"Doing the best job in Europe, if not the World"
Think a little highly of yourself then, eh?!!
I think the union would be better served fighting real battles, not the right to wear flip flops, and besides, jeans are more than acceptable under the term 'smart casual'.
I overheard someone the other day moaning to a colleague that the union had not been consulted over the slightly amended way to indicate when you are available for AVA's (Swanwick) on the intranet. No wonder our Reps have so many days TOiL when they feel they should spend tie out of the Ops room getting involved in things that are so trivial.
Meanwhile, I bet pay negotiations for implementation in Jan 2013 are not underway... I know it is only May, but can anyone remember when we last got a pay deal in on time? Granted last time round it was a protracted negotiation but every time the union seems to forget how long things take to do. I'm sure management have a say in when they start talking pay, but that's surely a better thing to worry about than whether or not we can wear flip flops?
The union should be concentrating on proper issues that truly affect Ts and Cs, not spending 2 or 3 days a month attending canteen committees or getting wound up about trivial matters.