On my way to work i drive past the Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading… 4 people out the front with the ‘official unison picket line’ sign up and a small handful of signs leaning against a wall.

The normal busy stream of staff turning up for work seemed to be wandering into the hospital through the car park leaving a polite gap between themselves and the strikers, just 4… no word of a lie, 4 people out the front striking/representing the strike! noticed this just as the radio was telling me its the biggest sector walk out of its generation, over 2million striking etc.

So is Reading weird? did i drive past too early and there’ll be hundreds by 9am? or has the sneaky media been lying to me?

I’m not sure about your example but some places limit the number of people allowed on a picket line.

Last year when BA cabin crew were striking, they were only allowed 6 people on a picket line so they had 3 or 4 pretty pathetic looking picket lines in different areas of Heathrow!

hositals will only have a token “strike” in the main. Nurses for example will staff to minimum safe staffing levels which in most case is also the normal staffing level.

On my way to work i drive past the Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading

In the NHS yeah?

Many frontline staff are working to rule refusing to take away the service they provide. Also add to that the extent of the strike means teachers are out some strikers will be at home with their kids. Then there’s the point standing outside the hospital waving a banned achieves nothing much unless Government happen to be passing. Then they’ll see the banners and grant us our pension back with immediate effect.

by law there is only a maximum of 6 pickets allowed and they must be off the premises they are picketing

that said there was no one at my hospital entrance

ahh so teachers strike and nurses etc would’ve had to miss work to look after their kids anyway! damn those educators of our youth, damn them to hull.

minimum safe staffing levels is the only staffing level i’ve known any NHS area work at for a long long time, and working to rule isn’t exactly a sin.

i haven’t heard of a single colleague striking today, every nurse i’m in contact with personally is at work as normal… pesky caring people

I’m going on un-official strike in support by only posting on here in my own time for the day.

Solidarity comrades, power to the people.

I’m at home with the kids, and on days off after a week on nights. I am thinking about my union brothers and sisters though, albeit while watching horrid henry and trying to get the super mario brothers tune out of my head. Yeti, I hope you’re wearing thick trousers, to cover up your BLACKLEGS! 😆

Are schools actually closing ? My mate’s daughters are both still going to school (same school), my nephew is going (different school) and my niece is going (another different school).

Where are all the burning oil drums and militants in donkey jackets ?

All the schools where I live are closed, it’s nice and quiet this am I have one behind me and no screaming kids today.

Round here it starts at 10! lazy feckers 😛

A dozen or so pickets outside the VOSA facility in Chadderton.

It was nice to be able to drive past this morning without getting held up by the illegally parked wagons waiting to go in for their MOTs.

I know there are NHS people striking in Edinburgh, my mum is one of them. Don’t think she will be standing in the picket line though.

mitch – I’m private sector management, I should be working out how to get rid of unions.

Strikes certainly aren’t what they used to be when I were a lad, that’s for sure. On my journey to work, I didn’t see any militants chanting obscene slogans. No tooled up riot police looking for a ruck. A complete absence of the Socialist Workers Party, agitating. No Marxists. Not what I remember at all.

D- you lot. Must try harder. Dave’s as richly deserving of slogans as Thatcher. Its an open goal. Make an effort please

A guide to strike etiquette

AFAIK there are designated areas of protest and in front of a hospital may not be one of them.

Dave Prentis has just been on the BBC. I like him – sensible, logical arguments spoiled afterwards by muppet members of the public outside school and a lying bastard tory councillor spouting off now.

The culture of entitlement rears its ugly head. Put the whining union bosses on a plane to Africa or the Middle East and let them see how lucky they are. 92% of the world doesn’t get a massively subsidised state pension or job security or even a job, they have to pay a bribe, have a good connection or sleep with the boss to get a job and they get abused and molested while at work then kicked out on a whim.

globalti – you’ve just unwittingly summarised what Dave’s ultimately aiming for. But there’s a cap doffing clause too m’lud

Yes, a much better system all round

“Strikes certainly aren’t what they used to be when I were a lad, that’s for sure. On my journey to work, I didn’t see any militants chanting obscene slogans.”

My favourite (during the 84 strike) was “Every woman’s got one but Maggie Thatcher is one, nar-nar-nar”

I know a number of NHS colleagues who have taken a dyas holiday today, yet they claim to be supporting the union !

IMO if they are truely un happy with their lot they should be out the front of work with banners, chucking eggs and things.

They must be in a lucky bit of the nhs funky dunc – most if not all, bar your friends bit of the public sector, will not be allowed to take any form of leave on a strike day, unless it was booked some time ago as a block of leave. My brother, a single parent, who wouldn’t choose to be striking is having to take the day off to look after his daughter as her nursey is closed, and the LA will not let have time off so is now technically on strike.

SCAB!!!! 😀

who wouldn’t choose to be striking is having to take the day off to look after his daughter as her nursey is closed, and the LA will not let have time off so is now technically on strike.

i wonder how many people are in this situation, and how skewed the figures are because of this?

I reckon minimum wage retail workers will probably have a busy day today.

Was about 6 outside the hospital where my station is at 7 am this morning as I was leaving.
Got a nod and a thumbs up from them when I beeped my horn in support- as quite few were doing..
Good on them.