Striking workers are providing the opposition that Britain desperately needs – The strikes are gaining momentum, and public opinion is behind them – could they transform our economic landscape?
Striking workers are providing the opposition that Britain desperately needs – The strikes are gaining momentum, and public opinion is behind them – could they transform our economic landscape?
24 comments
I really hope so, I’m so sick of the way things are. I spent several years working hard and “keeping my head down” and I don’t believe things have improved enough for anyone except the technocratic elite. I’m behind anyone that strikes
Without the full support of an opposition party, this won’t change much at all. Unfortunately Labour have already distanced themselves from the Unions and strike support seems a long way from Starmers rightward leaning ethos and credentials.
It’s sad to see that the support and solidarity from both the public and Labour that the 70’s and 80’s for workers equality has evolved into the level of social consciousness that we have today.
Without committed political support, all that’s going to happen is a few sectors may gain a little, but for the vast majority it will always be an “Us (the inconvenienced)” Vs “Them (the whiny money grabbing wankers)” situation.
This won’t transform anything without Labour getting behind it – and let’s face it, that’s as likely under Starmer as an honest Tory living in a castle made of cheese.
The rail strike and Mick lynch have done a better job at opposing the tories in the past few weeks than labour have in years, they should take notes
The organised working class are the only force that can bring about economic justice IMHO. We can’t rely on politicians. They’d decimate the middle class and poor and give everything over to billionaires if they thought they could get away with it. Already have to some degree.
People don’t like politicians because they only look after their own. Wait until they realise that unions are exactly the same.
They definitely transformed it in the 70s. I remember it vividly.
Almost like we need a new Workers’ Party in government…
Everyone who is an employee should be backing these strikes. Because no other type of action is working.
We are being fed this corporate lie from the Bank of England, the government etc that wages can’t go up as it will fuel inflation and make things worse. And people actually believe it. The inflation we are suffering from is almost completely fixed on a few core issues – oil prices and opec refusing to supply more to protect their ‘price’, (compounded by the weak pound) and the cost of very specific commodities relating to the war. If *your* pay goes up, it doesn’t affect the price of oil and how much opec release. It doesn’t affect the cost of getting grain out of Ukraine. It should not effect inflation with strong governance. With good governance the extra money earned in the economy would actually fund growth instead of what we are facing – which is the majority of people using every penny they earn on core essentials – economic retraction. In a huge way.
Look at the comments on the Daily Mail (I don’t know why I do it), people frothing at the mouth at the thought of others standing up for themselves.
Those people are the reason poverty is growing, the reason everyone apart from the mega wealthy is getting poorer, they repeatedly vote for this. In their head doctors, teachers, postmen and railway workers are your enemy, they’ve completely lost their heads.
Nah. They can’t legally carry out a general strike and without that unified set of demands it’s highly unlikely there’ll be anything like a “transformation”. Most senior trade union officials live in fear of the law, and those few radical enough to flout the law to pursue secondary strikes would be slapped down. Moreover, any attempt to position for a GS would be hamstrung by the TUC as usual, bloody class traitors that they are.
Because Starmer is offering nothing but u turns on promises and the backstabbing of unions while pointlessly begging at the table of the Daily Mail for it voters in the vain hope some Tories will turn to him and help justify his right wing position.
Which they will not do cos Boris gave Dacre, the Daily Mail chief, a seat in the House of Lords.
Labour are now a ‘more of the same but fewer beatings’ party under Keir Starmer.
The 2017/2019 manifesto **without Jeremy Corbyn** would go down a storm, electorally speaking. Not going to happen under Starmer and his advisors.
Kier starmer hasn’t got a fucking spine, so we had to use ours.
God I miss corbyn
Yes they will change economic landscape.. for the worse. Pay goes up, prices follow. The middle gets richer in short term, the minimum wage and poor get poorer and the businesses leave due to constant strike action chasing higher pay. Interest rate has to chase inflation which means mortgages get higher meaning the middle get worse off again demand more pay, more strikes and the cycle continues. 1970s returns… rolling blackouts… high unemployments etc..
Wasn’t that the common line during the covid crisis, a greater unity in society will become of this.
Nothing changed. If nothing changed during the greatest communal crisis of our time, fat chance a few strike efforts that are easily demonised to be looked down upon.
Yes they will transform the economic landscape by driving up the cost of living with higher wages.
People have more power as consumers, instead of unionising as workers demanding more, when supply is already struggling to keep up with the war that’s going on and all the covid stimulus circulating, perhaps unionise as consumers and reduce the cost of living.
The sooner consumption falls, the better. One extreme to the other almost overnight, economy shutdown then opens up. Throw in a war between a super power, energy provider, and its neighbor, and people demanding more money to go and spend, things are going to get pretty expensive.
Yesss, oh please.
We should all strike just because the cost of living. This is not just about wages and working conditions.
No benefits for them if we can afford living!
It’s time to stop being fooled by the rich whereby they tell you that they can only afford to give workers a small rise whilst they take millions it’s about time that people wake up to the Tory Britain scam.
We can just print money to pay them
Sticking is okay when upper and middle class jobs do it, that’s what the article picture says to me
Public opinion is behind them? Outside of Reddit I’ve not heard them mentioned.
Could they transform our economic landscape?… yes… all they can do is fuck it up beyond repair.
Solidarity.
I support anyone that strikes! The whole country should be at a standstill until we get wages and social security increases! The French wouldn’t put up with it! This country is too lazy & docile.