Why the government needn't fear the strikes

Alan Edwards

The merit of such objections are usually inversly proportional to their merit.
Just look at Northern Ireland politics for proof of this!

strapworld

I would love to see Balls interviewed by Jeff Randall,Peter Hitchins and Richard Littlejohn a sort of Star Chamber interview, where he would not be able to get away with his normal bully boy tactics.

With someone impartial as Chairman, say Lord Tebbit?

John Findlater

As there are way too many civil servants and, as Francis Maud said, there are thousands doing nothing but are too expensive to fire,,,,,,,well,, if the parasites go on strike the government has a spelndid opportunity to cure the problem by firing them.
If a worker goes on strike, then the work contract is broken and they run the risk of being fired with no redundancy, pensions etc.

So Public sector Please do us all a favour and go on strike,,we wont miss you because most you are lazy wasters, plus it will save the tax payer lots of money.

Olaf Rye

I do not think that anyone is too expensive to fire--in the long term, getting rid of them will save a fortune. Surely, their benefit entitlement does not match their salary nor the pension contributions that tax-payers must make on their behalf. As for pay-offs on redundancies, well, it is costly but I would rather see them gone and out of the system, unable to cause more damage. In short, from my perspective, the mass firings are well worth the cost !

Chris lancashire

Another reason not to fear the strikes is that the public may not notice.

JohnPage

When the government is putting its case, there are two lessons it should learn from the Labour spinmeisters.

1. Phrase making - such as 'investment in public services'. It needs three or four phrases which encapsulate its themes.

2. Then repetition, repetition, repetition of the phrases - word for word.

Ian Walker

I'm terrified of our local Diversity Officers going on strike. Imagine the lack of diversity that will ensue...

Hugh Janus

Good to see that we can rely as always on the unions to foul things up and create an even bigger shambles than the one we started with in May. Never mind, it will be their jobs that go in the event of any prolonged industrial action. History shows that this is a lesson they have never been able to understand.

yank

The public employee unions here are taking out advertisements describing the carnage that will arise if budget cuts take hold.

Real wrath of God type stuff.

Disease and pestilence and plague.

Criminals running rampant.

Women rustled.

Cattle raped.

Dogs and cats... living together.

It's not being well received, to say no more. In 100 days, we'll tab up the results of their efforts.

Harry Paget

The public sector go on strike? They'd have to come back from long term sick leave first.

At the risk of sounding Pythonesque, I dream of a 1% pay rise, considering many in the private sector, like me, have been on the receiving end of a 12% pay cut.

JohnPage

I'm terrified of our local Diversity Officers going on strike. Imagine the lack of diversity that will ensue.

It must have been said before, but presumably they would strike in diverse ways.

David Bouvier

Olaf Rye - it some cases apparently it is up to 6 years salary.

Anyone, the government was told by the courts that a drastic revision of these terms was not possible as a matter of ministerial discretion because of the some of the legal infrastructure set up to give the civil service a slight buffer against ministerial whim (ie discretion). But I believe an SI or similar should be sufficient to enable a reduction in their serverance terms.

TGF UKIP

Your problem is Pete that this gang didn't exactly hold steady in opposition. All Gordon had to do was to say "boo" and Wobbly Dave scuttled to agree with him.

I agree, though, that their test will come in the Autumn with figures almost certainly indicating that borrowing this year will be substantially lower than forecast. What will they do then? Row back on their tax increases particularly on higher rate taxpayers to ensure growth next year doesn't slip below 2% or row back on the spending cuts to appease the BBC and North London?

I think you will know only too well where their past form indicates they will go.

Major Plonquer 1

In the past there have been some great technological and social leaps that have come from public sector strikes. How many people now heat their homes with coal?

In the 1980s in the USA 45,000 Bell Telephone operators went on strike. Their employer AT&T switched on the first fully automated telephone operator system and 45,000 people lost their jobs. Now these fully automated telephone systems have been replaced with much cheaper Indian people the economic impact of which has brought India to the brink of the First World. Moreover the existence of 45,000 out of work telephone operators sitting around with nothing to do explains why the USA leads the world in utterly useless technology such as Twitter and Facebook and why the word 'friends' has had to be redefined.

However, the finest example was when the Air Traffic Controllers went on strike. Ronald Regan first handed the job over to the military and then went on TV and fired ALL the controllers in public. They were subsequently invited to reapply for their jobs and only 80% were rehired, many at substantially lower rates.

So you see, public sector strikes can actually work for the public good.

Clear Memories

John Page

There is nothing this government can learn from Labour save how to do things the wrong way.

To use the words 'government' and 'Labour' in the same sentence is itself a contradiction in terms. 'Labour' and 'self-interested oppression' go together much more accurately.

maddy1

I know some of our workers have nothing to do! I do wonder, if our special diversity "teh tarik" division have created special "non jobs" for our muslims, like they have in Asia? Will a future generation of retired muslims be suing the health service for work related piles and other complaints of the posterior. Does anyone else see behind this facade.

2trueblue

David Bouvier. 6yrs. discression?????? Gosh, they are living in a different world to all of us. Surely common sense must prevail at some point? Perhaps not. No wonder we are in trouble.