Northern Rail Strikes Off

[alcoblade]

The poorer people could always get a job as a guard (whilst they still have them)

I understand where you're coming from but the whole corporate world these days seems to involve a race to the bottom as far as employees are concerned.

Maybe we should be looking at improving the lot of the poor rather than trying to drag the better paid down to their level.

It's a nice idea in principle, but in the end, it all needs paying for by someone. Many argue for taxing the rich more, others argue the take just reduces when you try.

I don't know - but right now, some poorly paid people end up subsidising the pay and conditions are some very well paid people.

 

[Maidenhead]

It's a nice idea in principle, but in the end, it all needs paying for by someone. Many argue for taxing the rich more, others argue the take just reduces when you try.

I don't know - but right now, some poorly paid people end up subsidising the pay and conditions are some very well paid people.

The problem is that the world is run by the rich, for the rich and unfortunately I don't ever see that changing.

Sometimes you will get businesses run by real philanthropists, Cadbury's, Rowntree's, John Player's being good examples in the past, but there seems to be less and less of that as shareholder returns is the be all and end all these days.

The people at the top are greedy and have a complete disregard for those at the bottom that actually create their wealth.

Unfortunately they are also the people that hold all the power in terms making the decisions that affect everybody, but they only ever take those decision in order to benefit their own self greed and perpetuate their own wealth.

 

[Sabella's Socks]

I don't blame the unions, or the people that are in them, one bit.

I just don't for a second buy that this isn't really job protectionism (Which I'd expect them to do) under a popular veil of other people's safety.

Some of the salaries involved are ludicrous for the job (not especially guards), and it's poorer people who end up funding it however unpalatable that sounds. This level of self preservation by the unions is exactly what they seem to hate the Tories for.

If Unions are genuinely concerned about the effects of cuts on passenger safety there is little or nothing they can do about that directly.

What they can do directly is campaign for their members to keep their jobs, and thereby indirectly maintain passenger safety.

They're fannyin abaht - but they are trying to score.

Similarly, if as a teacher you think young people are being tested to destruction, and you see it affecting their mental health - that's a political issue, to be voted on. You can't act collectively on it even through the union, but what you can do is, say, advocate for reduced workload and refuse to mark those tests.

There's a big teachers strike in the US at the moment being run along these lines.

If a Guard's concern is to protect the public then it is precisely only by acting in (apparent) self-interest that they can protect the public.

I'm not trying to romanticise what's happening, just point out possible practical considerations.

Point taken about poor people paying for it but, for me, that's structural. Symptomatic of the social order we've bought into.

The way I see it, framing it as Unions vs The ZHC Freefolk is buying into divide and rule.

 

[Sabella's Socks]

The problem is that the world is run by the rich, for the rich and unfortunately I don't ever see that changing.

Sometimes you will get businesses run by real philanthropists, Cadbury's, Rowntree's, John Player's being good examples in the past, but there seems to be less and less of that as shareholder returns is the be all and end all these days.

The people at the top are greedy and have a complete disregard for those at the bottom that actually create their wealth.

Unfortunately they are also the people that hold all the power in terms making the decisions that affect everybody, but they only ever take those decision in order to benefit their own self greed and perpetuate their own wealth.

Power corrupts.

It corrupted the Unions in the 70s. And it's corrupting Big Money today.

You need power in society to get things done. You also need checks and balances.

The checks and balances are straining at the point of collapse.