Timing Your Strike Right
Now I understand why people feel the need to strike - it is an extreme, but sometimes effective, tactic in negotiations and conflicts between employee and employer. And I also understand how striking can be an effective publicity stunt - it brings attention to your cause, even if a lot of the attention is people shaking their heads and wondering why the hell you are bothering (which tends to be my default position with regards to strikes).
Like comedy, I suppose, the secret of great striking is timing. Which is why the Fire Service threatening to strike over Bonfire Night strikes me as an extremely dumb idea. Because, when you think about it for more than 2 consecutive seconds, this is clearly one of the nights when we need the Fire Service more than ever. It moves striking away from being a legitimate negotiation tactic and places it squarely in the negligence box. You're not going to get the best publicity for you cause if the end result of your strike is some kid getting his face burnt off in a Bonfire Night accident.
Still, given the striking union (lack of) intellect this hasn't appeared to occur to them:
FBU general secretary Matt Wrack said they had been left with no choice.
"The alternative is to allow London's firefighters to become doormats for their employers to walk on," he said.
Yeah... you've got no choice. You couldn't, say, strike on some of the other 360 plus days of the year now, could you? You dumb wanker.
Labels: Fire Service, Morons, Strikes, Witless Morons
posted by The Nameless Libertarian @ 8:08 am
5 Comments
5 Comments:
I think the fireman are being wankers (as usual) on this.
They say they want top negotiate, compromise etc, but the management have been trying to implement this change for FIVE years now...
Does that sound like the unions are working towards a compromise?
Surely the fire service cannot stop bonfire night accidents, they just clean up after it?
Still an important job (making sure that fewer people get hurt). I just have bones to pick with your example.
Still agree with your post though.
Well, they want to strike when it will make the most impact. I like Reagan's approach when the airline workers wanted to strike. He told them whoever doesn't show up for work will be canned and new people will be hired. Enough of the shit already. About half showed up and half were canned. I'm sure you have some unemployed people right now who would love a new job?
It will be interesting to see what the unions have planned during the olympics. They could really create havoc then.
It really sums up the intellect of the Union leaders if they think that, calling a strike at such a time, will win them any public support. Only the mad and loony left would think it a good idea. Also, how many union leaders will be out of pocket after wards?
How do you square you support for striking with the Harm Principle? The whole purpose of a strike is to damage the innocent. Unless the fist hits the other guy's nose, it doesn't work.
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