That strike

I was supposed to be in London today at InfoSec but the rail strike has put a stop to that. In a way I am upset as I would like to have gone to the conference and feel that CyberNorth ought to have been there. On the other hand I am quite glad that I don’t have to catch the first train down and drag my carcass across London to the Excel, especially in the heat.

The strike has caused quite a furore in the media. That’s what they are supposed to do. I cannot work out how the right wing press are trying to pin this on a non-existent Labour government, especially when the RMT union behind the strike isn’t even affiliated to the Labour party. I presume it is just another Tory party trick to divert responsibility from itself, once again. Public opinion, however, for now seems to be on the side of the strikers.

Another thing I have come across are polls asking people if they are for or against the strike. Nothing in life is that binary. A lot depends upon how you interpret the question. Am I against the strike as it inconveniences people? Yes, of course I am. Do I support the aims of the strikers? On the face of it, yes I do. So I can be both in favour of and against the strike.

A strike is a failure. It represents the breakdown of relations between management and their employees. I understand that a business needs to be efficient and pay its way but everyone deserves to be paid a fair wage for the work that they do. Nobody wants to see the value of their remuneration declining. If all else fails and their grievances are left unaddressed then what legitimate options does an employee have? Get another job or withdraw their labour. If you are coding what you are skilled at and enjoy doing then the only real alternative is to strike.

With inflation exceeding 9% and wage increase on offer of a third of that, this issue isn’t going away. The prospect of other strikes is rumbling in the background and the government is in for a rough ride.

That will be the Conservative government, not the non-existent Labour one.