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Strike!

Mrs Q is currently deciding whether to scab, picket in solidarity or go shopping. Her school is mostly NEU who are striking on the 1 Feb but she is NASUWT along with a few others. The headmaster is currently deciding on whether to shut the school or not.
She voted for a strike but apparently NASUWT didn't get a big enough turnout.
at the very least she should go shopping - why would she go into work to do other teachers work when they're on strike? also why not join the NEU in England?

In Scotland the NASUWT is the stronger union and it makes sense to join it but not in England unless you want to avoid striking
 
Rumours abound at my work that the RMT are to be offered 9 percent over two years with no imposed contract changes. This has come from atwat working at the DfT
I thought the original offer was something like 4% with strings attached. 4.5% (assuming it is split equally) with no strings is not that great a deal and way below inflation
 
I thought the original offer was something like 4% with strings attached. 4.5% (assuming it is split equally) with no strings is not that great a deal and way below inflation
It’s a shit deal but slightly less shit if the reports of no strings are correct.

I doubt it will be acceptable as cunts from the DfT will already be trying to add unacceptable conditions. Jus primae noctis comes to mind.
 
Just received and completed my CWU strike ballot. I feel very confident that we'll overwhelmingly vote in sufficient numbers for another 6 months of action.

In not unrelated news, Simon Thompson Royal Mail CEO, has been called back to the select committee he lied to because they think he lied to them.

Cheers - Louis MacNeice
 
Just received and completed my CWU strike ballot. I feel very confident that we'll overwhelmingly vote in sufficient numbers for another 6 months of action.

In not unrelated news, Simon Thompson Royal Mail CEO, has been called back to the select committee he lied to because they think he lied to them.

Cheers - Louis MacNeice
I watched his performance at the select committee. He was stunningly arrogant and smug and to say that he was economical with the truth would be an understatement. He's a classic problem causer rather than a problem solver, a jumped up grossly overpaid dictator.
 
Good on taking action but you do not need to (and it is best not to) let your employer know beforehand - despite what they may say
The reason I let my managers know is because I'm not going cause an already stretched team more stress by just not turning up. I happily volunteer the information and each time I have my managers have thanked me and said I was under no obligation to let them know. It was purely my decision.
 
mm I was wondering about this, our head asked us to let them know if we were intending to strike.... if it was to make a decision whether to shut the school or not then I kind of thought it was fair enough. but maybe not? I dunno I haven't said anything yet.
 
mm I was wondering about this, our head asked us to let them know if we were intending to strike.... if it was to make a decision whether to shut the school or not then I kind of thought it was fair enough. but maybe not? I dunno I haven't said anything yet.
Same here. Our head says that it’s to decide whether to shut the school or just have selected year groups in.

But surely if they are asking staff it shouldn’t just be the teachers they ask. all staff should be asked if the strike might impact them particularly if they have young children. If their child’s school is closed they might not be able to get childcare. I thought between teachers on strike, school staff with dependents and some staff not on strike but maybe not wanting to cross a picket line that schools would need to close.I think they’re being naive about the impact of the strikes
 
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I can see particular circumstances where you might want to let your employer know that you will be taking strike action but as a general rule I would always advise against it.

The primary purpose of a strike is to cause disruption - letting employers know will often see managers try to take action will minimise that disruption. In the school examples above closing the school beforehand is less disruptive than a head turning up and finding out on the day that they don't have enough staff and so have to close after all.
The other reason why it is a generally not a good idea to tell managers is that even if your line manager is ok your comrades manager might not be. At my workplace there are some line mangers that try to reschedule lectures to minimise disruption. Informing the employer weakens and exposes them, they might well get more pressure put on them to confirm whether they are tacking action or not.

Not telling managers, or colleagues, that you are taking action does make things more disruptive, and so does have an effect on those that do work. But the is the point, they can avoid that aggro by striking. And of course the more disruptive a strike is the quicker it will be over and so in the long run means less disruption.
 
mm I mean I have told colleagues that i won't be in, as part of suggesting that they should join the union and also strike..

I guess it is the "less disruption in the long run" thing that is the point to get across.
 
I'm genuinely thankful that being a branch rep/officer sort of gets me out of this particular moral quandary, as I don't think anyone would even bother wasting their time asking me the question :oops: :D "One of the first names on the team sheet", sort of thing.

Again, just a real fucker that our chances of winning reasonable working conditions are improved by making things harder for the people who, every other day, we work to support and avoid disruption for.
 
Good win for PCS:

🚨𝗕𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗡𝗲𝘄𝘀. 𝗪𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗮 𝘄𝗶𝗻!

“I’m immensely proud of our members at Hinduja Global Solutions in Liverpool for their fight and resilience during this long-running dispute and securing a pay rise of over 10%.

To secure this pay rise when the initial offer amounted to just 3.5% is a great victory and sends out a positive message to our 100,000 members taking strike action next week.

When our members stand up for themselves and stick together it shows they can win the pay rise they deserve.” - 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗸 𝗦𝗲𝗿𝘄𝗼𝘁𝗸𝗮, 𝗣𝗖𝗦 𝗚𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗦𝗲𝗰𝗿𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘆
 
Just had an email from my son's school that they are open on Wednesday, at this present time.

Any other parents in the same boat? (not sure if this is just a Wales strike)

I am going to suggest to my son that he has a day off, to teach him a valuable lesson about never crossing a picket line.
 
I'm on strike tomorrow for the first time since I was 18.

But as I'm on a career break it won't actually make much difference, I'm not traveling 120 miles each way to join my picket line. I fancy having a brazier outside my house as I was mostly working from home before the break started....

(I'm paying my union strike levy though...)
 
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Genuinely gutted (and a bit ashamed, tbh, especially as I'm on the committee) my branch isn't on strike today, but still encouraged that so many are.

Feels like we're in an almighty tug of war at the moment, trying to drag worker's rights and class consciousness closer to where a lot of us feel it should be in society and mainstream perception/conversation. And while it feels like we've got more strength on our side of the rope than we have in a long time, the other side is pulling back harder too, 'cause they don't want to lose the ground they've stolen over the past four decades.

Heave-ho, friends ;)
 
I'm not striking, we have no mandate for it. It hasn't even been discussed in the workforce (I work for a charity) but seeing as how most of the people I support are asylums seekers it would be somewhat counterproductive. I am however going to go down to Wood st in Cardiff for the demo at 11.30.
 
PCS striker here ✊🏼 Told my manager I was out, as took the opportunity to try to cut through the chat about Mrs Hinch and Love Island to Make A Point. Seemed fairly straightforward - disrupt and therefore piss off the X industry, gov might give two shits about that maybe? Fell on deaf ears.
 
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