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[Varche]

Plenty on the BBC today about the General Strike here in Spain over the so called austerity measures introduced by our Labour government to try and prop up the economy along with unemployment at 20% (29% where we live).

We probably won't actually notice the difference. After all the difference between a public servant working normally and out on strike is minute. Some civil servants have openly said that if when get paid 5% less they will do 5% less work!!

The question I would ask is will there be a similar strike in Britain after the Condems introduce their austerity measures in two weeks time? Personally I think there will be a good chance when you look at the BA strike. Lots of people cannot manage on what they earn now.

On the plus side Omegas might plummet even more in price!

[mantahatch]

I hope there will not be any such strike. That said if there is it will come from the public sector. The problem being most ordinarly people in the public sector can't actually see any problem. And also not helped by the private sector relying on tax payer hand outs and still taking large salaries and bonuses.

The private sector will be unlikely to strike as they risk loosing there jobs.

I hope the average person can see they we cannot go on living like we are and spending money we do not have.

Also in the UK the 'divide and rule' technique works to well in the UK for there to be a general strike.

Just my useless opinion. 

[Nickbat]

Plenty on the BBC today about the General Strike here in Spain over the so called austerity measures introduced by our Labour government to try and prop up the economy along with unemployment at 20% (29% where we live).

We probably won't actually notice the difference. After all the difference between a public servant working normally and out on strike is minute. Some civil servants have openly said that if when get paid 5% less they will do 5% less work!!

The question I would ask is will there be a similar strike in Britain after the Condems introduce their austerity measures in two weeks time? Personally I think there will be a good chance when you look at the BA strike. Lots of people cannot manage on what they earn now.

On the plus side Omegas might plummet even more in price!

The BA strike is not well supported and is not indicative of a general malaise. Note also that BA generally pay more than other airlines.

As far as a general strike is concerned, I very much doubt it. You'd have to be pretty dim to believe that a government (of any colour) would abandon austerity plans given the current economic climate in Europe, or that the country can continue to spend at the levels it has in the past.   


Mind you, there are some pretty dim people about.

[Banjax]

Can't happen - the unions have no power in the UK anymore - we're run by banks, for banks as the financial sector accounts for 25% of our economy - remember when Britain made things? - I do 

[Field Marshal Dr. Opti]

Can't happen - the unions have no power in the UK anymore - we're run by banks, for banks as the financial sector accounts for 25% of our economy - remember when Britain made things? - I do 

Yes ....I believe at one time BJ.....Great Britain used to manufacture the odd thing or two........and then came Thatcher....

[Banjax]

Can't happen - the unions have no power in the UK anymore - we're run by banks, for banks as the financial sector accounts for 25% of our economy - remember when Britain made things? - I do 

Yes ....I believe at one time BJ.....Great Britain used to manufacture the odd thing or two........and then came Thatcher....

I agree with John McDonnell....except I wouldn't apologise 
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/politics/10263076.stm

[mantahatch]

Can't happen - the unions have no power in the UK anymore - we're run by banks, for banks as the financial sector accounts for 25% of our economy - remember when Britain made things? - I do 

Yes ....I believe at one time BJ.....Great Britain used to manufacture the odd thing or two........and then came Thatcher....

I agree with John McDonnell....except I wouldn't apologise 
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/politics/10263076.stm

Oh come on you two, do you not remember the government we had before M Thatcher ?

I would not like to return to those days at all.

[albitz]

Can't happen - the unions have no power in the UK anymore - we're run by banks, for banks as the financial sector accounts for 25% of our economy - remember when Britain made things? - I do 

They are still reasonably powerful in the public sector, it will no doubt be an unspoken policy of the govt. to change that.Wether they would ever call a national strike of public sector workers?
Not sure tbh, they are going to face savage cuts in the next few years,its possible, union leaders are notorious for not being able to see further than their own nose.

[Chris_H]

I was at a celebration function some months back and I was amazed at the number of acquaintances that had accepted 4-day working, 3-day working etc.  Not a realistic sample, granted, but there is an acceptance out there that what goes up (in pay terms) may have to come down.

I think the BA strike is a blast from the past and is exceedingly foolish.

Just to add my own perspective: haven't had much work in the last 19months; just walked to the bank (N/W) in the rain to pay in a (Barclays) divi for a charity I am Hon Treasurer of.  Only one cashier at the 3 tills saying there are mass redundancies and no-one else to serve the queue; and the divi is paying 1p per share for the second time in a year!  Doesn't help you to love banks!  Grrrr!!

[albitz]

Can't happen - the unions have no power in the UK anymore - we're run by banks, for banks as the financial sector accounts for 25% of our economy - remember when Britain made things? - I do 

Yes ....I believe at one time BJ.....Great Britain used to manufacture the odd thing or two........and then came Thatcher....

I agree with John McDonnell....except I wouldn't apologise 
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/politics/10263076.stm

Oh come on you two, do you not remember the government we had before M Thatcher ?

I would not like to return to those days at all.

Agreed. The Labour govt before Thatcher had got the country into the most terrible mess.The country was bankrupt and was being run by the unions.Thatcher wasnt single handedly responsible for the ruination of British manufacturing, that job had been diligently carried out for quite a few years already by weak short sighted management,ludicrous unions who wanted to overthrow capitalism rather than represent their members and Labour politicians who couldnt stand up to the unions because they were bankrolling the party.
Arrogant managers are often let off the hook when post mortems are carried out on British industry, but they ignored the japanese competition, first with motorcycles, then cars, then everything else. They thought they could rely on Bitish consumers buying British even if the design and build quality was crap and the price uncompetitive, they assumed wrong.
Thatcher was undoubtedly responsible for unplugging the life support machine and screwing down the lid on the coffin, and personally I could never forgive her for the fact that she took a lot of pleasure in doing so.British industry needed to change drastically and curbing the unions was the start of the process, it seems to me that she did that and thought that the job was done. If she had been able to take a more forward thinking approach she might have foreseen that the country needed a strong manuacturing base to rise from the ashes after the battles had been fought and won.If this had happened we wouldnt be so reliant on the financial sector as we are now and the economy would be much more balanced and stable imo.

[HolyCount]

I can see a general public sector strike on the cards. Not because of cuts per se, but because the bankers have still got their bonus payments, MP's have still got a grand a year rise, while freezing public sector wages and outgoing MP's still get a £60k pay off, while the lowest paid still get shafted!!

[Nickbat]

I can see a general public sector strike on the cards. Not because of cuts per se, but because the bankers have still got their bonus payments, MP's have still got a grand a year rise, while freezing public sector wages and outgoing MP's still get a £60k pay off, while the lowest paid still get shafted!!

Sorry, HC, but "public sector" does not equate to "lowest paid", IMHO.

The private sector has far less job security, often less pension rights....and, more crucially, are often poorer paid these days .
 

[HolyCount]

I can see a general public sector strike on the cards. Not because of cuts per se, but because the bankers have still got their bonus payments, MP's have still got a grand a year rise, while freezing public sector wages and outgoing MP's still get a £60k pay off, while the lowest paid still get shafted!!

Sorry, HC, but "public sector" does not equate to "lowest paid", IMHO.

The private sector has far less job security, often less pension rights....and, more crucially, are often poorer paid these days .
 

Civil service has "lost" 100,000 jobs over the last three years --- more going (no job security). The VAST majority of civil servants earn less than £15k per annum, with a pension iro £6k per annum (for which they pay 3% of wages).

Top 10% earn probably 75% of the wage bill !!!!

However, crucially, I was not equating Public Sector to lowest paid!  Read the post again.

[hoofing it]

I think a general strike to get the price of petrol/diesel cut and nationalise the power companys,railways and busses.
well i'm going back to bed to dream some more

[Nickbat]

I can see a general public sector strike on the cards. Not because of cuts per se, but because the bankers have still got their bonus payments, MP's have still got a grand a year rise, while freezing public sector wages and outgoing MP's still get a £60k pay off, while the lowest paid still get shafted!!

Sorry, HC, but "public sector" does not equate to "lowest paid", IMHO.

The private sector has far less job security, often less pension rights....and, more crucially, are often poorer paid these days .
 

Civil service has "lost" 100,000 jobs over the last three years --- more going (no job security). The VAST majority of civil servants earn less than £15k per annum, with a pension iro £6k per annum (for which they pay 3% of wages).

Top 10% earn probably 75% of the wage bill !!!!

However, crucially, I was not equating Public Sector to lowest paid!  Read the post again.

I take your point, HC, but:

 
"The Office for National Statistics calculates that public sector workers are now paid, on average, £23,648 a year — £1,200 more a year than their private sector counterparts.

The earnings of people employed by the state grew by an average of 2.3 per cent a year between 2001 and 2005, compared with growth of around 1.5 per cent for those employed by private firms. "

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/economics/7541821/Public-sector-pay-packages-increase-at-double-rate-of-private-sector-IFS-says.html