Round about February of this year i was travelling with my partner in our car on the way to work and a thought occurred to me.  Being in my 40s I’m old enough to remember “The winter of discontent” as the popular press named it in the UK, in the 1970s strike action from Miners, Firemen,Electricity suppliers,Postal workers, even the Police were on an overtime ban.  I remember going shopping with my mother and she brought candles in readiness for the electricity strike that evening, I also remember all the lights going out and the television going off at 7.00pm exactly, for a 10 year old boy this can be frightening and has left an impression on me to this day.

My father worked in “Guys” hospital a top London teaching hospital, he returned home early one day with our family car dented and scratched he told us he tried to cross a picket line of blue collar workers, he failed and the strikers took vengeance on our car.  I’m sure our experiences were not unique, the UK nearly ground to a halt in “The winter of discontent”

The up shot of these strikes were almost without exception negative, the miners were broken after nearly a year on strike, the UK mining industry never recovered, it was found coal could be purchased from abroad cheaper than we could mine it ourselves so the pits were closed, ill not dwell on the miners strike as still to this day it is a very evocative subject especially in Yorkshire where i live. 

I do sympathise with many of the view points of the strikers from all walks of life, however i feel strike action is an Antique way of settling a dispute and is very destructive to all concerned, for instance the Firefighters strike action puts lives at risk they are going to strike around “Guy Fawkes” night” to cause maximum effect.

Bear with me on this point please, a little while ago my partner and me were on the way to our favorite Indian restaurant we had been going there for years and liked the food and service, we tried the front door of the restaurant it was locked and no lights were on inside, a small hand written note on the door explained the owner had gone on a three week holiday.  We were dressed up and hungry, I suggested a further walk up the high road to where there were more restaurants, we found an Italian restaurant the food was great the service excellent the price reasonable, we never used the Indian restaurant again, Ok my example is simple and basic but the same principle applies to any business or industry, the Post office in particular is on thin ice with firms like” TNT” and “Fed Ex” ready and waiting to take their business from them.  Strike action will result in loss of jobs and customers.

The recession has hit us all, we are required to do more work for the same money or work longer hours.  The recession is world wide no one has escaped, at times like these we need to work with employers where possible, strike action can ultimately lose your job and the jobs of your colleagues and your boss.

I’m not suggesting a return to Victorian values and treatment but lets all pull together until this recession is over.