Picket lines

[5lab]

this morning, when i came into work there were some picket lines on the entrance to the university (i work on a campus site). the protests are for teacher pay rises and tuition fee complaints.. anyways, i carried on riding (at a fastish pace), people got out the way (i guess it was clear i wasnt stopping) and some guy started yelling out that i was crossing a picket line, blah blah blah...

i was wondering what a picket line actually stands for? and what crossing one means? i thought they were just a way of making people notice you.. but crossing one seems to have some significance??

[Kezzer]

never heard of them in my life

[5lab]

they have them all the time when people are on strike.. postal offices spring to mind

[nichomach]

this morning, when i came into work there were some picket lines on the entrance to the university (i work on a campus site). the protests are for teacher pay rises and tuition fee complaints.. anyways, i carried on riding (at a fastish pace), people got out the way (i guess it was clear i wasnt stopping) and some guy started yelling out that i was crossing a picket line, blah blah blah...

i was wondering what a picket line actually stands for? and what crossing one means? i thought they were just a way of making people notice you.. but crossing one seems to have some significance??

Basically, a picket line is a symbolic gesture and is there to make visible the fact that people in an industrial dispute are not merely not turning up but actively protesting against a perceived injustice. They are a symbol of solidarity between those involved in the dispute and a means of moral suasion against people (like union members) who the strikers feel should be on strike but who are choosing to strike-break and go to work regardless, and also against management who they wish to pressure into acknowledging their perceived grievance.

BTW, if it's a university, that would be "lecturer", not "teacher".

If you're not a member of the union, they probably just thought you were a member and were maybe somewhat annoyed that you were going in.

[nichomach]

they have them all the time when people are on strike.. postal offices spring to mind

Couple of stories for you; my Dad was a postie for some years and worked in one of the big sorting offices in Nottingham (and the degree of management ineptitude simply beggared belief). One year, they're in industrial dispute with Royal Mail, and no-one is making deliveries or sorting mail. The wife of one of his colleagues is out in town and spots a suspiciously red van making a delivery and goes up to the driver. She proceeds to give him a piece of her mind (quite a LARGE piece, by all accounts, and expressed with vigour...), and is still doing this when her husband runs over, his face a mask of chagrin and embarassment and quietly points out to her that it's a ParcelForce van and they're not SUPPOSED to be on strike...

Similar dispute on another occasion, and RM have co-opted some of their managers into making deliveries. One of these unfortunates calls at the house of one of Dad's colleagues to deliver some post. Door is answered by 5 year old daughter of family. Manager explains that he's there delivering. "Oh..." says little girl "...MUM! DAD! IT'S A SCAB!".

[TeePee]

A picket line is a line of guards around the edge of an army's position.

[Punky]

a picket line is a visual display of direct action by dissatisfied workers campaigning for change in one of the only ways that gets anything done - refusing to do anything else. the monetary loss is too great to companies to allow the workers to stay out of work, so they comply with their all/some of demands. thats what i think it is anyway.

[5lab]

punky, thats what i had thought, but this guy seemed to be peeved that i was crossing the line, as if crossing the line was symbolising something...

[nichomach]

punky, thats what i had thought, but this guy seemed to be peeved that i was crossing the line, as if crossing the line was symbolising something...

Thought I'd covered that in my first post, apparently not.

[5lab]

you did. thanks

was pointing out to punky my old thoughts..

guess i'll have to ride faster at them tomorrow

[Slick]

Basically if you cross a picket line it symbolises that you are opposed to their views and don't agree with them. Our lecturers strike tomorrow and thursday so I get the days off

[nichomach]

Basically if you cross a picket line it symbolises that you are opposed to their views and don't agree with them. Our lecturers strike tomorrow and thursday so I get the days off

So presumably you're in a kind of "Up the workers! Solidarity!" mood then?

[Slick]

So presumably you're in a kind of "Up the workers! Solidarity!" mood then?

yup, I will be giving my lecturers my full support from the comfort of my bed and the pub the next 2 days

[revol68]

ive got some very nice scabs are scum stickers, anyways ecntly been hearing reports of industrial action in Iraq which could teach us some lessons for here.

most of youse are probably unaware that the lil dictatorship of furher bremmer has kept Saddams anti union laws in place, however this didnt stop Iraqi oil workers from goin on strike for a pay rise. the boss sacked them all thinkin he could easily replace them from iraqis massive pool of unemployed, one problem the sacked workers went home picked up their ak's and set up an armed picket. THey won their dispute unsuprisingly. Could anyone imagine the faces of the Union bureacrats if workers over here did this.. be priceless.

[Skii]

Are you Anti-Capital letters too Revol68 ?

[revol68]

skii another fine contribution to a discussion....anyway capital letters are bourgeois