Are the unions out of line?
Recently the news in the UK has been dominated by various unions threatening strikes against companies who they believe are putting their members’ jobs at risk. This isn’t so unusual – it is the responsibility of the union to stick up for their members, and strike action is the only language a lot of companies understand. But are they out of line?
Most of this action has come since the onset of the recession, with the most recent strikes coming from British Airways cabin staff and rail workers’ unions. Typically these are the kinds of strikes which get the most headline attention as it causes a significant amount of disruption to their paying customers. However, British Gas recently averted strike action which would have seen its services disrupted, and the public sector isn’t free from trouble either – recent ballots on strike action have shown their willingness to take the battle to their employers.
What all of this stems from is the necessary cuts needed for businesses to survive the economic downturn. While certain executives would no doubt use this as an excuse to make excessive cuts, the nature of the beast dictates that someone, somewhere, is going to be inconvenienced by the worldwide financial turmoil.
So are the unions out of line by trying to dictate terms to businesses merely trying to survive? Or should they be supported no matter what in order to safeguard the positions of their members?
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