Shell Drivers strike

[chegrimandi]

In my part of the world there have been entire towns without petrol in the past few days; I wouldn't be surprised if loss of earnings and the cost of price increases resulting directly from this strike added up to a lot more than the total financial gain achieved by the industrial action. That doesn't seem like a victory for the workers to me.

why not blame the oil companies that make billions of pounds each year spooky then? Or do they have no role in this fuel 'crisis'

 

[Squatticus]

Anyone seen ajdown?

If you don't like the salary and conditions of a job, then get another job. I'm sure nobody is holding the tanker drivers to ransom by making them stay in the job.

Strikes are sooo last century. You'd have thought that in this day and age, especially with plenty of unemployed people, there'd be people more than willing to take on some of these jobs that the people doing them apparently don't like.

Strikes rarely achieve anything, inconveniences thousands (maybe millions) of innocent people who tend not to care, and pisses off people more than gain support.

Yes, I agree that employers shouldn't be able to treat employees like shit, but as fuel distribution is an essential service in today's society, I'm not convinced a strike and what may effectively become a complete national disruption is the way forward.

Unions are a throwback to the days of old Left Wingism, in all honesty, that has no place in today's society.

Trade Unionism critiques itself. What exactly is this drivers strike doing except pissing off thousands of people and causing mass inconvenience?

They won!

 

[trevhagl]

If you don't like the salary and conditions of a job, then get another job. I'm sure nobody is holding the tanker drivers to ransom by making them stay in the job.

Strikes are sooo last century. You'd have thought that in this day and age, especially with plenty of unemployed people, there'd be people more than willing to take on some of these jobs that the people doing them apparently don't like.

What happens if you're unskilled? Go from one shit job to another?
Are you a boss or just a Tory councillor or something?

 

[grogwilton]

Three cheers for the tanker drivers, whose downright insulting wage of £35,000 a year has now gone up by many times the value of inflation. Still not approaching the king's ransom they deserve, but at least it's putting some extra breathing space between them and all those fucking useless nurses, teachers and other sanctimonious do-gooders. Some might say these drivers were being utter cunts causing so much disruption to ordinary folk when they're getting paid so much more than people doing jobs far more difficult and important than driving a big lorry all day long, but I say good luck to them. I mean, those people who haven't been able to get to work; or have had to queue for hours to get fuel; or who have been the victim of profiteering price hikes at a time when fuel is already cripplingly expensive; those people are all just wankers really aren't they?

Im a trainee teacher on £650 a month, (and I have to find £600 a term out of that to pay my fees) and I'll be going into a job that is receiving real pay cuts this year and I support the tanker drivers 100% and am happy for them to get their raise. Now we just need the NUT to call a 4 day strike and the NASUWT to realise being in partnership with the government gets you close as fuck all.

 

[Das Uberdog]

Fuck 4 days strike - how about an exam marking strike?

That'd mix it up abit.

 

[grogwilton]

True but very hard to picket. One of the advantages of teaching strikes is that only a small proportion of teachers need to strike in a school to close it down as all are needed.

Wouldnt be the same with a marking strike.

Also teaching strikes piss public off but also hurt the economy, whereas marking strikes just piss people off. without hitting the economy the bankers dont give a shit- no victory.

 

[shagnasty]

But teachers and nurses always hold back from going for the jugglar because of the harm to patients and pupils .but in ways getting a descent wage increase the amount of people into the caring proffesions.the government knows it can always play on the teachers nurses conscience

 

[grogwilton]

This is a problem. But the government is building up a massive future problem for itself, the fact that with worsening conditions fewer people will stay in and enter the teaching profession. There is a massive time bomb waiting to go off with maths teachers. Look in any school and the average age of maths teachers is way above that of other subjects.