Why Are Unions So Stupid?

[ToraToraTora]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-32748029
What possible result will be achieved here? lose a day at time and half and alienate the public! Genius!

[SlackAlice]

So, just out of interest, how would you resolve the dispute if you were on the union side and just seen the MD get an £80,000 pay rise?

[mushroom25]

in the privatised world of thomas the tank engine, the train operators pay real money to get access to mark carne's trainset. when they can't do that, then real money penalties result. so if signal staff strike, notwork rail takes a real financial hit.

plus there should be a full programme of engineering works over the weekend, some of which will either be at risk, or will need to be curtailed to avoid the strike. thus the infrastructure operator takes a double whammy.

it's designed of course to ensure that network rail does all in its power to avoid the strike. but if it doesn't, hey, thomas's signalman only loses a few hours pay.

[Prudie]

It's not stupid though is it. You're not going to have an effect unless you pick a time to cause most disruption. That's the whole purpose of strike action - an attempt to force someone's hand.

[mushroom25]

just to clarify SA -

mark carne has not received a £80,000 pay rise. his starting salary was set at £80,000 more than his predecessor, which isn't really the same thing.

[ToraToraTora]

Slackalice, nothing, are you saying that I should envy the success of others?
I prefer to strive to emulate that sucess rather than whine about it.

Prudie: "It's not stupid though is it. You're not going to have an effect unless you pick a time to cause most disruption. That's the whole purpose of strike action - an attempt to force someone's hand. " yes indeedy, it will cause disruption, will anything change? Nope.

[Deskdiary]

I've never understood the argument that SlackAlice has used. Probably because I think it is utterly irrelevant.

Lets suppose, for the sake of the argument, that he had received an £80k rise (and not £80k more than his predecessor) - well so what? He's the boss of a massive company, so why shouldn't he enjoy the spoils that this brings. What relevance does one man's salary have to others? What business is it of theirs? I couldn't give a tinker's cuss how much the CEO of the firm I work for earns.

I just think it is a silly argument.

Anyway....yes they are going to alienate me and therefore if the strike goes ahead on Bank Holiday Monday, I sincerely hope the purpose of it result in a complete failure.

I was planning on taking my son to the Science Museum and the Natural History Museum on BHM - without the trains I will not be able to.

[naomi24]

Perhaps SlackAlice thinks they should all earn as much as the MD. Why I can't imagine. Just a thought.

[Prudie]

Knocking the fat cat bosses is a long established past-time but until you've actually been one or worked closely with one you have no idea of the pressures, responsibilities and hours an MD has to accept. They don't get paid for nothing and they usually can't clock out, go home and forget about work like most of us do.

[Tilly2]

Yawn!

[ichkeria]

Mark Carne, Mark Carney: I did a bit of a double take there ...
Have they run out of original names ...