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Strikes to hit airports and ports over Christmas

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Anyone going skiing over Christmas and the New year might be affected as major ports and airports are set to be disrupted by strikes over the Christmas period.

The PCS union members in the Border Force are due to take action as part of a dispute over pay, jobs and pensions. The action will start in mid-December and continue for a month, with some workers out for the entire month.

Thousands of workers are expected to take part. PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka said the action will affect passport control at airports and ports.
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
@Alastair Pink, Crying or Very sad us parents are seriously screwed really ..... those that are avoiding half term get this instead
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 Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
I’m seriously sick of these strikes, 5% offered & they want more.
We got 2.5% and felt lucky to get that
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@Jonny996,wouldn’t you have taken more than 2.5% or 5% if you could have gotten it?
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Inflation is at 11% so anything less than that is in effect you getting poorer. One of the justifications for Brexit from the ERG types was that the abundance of foreign migrant workers was keeping a cap on pay rates for Brits, so Stemming the Tide would result in British workers getting better pay. As was pointed out at the time, no one seemed to be mentioning that this would inevitably mean a long period of industrial disputes as workers and employers fought it out, plus that for public sector workers, the taxpayer is the employer, and that it was unlikely the money for pay rises in line with inflation would be forthcoming. Producing similar disputes, but with no resolution. And so it's turned out: expect a lot more of this for a long time yet.

This is a raw topic with me because I was working at the Home Office during part of Teresa May's tenure there. Again and again she 'reorganised' and 'streamlined' Border Force. All this was just an exercise in staff reduction. I even saw IT contractors being diverted to back-fill for IT Civil Servants manning Passport Control at particularly busy periods. It was the other side of all the promises to strengthen our borders: basically, an exercise in May establishing her Austerity credentials as a candidate for PM. I can understand Home Office staff taking this action after a decade of being whipping-boys for the personal ambitions of a string of Tory Home Office Ministers and whose valuable advice on the practicalities of border control have been consistently ignored.


Last edited by Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do. on Sat 19-11-22 15:46; edited 2 times in total
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Staffing in the immigration and nationality areas of the Home Office has long been a major problem. There are layers of complex regulations, built one on top of another, and very junior staff being expected to master them. It's an awful place to work and anyone who can, will go somewhere else. At one point I earned good money marking papers written by potential candidates. We had an undemanding "pass mark" and tended to push people up, rather than down, if they were marginal. We were told too few were getting through to the interview stage, and that they would interview everybody in the category under a pass. Many of whom were pretty dire. The staff turnover was horrendous.
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Trying to come back to UK (shudder) for first Xmas in 4years - flying on 23/12….back on 30/12. Best get a back up plan. I don’t blame those going on strike.
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
A worker, probably through his trade union, can ask for more money. If the employer flatly refuses, what else can the worker do but withhold labour.
If it has no effect on the business, on the public, if it causes no disruption, then the employer will simply continue to ignore it.
For a strike to be effective, it surely has to cause some disruption.

My sympathies are with the employees
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
JHS wrote:

My sympathies are with the employees


I might’ve agreed with you, IF they had protested at some of the disgraceful (and possibly illegal) policies coming out of that office over the last decade or so.

Since there wasn’t so much as a peep, all I’m thinking is, ain’t karma a b***h!
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Ski the Net with snowHeads
Quote:

IF they had protested at some of the disgraceful (and possibly illegal) policies coming out of that office over the last decade or so.


They did. Refused to participate in the "turning back" proposals. But it is not part of the job description of civil service to protest against agreed government policy. Do you think it should be?
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 snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
@AL9000, all civil servants, with whom I have worked, impartially briefed their bosses and worked in their departments. It is up to Parliament to dispute policies if appropriate. Of course if asked to do something clearly illegal, that is different.
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 And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
Quote:

My sympathies are with the employees

My sympathies are with those who were hoping to travel to see family this Christmas after not being able to do so for the last couple of Christmases.
And with those who are not in a position to withhold their labour in order to persuade someone to pay their gas/leccy bill this winter.
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 So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
andy wrote:
Quote:

My sympathies are with the employees


those who are not in a position to withhold their labour in order to persuade someone to pay their gas/leccy bill this winter.


Toryboys’ raison d’être!
While Fkn up the economic system.
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
Must be great to be able to afford to go on strike for a month
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 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Whitegoldsbrother wrote:
Must be great to be able to afford to go on strike for a month

But can they afford not to, in the face of a cut in their real wages?
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 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
I'm all for fair pay but if everyone wants an 11% pay increase to match inflation, where will it all come from?
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Mother hucker wrote:
I'm all for fair pay but if everyone wants an 11% pay increase to match inflation, where will it all come from?

An effective economy. The concept is very simple to state, of course, but much harder to achieve. At least under the current government, because its core philosophy is free market, small-state and low taxation. UK Productivity has been dire ever since our non-recovery from the Financial Crisis. To counter this needs the proposed levels of taxation but with the money spent effectively on infrastructure, skills development and strategic industries, as well as basic services. Not on outsourcing to Ministerial Chums and sell-offs to predatory American corporations.
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 Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Insurance companies not covering trips during this period now if policy taken out after it was announced. rolling eyes Got to decide if I'm going to cancel 4th trip in a row now. Lose 2 day saver train tickets worth £180 if I do, but could lose 2.5k on accommodation if I don't.
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At the risk of diverting this topic too much. I fully stand with any union and labour force taking industrial action. I am flying out of Gatwick on the 23rd and coming back the 27th so may get affected. So be it.
This isn't a race to the bottom. The Torys and bile media have made us fight amongst ourselves rather than unite and fight for fair pay, workers rights and conditions.

For context, I am a firefighter. We were offered a 2% then a 5% pay rise. Firmly rejected by union members. We have seen our wages lag well behind inflation for the last 12 years. Services have been stripped to the bones, which has started to impact response times. More is being expect of less fire fighters, riding less fire engines, out of less stations...oh and for that...real world pay cuts for all. 5% for us is approx £80 a month after tax....not even enough for a tank of fuel nowadays.

And the money is there....don't let anyone tell you otherwise. Doesn't matter the service, industry or sector. The money to fund a fair pay rise for workers is there.
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