Let’s not say there is no money, but let us reflect on the £73 Billion (I think, IFS figures) that were wasted during the Truss weeks trying to buck the market. Add on the Billions gone on Test and Trace, Covid Bounce Back Loans and Furlough fraud. Then lets not mention the Billions gone in PPE fraud and waste.
Any one who watched the performance of Mark Harper, SofS for Transport at the select committee hearings last week, and read the Telegraph last Monday, can be in no doubt that a settlement of the rail strike at least is being held back by government. 7 Day Railway for example is code for giving up overtime payments at weekends – so effectively a pay cut.
As for the other strikes. The Independent Pay Review Bodies have their terms of reference, such as how much money there is and what political ramification there are to any settlement, laid down in a letter from the SofS before the annual process begins. And the Postal strike. Royal Mail is a private company and not in the Public Sector, but last year 2022 it paid a dividend of 9% per share. Nice work if you can get it given the rate on my savings.
I was on a Green Goddess during the Fireman’s Strike in 1977. The fireman were working 4 days when they trained, 4 nights when they slept, and 4 days off when they were taxi drivers / window cleaners etc. They were getting more than my Airman before they (the firemen) went on strike, and the County Fire Chief was being paid more then my AOC.
The standard British response would be Greedy Ba****ds, but my thoughts were ‘why is the Military treated so badly’?
Aid to the civil power was one thing, but living on a camp bed in a Drill Hall over Christmas, strike breaking was quite another, and the whole thing sowed the seed to my eventual PVR.