From the list of ‘things that don’t get said very often’, here’s a very sensible comment from CiF on the Total refinery strike:
I’m very sorry to say it, but these wildcat strikers are idiots. Nothing wrong with striking at all – but always, always, always make sure it is an official strike endorsed by an official ballot and thus with the full force of law on their side – that way they can’t be arbitarily sacked for striking.
Instead these wildcatters seem to be ignoring their own union procedure and think that they can simply do what they feel like regardless. And now they are shocked they’ve been sacked.
Sheesh – it’s not as though the miners strike was centuries ago and has gone from folk memory. It was fairly recent and most union people learnt the central lesson, which was always ballot your members before striking to make it an official strike. That way you have the law on your side.
These wildcatters appear to be too stupid to learn from history and they’ve paid the price.
As always, Rick at FCFT is good on this one too. Meanwhile, Dave Osler has a bit of a hard-on for the strikers over at LC – fair enough, if you’re an old Trot you have to take your pleasures where you can find them…