Is there a basic human right to strike?

[soloman]

How would representing workers harm others? It is never any unions or members purpose.

Look at this the other way round; the fastest growing emergent companies have no union representation of its members.

[Robin Edward Putland]

Look at this the other way round; the fastest growing emergent companies have no union representation of its members.

That makes no sence, the decline in union members decline is coursed by th unions not adapting to new generations and to a changing work place. It doesn't mean they harm them.

[Midas]

That makes no sence, the decline in union members decline is coursed by th unions not adapting to new generations and to a changing work place. It doesn't mean they harm them.

Seeing this from an employer's position though, and of course I can only speak as I've seen it in both my own business and in the company I've subsequently been Chairman of, a significant majority of workers chose not to belong to any union simply because they felt they could negotiate better deals by discussing their individual situations directly with their line managers and ultimately to the board. The majority view in both instances was that by having union representation they could both have lower pay - union rates would apply - and less freedom insofar as working conditions and flexibility were concerned. Ours were hardly unique situations though; talking to many other members of the Institute of Directors exactly the same situations apply across a whole range of companies, albeit mainly those, as Soloman points out, who are the faster growing emergent companies rather than long established traditional businesses where union representation is more a matter of course. Whether this is by habit and enforcement by the unions themselves more than by the choice of the workers themselves is a matter for debate of course.

[DC]

They are.

Using them as a threat is not a last resort.

In the state Services they are and thats the only ones that should be.

With increasing privatisation and a HUGE reliance on private service companies, then strikes in many areas can be devastating to the economy at large, not to mention services. Courts should have the power to force people back to work or risk firing.

They don't the ones that go on strike do so to represent themselves, the ones that stay at work accept the current situation, no hostge taking.

In this case BA is losing more and more money, it's unable to fly some routes and has had to cancel flights, losing customers. BA was already in trouble (hence the downsizing), this strike is only making things worse. While this strike is only the cabin crews, if it forces BA to downsize, then pilots, administrative staff and ground crews may all lose hours or even jobs.

Its not, its representing the workers position whilst having enough power to make the companies bosses listen to it so both parties can come to an agreement. If workers don't have the right to strike or represent their views most people in Britian would be working for miniscual wages in poverty, being exploited by the rich.

I'm not proposing to ban the right to strike, I'm proposing we control it. And coming into a mediation talking about striking is not a show of strength, it's confrontational and counter-productive.

How would representing workers harm others? It is never any unions or members purpose.

As I said, BA is not just cabin crews.

[manrow]

Using them as a threat is not a last resort.

With increasing privatisation and a HUGE reliance on private service companies, then strikes in many areas can be devastating to the economy at large, not to mention services. Courts should have the power to force people back to work or risk firing.

In this case BA is losing more and more money, it's unable to fly some routes and has had to cancel flights, losing customers. BA was already in trouble (hence the downsizing), this strike is only making things worse. While this strike is only the cabin crews, if it forces BA to downsize, then pilots, administrative staff and ground crews may all lose hours or even jobs.

I'm not proposing to ban the right to strike, I'm proposing we control it. And coming into a mediation talking about striking is not a show of strength, it's confrontational and counter-productive.

As I said, BA is not just cabin crews.

I am delighted to hear that BA are planning to operate even more flights from this coming weekend onwards. The cabin staff at Heathrow have always been better remunerated than their equivalents at their BA base at nearby Gatwick, and hence their strike action is unreasonable to say the least, as well as unsupported by the vast majority of BA staff!