I think you will find that most service industry staff are treated the same, by the rest of the community, who think they are better than us. I see it as without pillocks like them I wouldn’t be superior.
Let’s try to get the history right please:
The original ‘winter of discontent’, as it was dubbed in a line taken from Shakespeare’s Richard III, began in the autumn of 1978. Then, a weakened Labour government dithered over when to call an election, while unions vehemently resisted attempts to hold down pay in the name of fighting inflation. In September 15,000 Ford workers walked off the job, soon joined by 57,000 others, leaving 23 Ford factories up and down the country empty.
Following the initiative of BP and Esso tanker drivers who had begun to refuse to work overtime in support of a 40% pay increase, all TGWU drivers struck on January 3. Thousands of petrol stations were closed after the break down of distribution caused by the strike, and drivers picketed ports across the country as well as firms who still had lorries on the road. Refineries were also picketed and tanker drivers who were still working notified strikers which refinery they were headed to so as flying pickets could get there first and turn the tankers back. After bringing supplies transported by road to a virtual standstill, and after just less than a month of strike action, the drivers accepted a pay deal just £1 less per week than the union had asked for.
The weeks during and after the lorry drivers strike were marked largely by strike action being taken by public sector workers, determined to keep up with the wage increases of their counterparts in the private sector. A number of important strikes were launched, several of which still evoke images iconic of the struggle during the winter of 1978-79.
January 22 saw a “Day of Action” held by public sector unions, following several strikes of railwaymen that had already begun. With 1.5 million workers out, the day marked the largest general stoppage of work in the UK since the General Strike of 1926. Mass demonstrations were held in many cities, including London, Cardiff, Edinburgh and Belfast. About 140,000 people took part in the demonstration in London. Schools and airports closed for lack of workers, and ambulance drivers struck, although in many areas continued to respond to 999 calls. Following January 22, many workers remained on strike indefinitely. Also to take action were members of the Royal College of Nursing, traditionally one of the least militant ‘unions’ in the country, who demanded a 25% pay increase. During the ambulance drivers strike in mid-January it was also reported that staff in 1,100 NHS hospitals were refusing to treat anything but emergencies.
A strike of gravediggers who were members of the GMWU (now GMB) occurred in Liverpool and and Tameside in late January. An event that is often recalled clearly from memories of the period, the strike prompted one local health official to confide in a journalist that burials at sea were being considered by the local authority if the strike became prolonged. After two weeks of strike action, the gravediggers accepted a 14% increase and returned to work.
Another memorable strike occurring towards the end of the winter was that of the waste collection workers. With many collectors having remained out since January 22, local councils were running out of space for storing waste. Rubbish was piled high in Central London’s Leicester Square after Westminster Council had allocated rubbish to be dumped there. The rubbish attracted rats and, rather indistinguishably, the conservative media, who used pictures of the Square in an attempt to discredit the strikers. Continuing its constant campaign throughout the winter criticising the strikers through the medium of the “breakdown of public convenience”, the pictures of the piled rubbish presented itself as yet another front on which to attack the workers. The waste collectors strike ended on February 21, when the workers accepted an 11% increase and an extra £1 a week with possible increases in the future.
The strikes, from the perspective of the TUC and the government, ended on February 14 after weeks of negotiation. A proposal was put to the TUC general council and agreed after several days, bringing an end to the winter long series of disputes.
Due to the lack of control many unions had over their members by this time, many strikes did not end immediately after the agreement, testimony to the initiative exercised by many rank and file workers throughout the period who were willing and able to work and initiate strikes outside of their union’s control. Most had returned to work by the end of February after a total of 29,474,000 working days having been lost to strike action.
Of course all this led directly to the election of Margaret Thatcher in May 1979 and with inflation running at up to 17% the hard won wage rises didn’t last long.
Plagarised from several sources
Santa:
Let’s try to get the history right please:The original ‘winter of discontent’, as it was dubbed in a line taken from Shakespeare’s Richard III, began in the autumn of 1978. Then, a weakened Labour government dithered over when to call an election, while unions vehemently resisted attempts to hold down pay in the name of fighting inflation. In September 15,000 Ford workers walked off the job, soon joined by 57,000 others, leaving 23 Ford factories up and down the country empty.
Following the initiative of BP and Esso tanker drivers who had begun to refuse to work overtime in support of a 40% pay increase, all TGWU drivers struck on January 3. Thousands of petrol stations were closed after the break down of distribution caused by the strike, and drivers picketed ports across the country as well as firms who still had lorries on the road. Refineries were also picketed and tanker drivers who were still working notified strikers which refinery they were headed to so as flying pickets could get there first and turn the tankers back. After bringing supplies transported by road to a virtual standstill, and after just less than a month of strike action, the drivers accepted a pay deal just £1 less per week than the union had asked for.
The weeks during and after the lorry drivers strike were marked largely by strike action being taken by public sector workers, determined to keep up with the wage increases of their counterparts in the private sector. A number of important strikes were launched, several of which still evoke images iconic of the struggle during the winter of 1978-79.
January 22 saw a “Day of Action” held by public sector unions, following several strikes of railwaymen that had already begun. With 1.5 million workers out, the day marked the largest general stoppage of work in the UK since the General Strike of 1926. Mass demonstrations were held in many cities, including London, Cardiff, Edinburgh and Belfast. About 140,000 people took part in the demonstration in London. Schools and airports closed for lack of workers, and ambulance drivers struck, although in many areas continued to respond to 999 calls. Following January 22, many workers remained on strike indefinitely. Also to take action were members of the Royal College of Nursing, traditionally one of the least militant ‘unions’ in the country, who demanded a 25% pay increase. During the ambulance drivers strike in mid-January it was also reported that staff in 1,100 NHS hospitals were refusing to treat anything but emergencies.
A strike of gravediggers who were members of the GMWU (now GMB) occurred in Liverpool and and Tameside in late January. An event that is often recalled clearly from memories of the period, the strike prompted one local health official to confide in a journalist that burials at sea were being considered by the local authority if the strike became prolonged. After two weeks of strike action, the gravediggers accepted a 14% increase and returned to work.
Another memorable strike occurring towards the end of the winter was that of the waste collection workers. With many collectors having remained out since January 22, local councils were running out of space for storing waste. Rubbish was piled high in Central London’s Leicester Square after Westminster Council had allocated rubbish to be dumped there. The rubbish attracted rats and, rather indistinguishably, the conservative media, who used pictures of the Square in an attempt to discredit the strikers. Continuing its constant campaign throughout the winter criticising the strikers through the medium of the “breakdown of public convenience”, the pictures of the piled rubbish presented itself as yet another front on which to attack the workers. The waste collectors strike ended on February 21, when the workers accepted an 11% increase and an extra £1 a week with possible increases in the future.
The strikes, from the perspective of the TUC and the government, ended on February 14 after weeks of negotiation. A proposal was put to the TUC general council and agreed after several days, bringing an end to the winter long series of disputes.
Due to the lack of control many unions had over their members by this time, many strikes did not end immediately after the agreement, testimony to the initiative exercised by many rank and file workers throughout the period who were willing and able to work and initiate strikes outside of their union’s control. Most had returned to work by the end of February after a total of 29,474,000 working days having been lost to strike action.
Of course all this led directly to the election of Margaret Thatcher in May 1979 and with inflation running at up to 17% the hard won wage rises didn’t last long.
Plagarised from several sources
man, where did you get all that information from?
you,ve got to admit the stick we get from a lot of the public is uncalled for, so why is it?
could it be the attitude of SOME hgv drivers to other road users.
Some who post on here openly brag at the way they treat car drivers.
Flashing lights, blowing horns, giving the coffee bean shake etc etc etc.
Maybe in some cases these actions are justified in the treuckers eyes but are probably not in the eyes of the car diver.
del949:
you,ve got to admit the stick we get from a lot of the public is uncalled for, so why is it?
could it be the attitude of SOME hgv drivers to other road users.
Some who post on here openly brag at the way they treat car drivers.
Flashing lights, blowing horns, giving the coffee bean shake etc etc etc.
Maybe in some cases these actions are justified in the treuckers eyes but are probably not in the eyes of the car diver.
As in many ways we are our own worst enemy.
del949:
you,ve got to admit the stick we get from a lot of the public is uncalled for, so why is it?
could it be the attitude of SOME hgv drivers to other road users.
Some who post on here openly brag at the way they treat car drivers.
Flashing lights, blowing horns, giving the coffee bean shake etc etc etc.
Maybe in some cases these actions are justified in the treuckers eyes but are probably not in the eyes of the car diver.
i second that.
But there’s always a bad apple knocking about some where
[quote="perkibe I was dragged shopping to Meadowhall yesterday, just looking around, seeing everyone shopping, Anyway I know nothing will change, but we are looked on so low… That’s my rant over for 2011, hope you all have a good new year…[/quote]
robroy:
stevieboy308:
Rollo Tomasi:
Mike-C:
perkibre:
it just bugs me to think we are so important to society, but we are looked on so low…You’re a lorry driver, what do you want everyone to do, clap you?
No maybe not, but a bit of recognition & consideration would be nice.
Thats all.Do you praise the plumbers everytime you flush the crapper?
They do it because they get paid, just like us, It’s not a calling.
StevieYou make a good point, but so does the other guy, why are we hated so much for doing an important service to the public, OK I,m a big lad I can handle it, and it,s water off a ducks back to me, but you,ve got to admit the stick we get from a lot of the public is uncalled for, so why is it?
Nobody remembers when you do something right BUT never forget when you do something wrong.
robroy:
stevieboy308:
Rollo Tomasi:
Mike-C:
perkibre:
it just bugs me to think we are so important to society, but we are looked on so low…You’re a lorry driver, what do you want everyone to do, clap you?
No maybe not, but a bit of recognition & consideration would be nice.
Thats all.Do you praise the plumbers everytime you flush the crapper?
They do it because they get paid, just like us, It’s not a calling.
StevieYou make a good point, but so does the other guy, why are we hated so much for doing an important service to the public, OK I,m a big lad I can handle it, and it,s water off a ducks back to me, but you,ve got to admit the stick we get from a lot of the public is uncalled for, so why is it?
i don’t think it’s anywhere near as bad as you’re making out. it certainly hasn’t been for me.
people look at things from their point of view and what immediately effects them. it’s like when drivers slag off, moan and give stick to the planners, a lot of it’s uncalled for, so why is it? 
some of it is call for! but some drivers will deserve it as well.
stevie