greuzi
Firstly...Calling someone who disagrees with the general views of the Union members a 'Scab' is not something I do.
Very few negotiations are carried out in the way you describe. That is definitely old hat. On the rare occasions it does occur both sides are to blame for the situation. In a modern world you cannot rely on the strike to force a way forward. Therefore looking 'steely eyed' across a table would not result in anything but stalemate...That is true from both sides of the table.
No responsible Union would advise their members to strike over fractions. Usually a pay rise comes with other strings that are not publicised making it look like a petty argument. I find that the publicity of industrial conflict rarely reflect the real situation.
The Honda plant situation was, in fact, borne out of talks around a table between Unions and Management. The possibility of the plan was first muted by the TU. The job of the TU is to safeguard jobs in those situations. They have done a good job there. Remember as far as redundancy goes, the TU always fights for Voluntary redundancies and a good package to ensure enough volunteers. Many are happy to go.
There are many small engineering firms, in the Midlands particularly, that are still up and running because of deals brokered by the TU on behalf of members to keep jobs going. Some with pay cuts, some with short time working, some with other conditions. At none of these was there a gung ho charge by the TU to prove a point. Priority was to save the companies and save the jobs only cooperation achieved this.
One of the main dangers of course is member apathy. This usually leads to the TU having not much choice but to listen to those who are being vocal. This may not be what the majority want. Hence the rules around strike ballots. No TU would want to administer a strike action and then not have anyone take action. That would be counter productive.
Win Win is the buzz word for negotiations and is usually the outcome in the majority of cases.
It's a pity all the successful bargaining/troubleshooting negotiations don't get the publicity they deserve.
Oh well, onward and upward and a big cheer for the middle ground....
Nice chatting.
