Originally Posted by
langleybaston
Unless the strikers are civil servants, "the Government" are not the employers, and even then [semantics] it is the Crown.
And yet, loosely, although the employers are arms-length from Government, clearly the latter has a dog in the fight. As an example, the railways are enormously subsidised by the taxpayer, so any pay rise is likely to involve the Treasury. The Post Office does not involve Government except in so far as the service is essential. The NHS is definitely not Government-run [I am not convinced that it is "run" as most people define "run". And so on.
We hear "They" ought to do something about "it".
"It" is an omnishambles caused by short-termism [governments for many years], incompetence by over-paid administrators and ill-intent by the enemy within.
I should have emigrated to NZ when I had the chance ................. Oh! Wait ...............................?
I get the impression you aren't exactly in favour of unions and industrial action. However, when it comes to the NHS, you seem to have missed the bit about a certain Minister citing the pay review body's recommendation...so presumably you think all pay review bodies are totally independent, as they proudly state, and couldn't possibly be associated with Gov't policies.
Something else that's been mentioned " The Great Pay Rise ! "....it was a shame, as has also been mentioned, "The Great Claw Back " didn't receive
quite the same publicity at the time.
Nice bit of nostalgia at the end though...