Wednesday 29 August 2007

Prison strike

Today at 7 am the prison service went on strike.

The strike is illegal, the same as it is with us police officers it is illegal for prison officers to go on strike. However they have still gone on strike!

The reason for their strike, the government haven't given them the pay rise they wanted for the last two years and they have to deal with more and more violence.

Sound familiar??? Would we go on an illegal strike?

No probably not and why? Well who would bail out the government if we went on strike?? I'm sure we will bail them out by looking after the prisons while the prison officers go on strike just as we bailed them out when the firefighters went on strike.

Then when they get the pay rise they want our 'toothless' federation will continue to negotiate for our pay rise but ultimately the government know we will have to take what we are given.

For any MOP reading it is illegal for police officers to join a trade union and it is illegal for us to strike therefore our federation has no influence what so ever on the government.

(PCSO's however are allowed to join a trade union! Maybe we could go on strike and leave them in charge!!!!)

6 comments:

chunkybetty said...

This is the best idea I've ever heard, please, please go on strike and leave the PCSOs in charge, it'll show the need for real Police officers, (it'll also give the PCSOs a chance to shine - just doing what's allowed in their remit, so I'm not knocking them).

It could actually make a difference to wages and to the overreliance on PCSOs and civvies. Two birds with one stone.

You don't need 24 hours...about two do you think? just enough to get them worried.

Your problem is you're too hard working and responsible, the lot of ya! (Plus you don't want anyone to get killed etc, etc ...)

Perhaps not then, oh well - great post tho, absolutely bob on about you bailing everyone out all the time.

Mousie said...

It's the same with us. We couldn't really strike, it would be unethical because patients would definitely die as a direct result.

Because the government know this, they have us over a barrel, like they do with you. We too have been offered a deal this year which is so shite it's effectively a pay cut.

We are allowed to join a trade union, but they don't allow us to strike and they don't influence the government.

Save yourself the fee, it's wasted anyway!

metcountymounty said...

No being allowed to strike is a clear violation of our human rights under the ECHR.

Why doesn't the Federation take this up in the European Court?

Bunch of twats.

Anonymous said...

If the emergency services (fire/police/nurses etc) went on strike for just 24 hours the shit would hit the fan in such a big way that everybody would be begging you to come back to work & I bet you'd get the pay rise you wanted.
Unfortunately, like Mousie said it isn't possible & the Government know it, therefore they will carry on taking the piss out of people who do a damn good job & don't ask for more than a fair wage & fair conditions in return.

Nice to see that Gordon Brown is doing his bit for "keeping inflation down" by cutting his own wage along with that of his fellow Government workmates along with the extortionate expenses & luxuries they award themselves.

Double standards anyone?

Response Plod said...

Very similar to what I wrote in my blog and I agree totally. By the way, I've added you to my Blog links.

Metcountymounty said...

unlike the last comment from my uneducated fan posting as me....

We aren't allowed to strike because it is written in law and we are officers of the state, not employee's so we don't come under the ECHR which is why we can't take the government to court. It is also the reason why we have had the pay agreement in place for the last 20 odd years, to make up for the fact that we cannot legally strike. It is this agreement that the government are yet again seeking to abolish and bring in below inflation pay increases for the 2nd year in a row.

The prison officers however have had their strike declared as illegal because the POA signed an agreement with the government stating that they would not go on strike and have now broken that agreement after being batted away by the government for 5 months. The Ministry for Justice sought the court order on the basis of the contractual agreement, not because they are forbidden by law to strike like us and the armed forces.