(30 Oct 2023, 3:00 pm)RobinHood wrote I think it is in the interests of the wider debate and public knowledge that this information is out there. I think it should be known, frankly.
Once upon a time, strike action was unpaid and therefore a risk vs reward position as a last resort (ignoring the politics and rationale around why or if it should even got that far to begin with..!)
Being paid to strike, (tax free too), basically means there is absolutely nothing/minimal financial position to lose in the plight of getting a better deal and therefore why wouldn't you continue to reject forever and a day?
Most people will be 'assuming' that this is unpaid and making a support judgement from that assumption. However, once it becomes more widely known, expect public support to drop like a stone - as it will 'appear' to be a zero risk strategy, in that the only people being hurt from this are the passengers.
We've seen exactly the same thing play out in other locations over the past few years. I'm surprised GNE haven't been 'informing' people about the daily payments in their own press releases.
I don't think the article is quite the 'gotcha' moment they think it'll be. The public support will remain largely static, whether that be those who are supporting the drivers in dispute, or those who are against the strike taking place.
It's a bit of a cynical view to suggest that being paid strike pay, means that those workers in dispute will have no desire to resolve the situation. Nobody wants to be in dispute; it's still a last resort, whether it's paid action or not. What strike pay does do, is it levels the playing field of the dispute, instead of workers effectively being starved back to work and then crushed as a Union upon their return.
Maybe that's the issue though, because it's effective, companies don't like it.