Strike!

[philosophical]

What happens if everybody calls in sick or whatever on the same day?
If the Tories want to play silly buggers with the already oppressive regulations then individual workers can do it outside of formal Union control.Those Masonic creeps can manoeuvre with funny handshakes, workers can manoeuvre with a nod and a wink.
I mean one of the Tories top five songs is Rule Britannia which says Britons never will be slaves.

 

[Pickman's model]

What happens if everybody calls in sick or whatever on the same day?
If the Tories want to play silly buggers with the already oppressive regulations then individual workers can do it outside of formal Union control.Those Masonic creeps can manoeuvre with funny handshakes, workers can manoeuvre with a nod and a wink.
I mean one of the Tories top five songs is Rule Britannia which says Britons never will be slaves.

i'm not seeing it in the top five

The Top 10: Conservative Pop Songs | John Rentoul

Does the devil really have the best tunes?

www.independent.co.uk

 

[philosophical]

I can’t get past the paywall.

 

[hitmouse]

1 to 3 I think will probably make it harder to actually call a strike. The rest are largely pointless bar 10 &12 which I think are going to enrich a lot of lawyers as employers, unions, Govt and the courts get embroiled in rows over what a minimum service level is and how it can be reconciled with someone's fundamental right to withdraw their labour. As for whether a stike causes a national emergency I suspect that is going to a good one.

3 would be a fucking nightmare, but if I understand it correctly might also have the unintended effect of giving unions a big incentive to go back to open-ended all-out strikes rather than these one day affairs?

 

[hitmouse]

I can’t get past the paywall.

Fwiw:

This list was just an excuse to start several arguments, including ones about the definition of “conservative”, when poses become ironic, and why there is a “No Beatles” rule in my Top 10s. Anyway, here we go.

1. “I Fought The Law”, The Crickets, 1960. (Some people prefer the version by The Clash, 1979.) “Pro law and order,” said Conor Downey, Whitstable Stevie and Steven Fogel.

2. “Ballad of the Green Berets”, Barry Sadler, 1966. Counter-counterculture hit in the US at the time of Vietnam war protests. Thanks to John Peters and Infanta Margarita Teresa in a Pink Dress.

3. “Sympathy for the Devil”, The Rolling Stones, 1968. Excellent nomination from Amanda Graham.

4. “Okie from Muskogee”, Merle Haggard, 1969. Such an anti-hippie tirade that several bands covered it as a spoof. Nominated by John Peters, Tamara, Chris Smith, Graham Fildes, Ben Milne and Conor Downey.

5. “Sunny Afternoon”, The Kinks, 1966. “The tax man’s taken all my dough…” Nominated by Steven Fogel and Wario Argento, although Paul T Horgan said that the song is not sympathetic to the aristocratic narrator.

6. “Won’t Get Fooled Again”, The Who, 1971. Anti-revolutionary song that ends with the couplet: “Meet the new boss/ Same as the old boss.” Thanks to Tom Doran, John Hall and Nigel Morris.

7. “Part of the Union”, Strawbs, 1973. Not entirely serious, but definitely anti-union. Nominated by Nigel Morris, James Burton and Paul Stockton.

8. “Sweet Home Alabama”, Lynyrd Skynryd, 1974. A response to Neil Young’s songs “Southern Man” and “Alabama”, which the band felt did down the South. Nominated by P D Anderson, Alasdair McGowan and Sandy Rush. Lynyrd Skynyrd also recorded an album called God & Guns, 2009, said Nigel Morris.

9. “The Trees”, Rush, 1979. Libertarian nonsense-parable nominated by Nigel Morris, Thomas Joseph and John Duncan.

10. “No More Lockdown”, Van Morrison, 2020. “A disgrace,” said Steven Fogel, who also dislikes “Stand and Deliver” by Morrison’s anti-lockdown ally Eric Clapton.

Two nominations were ruled out of order on grounds that they were sarcastic: “I’m In Love With Margaret Thatcher”, the Notsensibles, 1979; and “Opportunities (Let’s Make Lots of Money)”, Pet Shop Boys, 1985.

 

[Pickman's model]

I can’t get past the paywall.

At the bottom where it wants you to register should be an option for not now

 

[hitmouse]

Wee bit late for this morning, but here's the RMT picket details for Saturday:

Picket Line details 18 - 20 August

I'd imagine there will probably be rallies happening in a lot of places as well (leaving aside any debates about the usefulness or otherwise of rallies)?

 

[The39thStep]

They don't like us -we don't care

 

[ska invita]

The latest shit from Shapps, in a shit rag who’ve for some bizarre reason started calling Mick Lynch a ‘baron’ recently;

View attachment 338248

this plan looks like its going ahead right? theres no point them making an empty threat of it as its not like its going to stop anyone from backing down and its not like the strike wave is going away any time soon.
if it does go ahead then its an existential attack on unionism and a general strike is i would confidently presume 100% on - and not just a general strike, but a full force long running confrontation that could lead anywhere....
big things

according to Liz Truss the timing of the implementation will be right around 1st October (soon after she wins the PM ship) which is when bills will be shooting up etc....could be a powder keg situation IMO, and Truss may have won over the swivle eyed loons but I dont think the public has much sympathy

 

[Lord Camomile]

Am I right in thinking that threshold is the standard for certain public services, e.g. emergency services? If so, non my laptop so don't have the graph to hand, but if held to the same standards, not a single government since at least 1945 would have been elected.

 

[ska invita]

this in combination with the others comes across as the most neutering...you take a month to go through the Lets Strike rigmarole only to strike for one day? Makes it basically pointless

 

[Lord Camomile]

Came across this while trying to work out if using the Elizabeth would be scabbing:



Thoughts?

 

[hitmouse]

View attachment 338522

this in combination with the others comes across as the most neutering...you take a month to go through the Lets Strike rigmarole only to strike for one day? Makes it basically pointless

I mean, that's the part that's baffling me (and I imagine would be baffling them, if they'd thought it through at all, which I'm reasonably confident they haven't) - what counts as "an event of strike action"? At Chep they walked out in December 2021 and didn't return to work till April, so I think you could make a solid argument that's a single "event of strike action" because the strike was a single continuous event, so it sounds like they'd be massively incentivising those kinds of strikes, basically making them the only ones that would be worth bothering with?

 

[Pickman's model]

The latest shit from Shapps, in a shit rag who’ve for some bizarre reason started calling Mick Lynch a ‘baron’ recently;

View attachment 338248

there's one cabal of villains holding the country to ransom and they are the parliamentary conservative party

 

[Karl Masks]

Good luck limiting the number of people attending pickets.

But then, that's the point, isn't it. Create a rule that's easily broken and then punish them for breaking the law.

This is full on class warfare

 

[Karl Masks]

 

[teqniq]

Arsehole alert:

 

[Storm Fox]

View attachment 338522

this in combination with the others comes across as the most neutering...you take a month to go through the Lets Strike rigmarole only to strike for one day? Makes it basically pointless

I think this could be counterproductive. I will depend on how exactly how the law is written but one period could be from the 1st of a month to the 31st. So the union has a few people picketing every day so there is an ongoing strike, but most employees turn up for work most days, apart from certain days. This means contingency planning for the companies is a lot more difficult.

 

[waxoyl]

Not a bad turn out for Macclesfield. Quality tee shirt.

 

[teqniq]

Heh, not putting up with any shit is he?



E2a this was originally tweeted by someone else and it turns out that it's a CH4 reporter. I thought better of them, obviously I was mistaken.

 

[Louis MacNeice]

An extraordinary moment in the the day of a CWU postie, and a true story to boot.

On my walk this morning one of the people I deliver to came to the door to collect a parcel and show me their new puppy; I'm a cat rather than a dog person but it was pretty cute. Next up she says 'good luck with the strike...we're 100% behind you'; not so unusual as I haven't yet had anyone say they are against it. What she said next did surprise me; 'of course' she went on 'what we need is everybody out together, a general strike!' All of this took place on the doorstep of an ex-council semi (currently valued at about £600,000) on the leafy outskirts of an East Sussex market town.

Maybe, just maybe the mood is really shifting.

All the very best - Louis MacNeice

 

[hitmouse]

Good RMT (or RMT/TSSA/Unison, would've been Unite as well but they've settled at Arriva now) strike thing yesterday, was impressed that they had both French railworkers from the CGT and someone from the Italian USB come over for it. Always nice being told that French workers are taking inspiration from the militancy of the British working class.

 

[Rob Ray]

Felixstowe dockers are out today btw . Lots of angry Tories in the local comments sections bemoaning them for refusing 7% (because apparently it's really important to let Singapore-based Hutchinson Ports maximise its shareholder profits – confusing how this patriotism thing works sometimes tbh).

 

[Smangus]

Don't know whether to laugh or be sick, ooh the irony


Journalists at rightwing Daily Express set to strike over pay

 

[Duncan2]

Seem to be more and more instances being reported of workers just trooping out to the canteen or car park without bothering with any of the legal formalities that are supposed to be observed.With apparently only ten per cent of low paid private sector workers currently members of a union in practice it seems that unlawful strike action is the only option open to them.And this it seems for disciplinary purposes is straightforward refusal to work.If it can only happen this way in many indeed most private sector workplaces well and good but otoh there is every chance that further down the line the employers will act against those they regard as having been the instigators.And very likely there will not be very much that can be done about it.

 

[Rob Ray]

I wouldn't be surprised if it gets a lot more common, yes. No other option for a lot of people. I doubt Enough is Enough will consider it legit enough to throw it's weight in mind (especially when it's got union affiliates vulnerable to being accused of backing wildcat action), which begs the question how is the left going to help in such circumstances? At the least, pushing info on how to wildcat without putting organisers' heads on the chopping block unnecessarily might be useful ...

 

[Duncan2]

I wouldn't be surprised if it gets a lot more common, yes. No other option for a lot of people. I doubt Enough is Enough will consider it legit enough to throw it's weight in mind (especially when it's got union affiliates vulnerable to being accused of backing wildcat action), which begs the question how is the left going to help in such circumstances? At the least, pushing info on how to wildcat without putting organisers' heads on the chopping block unnecessarily might be useful ...

Yes and as philosophical was suggesting above it might be useful to consider the options for action short of a strike that nevertheless convey to management the depth and breadth of concern within the workforce such as working to rule?

 

[Rob Ray]

Bit of an older set of articles but various things on libcom 's organising page are worth flagging, Good work strike, Go-slow, Workplace Occupation etc. We're a ways off Argentine workplace annexations, Spanish road barricades, French bossnapping and Italian kneecapping mind .

 

[nogojones]

Bit of an older set of articles but various things on libcom 's organising page are worth flagging, Good work strike, Go-slow, Workplace Occupation etc. We're a ways off Argentine workplace annexations, Spanish road barricades, French bossnapping and Italian kneecapping mind .

In the 80/90/00's the mill I worked in was 100% unionised. However it was toothless, the full timers were wankers and they'd suffered what was really a substantial defeat in the 1980 strike. In all those years the union did nothing except collect subs. However, whenever there was a grievance the mill wouldn't run. Nothing to do with the ISTC, shit just breaks down sometimes. Lots of informal working to rule, permits going missing, so a 15 minute job takes half a shift.

My personal favourite was if a manager was shouting frantic instructions to you across the line, you'd pretend not to hear. They'd shout even more frantically, you'd nod in comprehension, look at your watch and shout the time back to him with helpful hand signals, then turn around and fuck off to some other pressing job

 

[Smokeandsteam]

Felixstowe dockers are out today btw . Lots of angry Tories in the local comments sections bemoaning them for refusing 7% (because apparently it's really important to let Singapore-based Hutchinson Ports maximise its shareholder profits – confusing how this patriotism thing works sometimes tbh).

Very significant. Major private sector area, integral to the national distribution network and capital flows.