Nick Georgiou, 63, will cycle the 13 miles from Oldham to the library in Manchester where he works part-time.He says the strike will affect some colleagues’ ability to commute, but the disruption caused by industrial action is “a necessary evil”. Georgiou backs the strikes “wholeheartedly”. “There needs to be a reckoning,” he says. “Strikes are last resort. Nobody wants to deny themselves a livelihood, [but] the only thing workers have to withdraw is their labour.”
Anne*, a 53-year-old manager of an NHS mental health team living in south London, is anticipating her whole team being affected by the Transport for London strike on Tuesday and national rail action this week. Anne explains that she feels conflicted between backing the industrial action and the need to support her team and patients and “run a safe service”. Nevertheless, she lays the blame for the disruption with the government. “I wish the government would meaningfully and consistently fund public infrastructure and the key workers who keep our city and society running. I’m tired of services being cut to the bone, everything being done on the cheap and workers being told to simply work harder to fill the gaps.”
Giles Barrett, 38, from London, runs his own recording studio and accepts that he will be affected by the strikes, but will not let that get in the way of his support for striking rail staff. “Nevertheless, I completely support the strike. Collective action is the reason we have a weekend, among many other hard-won rights, and we must never stop fighting for them – capital certainly won’t. We have decided to offer free tickets to any striking workers.”
The strikes mean David Ling, a 69-year-old pensioner, will have to book a night in a hotel in Edinburgh in order to catch his flight to Sweden on Wednesday.The 69-year-old says he has “no hard feelings at all” towards the striking rail workers and supports the strike. “There’s so many problems in this country that are caused by austerity, privatisation and cutbacks that in the end it’s gonna be a reaction. It’s not just the railway workers – it’s teachers and nurses and everything. In the end, something’s got to give. You can’t carry on cutting back and people scrimping and saving. It doesn’t work.”
How do they manage to find the people who support the strike and reflect Guardian views? Who did they interview who didn't make this report, I wonder? And how many of them were there?
My feelings are a little more pithy:
Old Adolf knew exactly how to treat greedy, bullying scum.
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone know where Mick Lynch lives? Anyway, isn't his name the wrong way round?
ReplyDeletePenseivat
Yep, two riders on the public sector gravy train, one retiree - former job suspiciously unspecified - and a Metropolitan showbiz luvvie. That's pretty much the Party of Satan's base right now, or at least the part of it that doesn't want to torch a cinema for showing unapproved movies.
ReplyDeleteIt's a mystery why they keep losing elections. It must be dark money and Russian bots.
That song was made 6 years ago, if you listen to the words they were on 30k then and 59k now.
ReplyDeleteAnyone else had their wages double in the last 6 years ??.
The Daily Mash got there first.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.thedailymash.co.uk/news/society/the-guardian-readers-guide-to-not-being-annoyed-about-the-rail-strikes-20220609222013
The only time I voted to strike was in 1994. The terms and conditions on offer following the creation of Railtrack caused me enough concern to vote yes. The outcome was a waste of time. I never voted yes again. Rail work - especially driving and signalling - is pretty well paid when compared with other semi-skilled work. So, no, I do not support this strike, just as I've never supported any of the strikes or strike ballots since 1994. The RMT is an extremely militant organisation that uses this weapon in its ongoing war on the government. The ground troops are merely cannon fodder in that war.
ReplyDelete"Does anyone know where Mick Lynch lives? Anyway, isn't his name the wrong way round?"
ReplyDelete😂
"It's a mystery why they keep losing elections. It must be dark money and Russian bots."
There's no other possible explanation...
"That song was made 6 years ago, if you listen to the words they were on 30k then and 59k now.
Anyone else had their wages double in the last 6 years ??."
Not me...! ðŸ˜
"The Daily Mash got there first."
Oh, brilliant!
"Rail work - especially driving and signalling - is pretty well paid when compared with other semi-skilled work."
But sadly, still rather dangerous, despite all the technological improvements.