GBZ
I thought the link would raise either a smile.. or a rifle into the aim.
I guess that in 2004, an agreement was reached. But as soon as the agreement reached the startline (April) and as soon as the new wave of management had reached the top of the pile and those with sufficient seniority to push it through back in 2004 had all retired, the union decided to take action. At best, it should not have agreed to it in 2004.. or be reminded of the terms it agreed to then.
I am not a union basher, but I see the economic data coming through, data that has nothing to do with so called fat cats and politicians, and I feel sorry for my kids. I don't want to condemn them to financial and economic hell (I made my kids start pensions and investments when they were 15 - they hated me) but at what point do we stop and see the bigger picture? If we honour the agreements, we are sticking our heads in the sand. I'd love to stand by the agreement and I despise the systemic corruption and bastardisation of everything that we all emotionally and financially paid into, but we have to be realistic.
Dave,
Scapegoats? There are no scapegoats, only victims. I can think of one victim on the A14 during the last firefighters strike, but that's another story. The victims here though can either be us, or they can be our kids. You want to find someone to blame? Ok, how about Brown and Blair for flooding the market with cheap credit to fund political promises that were unaffordable (for gods sake, we were issuing debt, to pay for the interest on loans taken out to pay for loans..), blame stupid, moronic and greedy people taking second mortgages for a new telly, a holiday and a second car, blame greedy b'stards in the city, blame the EU.. take your pick, what does it matter? You are the infantry in a greater political battle, the pbf has NEVER won in the short term.. you'll be used by the legislators or the unions, thats the sad part.
Courtney,
Agreed. I want my money going into pensions, schools, hospitals - we have to bring the debt under manageable limits first though. Will we? Nope.. absolutely no way. But we have to be healthier than the next country, THATS the battle. That's what we are trying to do. If we don't, then we can kiss goodbye to what little good that IS left.