Maryam Namazie

Maryam Namazie is a political activist, campaigner and blogger

Strike!

Prime Minister Cameron says today’s public sector strike is ‘irresponsible and damaging’. Chancellor George Osborne says the strike will weaken the economy and cost jobs. Cabinet Office minister Francis Maude condemns the strikes as ‘irresponsible, inappropriate and untimely’ and regrets the ‘disruption to the lives of heard working parents and pupils’. Soon we will be told that the strike is responsible for the war in Afghanistan and world hunger…

It’s all we ever hear – how damaging strikes are – but hardly a word uttered on the effects of the cuts on people’s lives and how important the right to strike is.

Isn’t it interesting how it is perfectly legal, timely, responsible, appropriate and even essential to shut down entire factories, close libraries and schools, make thousands of people redundant without even a day’s notice, raise costs, cut benefits, services and welfare… but try opposing them, and it is you who is irresponsible…

Go figure.

Comments

6 responses to “Strike!”

  1. Sheikh Mahandi Avatar
    Sheikh Mahandi

    “The workers united, shall never be defeated !” “Davie, Davie, Davie, out, out, out !” Ahh – I am channeling Tommy Sheridan !
    @ Grumps
    As long as your co-workers understand you do oppose the legislation, then you did the 100% right thing – children come first.

    Reply
  2. Grumps Avatar
    Grumps

    I work as a deafblind intervenor . My job is likely to disappear because of the cuts. The 9 year old boy I work with everyday would then have no-one to help him make sense of and interact with the world. Should I have gone on strike today or not?

    It’s was a difficult call. What I do know is that the tactics being used by this government are despicable. We have a right to strike. The public sector are again being expected to pay for the bankers incompetence and greed. I am angry that I am put in the position where I have to choose whether to forgo my right to express my disgust at this governments policies or to deny my deaf/blind boy his eyes and ears for a day.

    Reply
  3. F Avatar
    F

    Because organizations strike gratuitously.

    “The offer on the table is by any standards a generous one. It’s a deal that workers in the private sector could only dream of.”

    It isn’t the labor unions’ fault that the private sector is allowed to get away with murder. If I recall correctly, that is just the sort of thing labor organizations are against.

    Reply
  4. James Avatar
    James

    Here’s a few things I think are “irresponsible and damaging”?

    1) Gambling other people’s money on complicated financial products which you don’t really understand.
    2) Being paid with hundreds of thousands or even millions of pounds a year out of the winnings when the cards are falling for you.
    3) Routing those payments through companies and trusts registered in tax havens to avoid paying tax on them.
    4) Getting the taxpayer to bail you out when your luck runs out and the funny money shenanigans above eventually crash down around your ears.
    5) Still getting paid the same kind of sums after the crash and in many cases profiting from the crash (market instability -> high trade volumes -> bumper trading fees; sovereign/bank bailouts are financial deals which generate % fees for banks).
    6) Threatening to emigrate if anyone suggests raising your taxes by a few percent or closing the loop holes which allow you to avoid much of the tax you should already be paying.

    (btw, isn’t #6 basically threatening to withdraw your labour? A little bit like…er…a strike?)

    Reply
  5. holytape Avatar
    holytape

    I saw the strike kick a puppy, and push an old lady down the steps. It’s true….. damned dirty hippies…..

    Reply
  6. Sheikh Mahandi Avatar
    Sheikh Mahandi

    Hmmm – I guess no-one should have got the day off during the week for the German gingers nuptials (William and Kate).

    Reply

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