Transport and Strikes – A Short History

This week has seen a rise in publicity for a problem probably going back to the invention of the wheel.

"Sod this, There must be a better way to move rocks pointlessly from one point to another."

“A manageable support and energy transfer system produced using only sustainable and renewable local resources !

Ug. I must think outside the cave for this one.”  

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"Have you noticed that since he introduced his transferrable energy system, that blond git sits around all day watching us work, the Neanderthals have all been laid off, and we're moving twice the amount of rocks around pointlessly for his 'Stonehenge Multi Modal Facility'."

Just before Christmas the UNITE union decided a strike over the holidays stranding thousands of passengers would be a good way to put their point across.

They conducted a ballot of all BA cabin crew who decided that this was a good idea and they would all enjoy a nice break at home whilst their customers nibbled cold mince pies on the soulless, cold, tiled floors of airports worldwide far from family and friends.

Luckily for BA travellers the union managed somehow to inadvertently ballot even members who had already opted to accept voluntary redundancy and were therefore ineligible to vote.

The line which the union took on that particular dispute was spectacularly ill judged.

To win public sympathy for a strike requires the cooperation of the media in assessing accurately the demands and complaints of the aggrieved workers.

A précis of how the BA dispute was perceived at the time was simply “We’re going to have to work harder now staff levels are being reduced to those of our competitors”.

As the public’s perception of BA cabin crew was a stunning, uniformed young woman playing with her tightly bound and immaculately coiffured hair whilst pouting and flirting or an effeminate guy plumping up the occasional old ladies pillow between minces this did not inspire swathes of sympathy amongst the travelling public.

This week that strike is back on again with the lesson learned – they won’t strike over Easter.

UNITE expressed outrage again this week when, once more, the Court told them they were acting unlawfully in the matter of the pilot (marine this time) strike at Milford Haven. Now this walk out has been scheduled for next week, one hopes a resolution can be found before then.

The Dublin dockers voted for a full return to work this week thanks in the main to a common sense approach by all parties, including the ITF who were praised by both sides, but now Network Rail supervisors and managers are due to vote on their own labour situation.

They are talking about strikes to include the day of the rugby Union international Scotland versus England at Murrayfield. Thanks lads, you’ll make a lot on inconvenienced old men very unhappy.

Overseas it’s not much rosier.

Take your pick, Lufthansa pilots, Greek dockers, French oil refineries, the South Africans really plan ahead, they have a general strike planned for – October !

In the Philippines they get cute, the shipping companies, oft blamed for killing thousands with their rusty buckets, non existent safety policies, falsified Jackanory style passenger manifests and hapless crews call their threatened stoppage a “holiday”. They must have max Clifford doing their PR.

Fact of the matter is we all know we’re in a slump.

The financial situation dictates that everybody is liable to take a hit in their pocket. Either less money or more work just to stand still. It’s doubly hard when the media either illustrate real cases of unearned wealth and sometimes greed, MP’s expenses, bankers bonuses etc plus often inflated stories which adorn such rags as the Daily Mail and Sun (don’t bother denying it girls, you’ve been sued too often for that).

So those of us who remember the dock strikes of the ‘60’s (Jack Dash, immortalised in cockney rhyming slang and epitaph – All he ever wanted, Was to separate them from their Cash) picket lines of the ‘70’s and the riots of the ‘80’s can put away the rose tinted 3D specs of nostalgia and get ready for the Summer of discontent.

Don’t dare to consider next Winter.

And, in case you're wondering, anyone can go on strike if they feel strongly enough. This photo is of the New York Barbers Union striking in 1913 - dare I say against job cuts?

Just remember self interest generally triumphs over the public good (present company excepted).

Oh, but by the way, if you are a ferry worker employed on the cross channel run next month don’t even dream about striking. I’ve got tickets for France v England at the Parc des Princes and I really, really don’t want to swim there.