Strikes are now just plain extortion

[garthu]

So the threats are really going round today. My kids at a private school closed on Monday for fears of possible reprisals!

Today we are phoning the school to find out if we need to get our kids as the strikes have taken to intimidating as many schools as they can.

Lets not call this intimidation, or striking, or a fair cause. Its now just plain extortion - a jail-able offence. These are the same people now "employed" by the unions to take the action out there. Why are the leaders of the unions now not behind bars for extortion. Deniabilty, where does that become fair... if our accountant stuffs up, we don't pay tax, we go to jail, not the accountant.

I think its time that government put unions in there place... the leadres MUST be held accountable for everyone of there individual statements and leadership.

[Dave A]

When is a strike not extortion?

[Butch Hannan]

The Alliance Partners are now coming home to roost. I can just see more and more strife in the future as they start standing up to government. They feel they are entitled to receive more because they helped place the present government in power.

[tec0]

If one look at how unions work then yes, unions are very important. Before we say it is extortion one must understand business economics. Any commercial or industrial enterprises are established purely for profit. Their goal is to make as much money as possible and spend as little as possible.

Now one must keep in mind that yes, large amounts of money goes missing or it goes to investors. Then you have upper management to feed. Now when it comes down to the worker you have virtually no money to spend on him/her. So training became impossible and self education useless for lack of experience, thus lack of experience becomes the bargaining tool.

The fact is you will never get ahead in life and you cannot say “no� for breadcrumbs because you are replicable. Now imagine you come from an aria where your schools are crap and if you are like me you cannot really understand the teachings. So now you are behind, and it does not matter what you do, you can never catch up or get ahead.

However you are always good enough to do the actual work regardless of qualifications it is just you will never see real income. Now Unions came into existence because workers was abused and in many ways Unions have been unsuccessful. But if you look at some of the contracts you MUST sign in order to get a job you will find that you forfeit your right to a Union. Labour brokers are also a new tool to get around Unions.

So the scenario is: You and any other working person is part of a system that is designed to keep you employed as cheaply as humanly possible. And by contract you are forced to agree to it because you will NOT get the job otherwise. Thus you are effectively a slave.

Now if these people "workers" get angry or, get aggravated to the point where mass action is required, then this can be considered as human frustration and not an act of criminal behaviour. But really if you understand that you are part of a mechanism that is designed to keep you in employment as cheaply as possible then really you are being cheated all the way.

The truth is you have one life to give. Only one life to give and now others wants to tell you, you cannot have a good life simply because we the companies must keep you on the lowest possible level of income for the rest of your natural life, so that shareholders can have the maximum profit that is directly linked to unskilled labour?

Honestly this is more messed up than any conspiracy BS but it is actually fact...

[garthu]

When is a strike not extortion?

Quite right - maybe a better choice of words would then have been terrorism? - The way i see it, it is way out of control. Sure i sympathize for the teachers/health workers salary structures and the people that teach our kids to be future leaders should be paid more... the way they are going about it though

All the unions joining in solidarity, just to much. Guess the unions are showing the ANC who's really boss as butch says!

[Dave A]

So the scenario is: You and any other working person is part of a system that is designed to keep you employed as cheaply as humanly possible.

Not quite. I suggest it's to obtain the best return possible. There is a rather significant difference.

I suggest the exploitation argument when it comes to hiring and HR practices comes from a very shallow application of employer/employee dynamics. Most companies can, and often do pay very well to people who add significantly to the bottom line.

[desA]

The question in my mind is how ZumaTooba is going to raise SA into world-class manufacturing status.

My prediction is that the Chinese are going to eat this lot for breakfast.