September 14, 2005
IS FRENCHNESS LEAKING IN THROUGH THE CHUNNEL?:
Unions threaten 'biggest strike since 1926' (Matthew Tempest, September 14, 2005, The Guardian)
Union leaders today warned the government that pushing through a rise in the public sector retirement age to 65 could provoke the biggest industrial action since the General Strike of 1926.Posted by Orrin Judd at September 14, 2005 4:40 PMIndustrial action by eight unions protesting to the plan was only narrowly averted before the general election by the promise of talks. Alan Johnson today apologised to unions at the TUC conference in Brighton for the failure to consult them on that occasion.
Dave Prentis, the leader of Britain's biggest union, Unison, and Mark Serwotka, the leader of the public and commercial services union, said they now had a further five unions, 13 in all, prepared to ballot for strike action if the government forced through a mandatory higher retirement age.
Tony, I have only one word of advice for you: PATCO.
Posted by: Luciferous at September 14, 2005 5:21 PMThe Chunnel is, of course, an abomination.
Posted by: David Cohen at September 14, 2005 6:31 PMBut a glorious expression of your freedom!
Posted by: oj at September 14, 2005 7:42 PMI thought he said he was an ideologue, not an aesthete.
Posted by: oj at September 14, 2005 8:09 PMWell, retire them all now!
Posted by: obc at September 14, 2005 8:11 PMI do contain multitudes, but I believe that this comes under the heading of "Nationalism by proxy."
Posted by: David Cohen at September 14, 2005 8:24 PMAnd there's no freedom involved -- it's a rail tunnel.
Posted by: David Cohen at September 14, 2005 8:25 PMIt's anti-boat and therefore anti-human.
Posted by: oj at September 14, 2005 8:28 PMOK, so now it's horses over boats, boats over trains, trains over cars? Where do airplanes fit in?
Posted by: David Cohen at September 14, 2005 10:35 PMI'm agin' 'em.
Posted by: oj at September 15, 2005 2:04 AMMost young people have by now figured out that they will be working past 65. This strike will do wonders for union membership amongst young people.
Posted by: Daran at September 15, 2005 3:33 AMYou can take your car through the Chunnel.
So theoretically you could also take a coach and four.
Posted by: Brit at September 15, 2005 4:30 AMHey Orrin, what's our party line on the invention of the wheel?
Posted by: Peter B at September 15, 2005 8:26 AMMade folks lazy.
Posted by: oj at September 15, 2005 8:47 AM