Good day all. Today I would like to discuss a topic that I have been meaning to make a topic about for awhile and that topic is about strike action.
You see a few weeks ago the union at my place of work organised a workplace strike in protest to some disagreements with company policy, the details of which I will spare. Anyway while I am not a union member I still went on strike and didn't turn in for work as I didn't want to cross the picket. The thing is while I still went on strike I didn't agree with the strike action in the first place, not because I didn't agree with the union's stance (although personally I can't stand that union, part of the reason I'm not a member of it), but rather that in the four years I have worked here this is the 7th strike the union as organised. They have been using the same strategy of one or two single day strikes a year and to me the strategy is proving really ineffective as I'm sure the company have clocked onto the pattern and just plan accordingly to deal with any disruptions the strikes cause. So I get a little annoyed that I have to lose a days pay for strikes that aren't working. Though I'm still okay with workers using strike action effectively to enact change, hence why I won't generally cross a picket on principle.
I say generally as while I have been on strike 6 of the 7 times we have been on strike I have taken part but the first time a strike came up, I chose not to take part and crossed the picket line. Now before I get called a filthy scab I have to say on this occasion I felt completely justified in my actions which I will explain. You see I had just started working at this place to subsidise my living expenses while at university. By the time I'd started I was 6 months into my studies and was quite in need of the money. Then the call for strike action came up not long after that. Now my problem was with the strike action that my money concerns where of more immediate concern than the reasons for the strike and I decided losing a days pay is not option for me at this time. Many of my co-workers, also students took a similar decision to come in on the strike day. The Friday before the strike I learn something new which helped me cement further my decision not to strike. It turned out that the workers who would be on the picket on the strike where working the weekend overtime getting paid a time and a half effectively eliminating the financial loss they would take from the strike action. This I took to be extremely hypocritical as they are expected others to loss a days pay but aren't prepared to be the same sacrifice for the cause they are actively supporting.
Anyway the day of the strike I walk to work expecting a line of banners and insults to great me, though armed with the info of the overtime pay I was more than ready to throw those insult right back at them. Expect when I got to work there was no one there, not even any evidence that there was supposed to be a strike here. So I go into work as normal keeping an eye on the entrance looking for strikers, but only people who had decided to come into work where turning up. Eventually the strikers turned up, coming out a nearby pub where they had been spending most of their time, true commitment I thought. They did start a picket once they where out but I noticed that they would not approach male workers come into work and where only intimidating towards female workers which I though was pretty low and cowardly. Needless to say I after witnessing all this I felt that my decision was justified in this one occasion I felt no regret for not taking part in the strike.
Anyway that is the reason I wanted to make the thread but I don't want to get bog down in the details about my experiences with strike action and I would rather ask you all what you think about strike action. Have you ever been on strike? How do you feel about strikes in general? Or if you never been on strike would you? Or would you have no problem crossing the line if you didn't agree with the action?
You see a few weeks ago the union at my place of work organised a workplace strike in protest to some disagreements with company policy, the details of which I will spare. Anyway while I am not a union member I still went on strike and didn't turn in for work as I didn't want to cross the picket. The thing is while I still went on strike I didn't agree with the strike action in the first place, not because I didn't agree with the union's stance (although personally I can't stand that union, part of the reason I'm not a member of it), but rather that in the four years I have worked here this is the 7th strike the union as organised. They have been using the same strategy of one or two single day strikes a year and to me the strategy is proving really ineffective as I'm sure the company have clocked onto the pattern and just plan accordingly to deal with any disruptions the strikes cause. So I get a little annoyed that I have to lose a days pay for strikes that aren't working. Though I'm still okay with workers using strike action effectively to enact change, hence why I won't generally cross a picket on principle.
I say generally as while I have been on strike 6 of the 7 times we have been on strike I have taken part but the first time a strike came up, I chose not to take part and crossed the picket line. Now before I get called a filthy scab I have to say on this occasion I felt completely justified in my actions which I will explain. You see I had just started working at this place to subsidise my living expenses while at university. By the time I'd started I was 6 months into my studies and was quite in need of the money. Then the call for strike action came up not long after that. Now my problem was with the strike action that my money concerns where of more immediate concern than the reasons for the strike and I decided losing a days pay is not option for me at this time. Many of my co-workers, also students took a similar decision to come in on the strike day. The Friday before the strike I learn something new which helped me cement further my decision not to strike. It turned out that the workers who would be on the picket on the strike where working the weekend overtime getting paid a time and a half effectively eliminating the financial loss they would take from the strike action. This I took to be extremely hypocritical as they are expected others to loss a days pay but aren't prepared to be the same sacrifice for the cause they are actively supporting.
Anyway the day of the strike I walk to work expecting a line of banners and insults to great me, though armed with the info of the overtime pay I was more than ready to throw those insult right back at them. Expect when I got to work there was no one there, not even any evidence that there was supposed to be a strike here. So I go into work as normal keeping an eye on the entrance looking for strikers, but only people who had decided to come into work where turning up. Eventually the strikers turned up, coming out a nearby pub where they had been spending most of their time, true commitment I thought. They did start a picket once they where out but I noticed that they would not approach male workers come into work and where only intimidating towards female workers which I though was pretty low and cowardly. Needless to say I after witnessing all this I felt that my decision was justified in this one occasion I felt no regret for not taking part in the strike.
Anyway that is the reason I wanted to make the thread but I don't want to get bog down in the details about my experiences with strike action and I would rather ask you all what you think about strike action. Have you ever been on strike? How do you feel about strikes in general? Or if you never been on strike would you? Or would you have no problem crossing the line if you didn't agree with the action?