there is a ‘true’ market for energy anywhere in the world. Not that ‘the hidden hand’ is anything but bollocks….

 

[tim]

Sadly, not an option for those on prepayment meters, who already pay more, and tend to be poorer.

 

[Serge Forward]

Indeed. This is where the idea falls down.

 

[hitmouse]

Dunno if there's any chance of this going anywhere, but fwiw:

UK Won't Pay - Combatting the Cost of Living Crisis

UK Won't Pay is a campaign for the UK’s ordinary people during the cost of living crisis. Please sign our current petition to Freeze the Energy Price Cap.

www.ukwontpay.com

 

[SpookyFrank]

I don't think there's going to be a strike. I think the amount of people who just literally cannot pay will overwhelm the system more than a (realistic) organised refusal to pay would. It's going to get ugly though

We've not paid the water bill because it's that, the electric or the council tax and the other two will get us in more trouble if we don't pay them. Doubt I'm the only person in that position. Never mind the bits of the economy that rely on people's disposable income.

 

[SpookyFrank]

There will be significant change, but it will be presaged with a lot of trauma. I see people simply not being able to pay the bill, and not paying it.

There will be a huge number of cases. When it starts to go to people being hauled into civil court for non payment in numbers, the government will act, not for humanitarian reasons, but because of what will then be an upcoming election.

Wait until the courts are (even more) backed up, then everyone stop paying rent.

 

[Sasaferrato]

Price increases are shit.they will especially hit the poor. Some energy suppliers are making huge windfall profits and should be taxed. But these prices more accurately reflect t the true costs of an energy system build on hydrocarbons. We have to give up our addiction on cheap energy and move to more renewables and a far more efficient system of heat and power. Like the oil crisis did, this will help shift us. Although of course It might be too late, and it will definitely hurt a lot of people in the short and mid term.

I think that any profits over those of the last reporting year should be removed as a windfall tax.

 

[SpookyFrank]

I think that any profits over those of the last reporting year should be removed as a windfall tax.

Lifelong tory in, 'turns socialist as soon as it's him suffering for once' shocker.

 

[Sasaferrato]

Lifelong tory in, 'turns socialist as soon as it's him suffering for once' shocker.

Very presumptuous of you; as is your norm; to assume that I'm suffering in the slightest, I'm not. It will be an irritation, nothing more.

 

[MickiQ]

I think this is one of those things that lots of people will say "Fuck Yeah" to but in reality has absolutely zero chance of ever happening. There are consequences for anyone taking part in such a protest beyond simply being disconnected/forced onto a pre-payment meter. It will effect credit scores which will have a knock on effect to get cheaper deals, get loans, get a mortgage, rent a house etc. In order to be willing to take part people need to be either a) sufficiently desperate to not care about longer term consequences or b) have a high degree of confidence that enough people are going to support this that the Govt can be steam-rollered into taking action. The problem with a) is that the most financially desperate are already on pre-payment meters so they effectively locked out of any such protests. So we're down to b) which raises the question of who is going to organise it and lead it. (or inspire it at least) and I can't see anyone or any group in this country that currently has the credibility or the public popularity to do so. There is no strong social force in this country that such a protest can coalesce around.
I don't necessarily think that nothing will happen though, I think muscovyduck is right and the courts will just get so clogged up with people being pursued for debts or warrants to break in and install pre-payment meters that even this Govt will feel pressured to act.
Not paying your water bill is especially interesting since they can't cut you off for not paying water bills and have to go to court to get any money (They can also go after the landlord if the refusenik is a tenant) I suspect that there are going to be a lot of unpaid water bills over the next year or so and the water companies giving the Govt grief about it.

 

[SpookyFrank]

I think this is one of those things that lots of people will say "Fuck Yeah" to but in reality has absolutely zero chance of ever happening. There are consequences for anyone taking part in such a protest beyond simply being disconnected/forced onto a pre-payment meter. It will effect credit scores which will have a knock on effect to get cheaper deals, get loans, get a mortgage, rent a house etc.

Many of us already have shit for a credit rating, zero prospect of ever scrounging up a deposit or earning enough for the bank to give us a mortgage. There's less and less reward for doing as you're told with every passing year. Carrot and stick doesn't work once people realise that some other cunt has already eaten the carrot and there's not enough sticks to beat everyone.

 

[rutabowa]

Switching off power for 10 minutes at a certain time isn't going to affect anyone's credit scores anyway (if that is the plan?).

Also, prepayment meters aren't quite the horror people make out. Yes you might not get the "cheapest" direct debit deals, but most people on direct debit end up getting charged for way more than they use so their money is sitting with the company. I like just paying for what I use and being able to see exactly how much it is day by day. I think energy companies have a vested interest in making prepayment meters have a "low class" image, because they want everyone on direct debit so they can get free money loans off customers. also I loaded up our prepayment meter with old price electricity on March 31st.

There is nothing like seeing the pennies tick down on a prepay meter for reminding you to turn out lights/ turn off computer etc. The decadent direct debit customers only notice 3 months later when they get their bank statement.

 

[rutabowa]

Direct debits in general are a proper racket, it feels like you're getting stuff for free when in fact you just gave some company control of your bank account. Imo.

 

[muscovyduck]

Ironically getting switched to British Gas and not having the direct debit follow is what's opened up my eyes to how bullshit direct debits are.