UK Strikes 2022-2023

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AGinAg (37)

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I can't recall this many strikes over a short period in the UK. Today dock workers, yesterday trains and we've had postal strikes, barristers, airport, doctors, BT and buses. It's like France!

With Truss incoming I can't imagine this is going to get any better over autumn and winter. You can almost ignore them over summer, but as the nights draw in I imagine they're going to become more noticeable.
 
Apparently this was what it was like when I was a baby, I keep getting told. The next thing will be when they start switching off the grids overnight. Get your candles now before they sell out!
 
And that's strikes on top of all the services already operating at vastly reduced capacity because they can't recruit.
 
I was hoping to go to London over the bank holiday only to find that no Avanti (Virgin) tickets were available for a WHOLE SIX WEEKS. Due to strikes and lack of staff they are releasing tickets one week at a time and having a reduced service across all destinations from London. Full refunds available for anyone who booked in advance and tickets can be moved throughout the day if you still want to travel, which sounds like CHAOS INCARNATE to me.

In my 25 years of travelling between London and Liverpool regularly, I have NEVER known it to be like this.
 
People are getting angrier and angrier. I have to spend a bit of my time dealing with customer service calls at the moment rather than doing my actual job because of staff shortages, underinvestment, disinterest in training by management etc. The usual. So, either once or twice a week, I have to "queue-bust" the phones. Let me tell you - people are ANGRY. I had someone go on a rant about two/three weeks ago, right in the heatwave about how everything was just terrible, why does no-one have any staff, what can't anything get done etc. The whole darn shooting match is about to go over in a heap with all these strikes and I am absolutely in favour of them. Truss is inheriting a shitshow and the attempts to distract everyone with culture war bullshit have even fallen off the front page of The T*mes. As soon as the next energy bill rise kicks in, it's going to come to a ruck. Those on the picket lines will be a focus for that anger as the right wing press blame the unions for "holding the country to ransom" and Truss will be unable to deal with it.
 
Is anyone here in union? As a teacher it's pretty much protocol. Mr Ag was looking into joining one for office workers.

I'm totally up for going on strike, so long as I can stay at home. Pickets look cold and sad.
 
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Yeah, I pay my union dues every month. I doubt I'll end up on a picket line but fuck crossing one.
 
What is going to be the defining strike? The winter of discontent had bin collectors and grave diggers. Both visible and unpleasant. The trains are a pain for some people, but won't effect millions. Any of the emergency services will have a visible impact.
 
octophone said:
People are getting angrier and angrier. I have to spend a bit of my time dealing with customer service calls at the moment rather than doing my actual job because of staff shortages, underinvestment, disinterest in training by management etc. The usual. So, either once or twice a week, I have to "queue-bust" the phones. Let me tell you - people are ANGRY. I had someone go on a rant about two/three weeks ago, right in the heatwave about how everything was just terrible, why does no-one have any staff, what can't anything get done etc. The whole darn shooting match is about to go over in a heap with all these strikes and I am absolutely in favour of them. Truss is inheriting a shitshow and the attempts to distract everyone with culture war bullshit have even fallen off the front page of The T*mes. As soon as the next energy bill rise kicks in, it's going to come to a ruck. Those on the picket lines will be a focus for that anger as the right wing press blame the unions for "holding the country to ransom" and Truss will be unable to deal with it.
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Yes, I've noticed it particularly at health centres I work in. Not with my clients, but patients in general. I don't think I've gone more than a couple of days without there being a crying receptionist after being verbally abused face to face or by phone. They are having difficulty recruiting anyway, and now they can't retain staff either, because why would you take that when you can earn as much (and probably with better prospects) on the till in any supermarket?
 
Ag said:
Is anyone here in union? As a teacher it's pretty much protocol. Mr Ag was looking into joining one for office workers.

I'm totally up for going on strike, so long as I can stay at home. Pickets look cold and sad.
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Of course, and I think there is a good chance we'll be balloted for strike action soon too.
 
I think all services at the moment are in a terrible state, be it doctors, utilities or even private services. Not really the sign of a first world country.
 
Ag said:
Is anyone here in union? As a teacher it's pretty much protocol. Mr Ag was looking into joining one for office workers.

I'm totally up for going on strike, so long as I can stay at home. Pickets look cold and sad.
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Yes, I'm with UNISON.

Mr L just did his first two day strike after over thirty years with his employer.
 
Ag said:
I think all services at the moment are in a terrible state, be it doctors, utilities or even private services. Not really the sign of a first world country.
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It really does seem to be across the board right now. Our pharmacies locally are fucked - not opening some days with no notice, closing early others.

The Starbucks closest to my office closed early every day past week due to staff shortages. So did WHSmith one day.

The hospitals here have a seeming open ended recruitment drive for admin and support roles. I went to one of their open days a couple of months ago and it was pretty clear that if I was willing to take a job on less than about 22-23k I could walk into it without much trouble and name my terms. They have another one next week and are recruiting on the day.

Looking at how my mum has been messed around with various hospital appointments and hospital transport, clearly because there is no infrastructure in place is ridiculous. And I dread to think how much nurse/GP/consultant time is being wasted as a result of it.
 
Mr Ag has really struggled to get his medication recently. It's not just our pharmacy, the drugs just aren't available. I couldn't even find a private therapist or vet recently (don't worry Kit Kat is fine) and thank God I have an NHS dentist already.

Even private goods and services providers like plumbers or gardeners have terrible availability recently. It does have the distinct shitty whiff of Brexit all over it, but I presume there are other obvious mitigating circumstances.
 
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Yes, there was an article in the local paper here last week that there isn't a single dentist in the city accepting NHS patients.
 
The two year journey from valued, essential key worker keeping the country going to scrounging leftie trying to ruin this wonderful country has been crushingly inevitable but an interesting watch, nonetheless. The signs were there when teachers were first in the firing line, followed by GPs but the utter selfishness of the British people is quite something. "yes, even in the middle of lockdown, the trains kept running which was really amazing for me because I still had to travel for work but my praise should be more than enough reward. If they freeze to death, it's because they didn't hold the warmth of my compliments close enough to their heart, the selfish cunts".
 
Truss thinks because she can shout about it in a Tory party conference and get cheers for it, that she'll be able to FIX the strike culture. She has absolutely no idea what's in store for her.
 
Another thing to note. When Johnson lost the VONC, he could have stepped down right away and installed a caretaker PM who might have at least done something to address the absolute pileup of crisis’ hitting the country (energy, inflation, strikes)

Instead he insisted on grabbing another six weeks, which he has used solely to throw parties and fuck off on holiday. Beneath contempt.
 
VoR said:
Another thing to note. When Johnson lost the VONC, he could have stepped down right away and installed a caretaker PM who might have at least done something to address the absolute pileup of crisis’ hitting the country (energy, inflation, strikes)

Instead he insisted on grabbing another six weeks, which he has used solely to throw parties and fuck off on holiday. Beneath contempt.
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He didn't lose the vote. How quickly we forget!

But otherwise yes, the pissing around for the sake of beating Teresa May and using the perks is a fucking disgrace.

RUN HIM OVER!
 
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I can't imagine a more mortifying job than writing for the Express. I'd rather tell my friends and family that I worked for the Star.
 
VoR said:
I can't imagine a more mortifying job than writing for the Express. I'd rather tell my friends and family that I worked for the Star.
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At least when I see the front of The Star there's a 50% chance it may raise a smirk. Whereas seeing the Express headlines usually reduces my life expectancy.
 
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