Colborn’s Corner: Is that a strike I see?

Annie Hayes

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Colborn’s Corner: Is that a strike I see?

By Annie Hayes

The recent news that the local authority workers’ strike over pensions was the biggest stoppage since the General Strike of 1926 may have come as something of a surprise to those who regularly keep watch over industrial relations.

So how do we view strikes these days? Are they merely an anachronism from the bad old days of adversarial industrial relations where negotiations were simply a test of strength or are they simply the result of poor employment relations?

My experience of the first strike I faced was very much a question of poor employee communication. Long ago I was involved in running a Students’ Union as Deputy President, it was great fun until one day the political machinations of student life meant that our student body voted to immediately implement a policy of bilingualism (this was in a Welsh university and the view was that all documentation should be in both English and Welsh). The only problem was that no one had asked the staff if they could cope with this change and so they walked out. It was a fairly unique situation where the staff went on strike against the students!

The matter was eventually resolved after we had met the full time official – an ironic situation given that the students were normally supporting the Unions in their ‘struggles’ against the ruling classes! The lesson was though that you fail to communicate and consult at your peril.

And what about today? Why are strikes so comparatively rare these days? I guess one of the reasons is the increasing affluence of employees, while few would say ‘no’ to more money; most have a higher standard of living than 10 years ago or so. Linked to this is the fact that pay rises today tend to be lower than when strikes were more prevalent and so the loss of earnings compared with the gain being sought, is a closer balance.

Of course a number of strikes, local authorities included, relate to pension entitlements. These are notoriously difficult to value, not only do employees not have a real perception of the potential loss they are facing when the basis of schemes are changed, but also communicating to the wider public to get their support becomes even more difficult.

Consider also how the profile and activities of unions have changed over the years. There has been a shift from collective to individual representation. In many cases supported by legislation. Stop and think for a minute, how many strikes can you recall in the past few years that have been due to pay? There have been some in areas like the new Wembley stadium and Terminal five, but precious few others. Why is this?

What about the public perception of strikes? Years ago, major industrial action including the Miners and the Fireman’s strikes of the mid-1970’s gained public support to a greater or lesser extent, but that doesn’t happen now. Why not? It is probably because the issues have been submerged and the facts are difficult to isolate.

Even as an HR practitioner, I couldn’t tell you what the recent strike was about – apart from the fact it related to pensions. The impact on the participants and me as a taxpayer went above my head. If it did that to me – who knew what it was all about?

One final question; how did strikes get the term ‘industrial action’? A misnomer if there ever was one!

What has your experience of industrial action and strikes been? How many members have worked in an organisation where there has been a strike. Click on the link below and submit your comments.

Quentin Colborn is an independent HR consultant who supports organisations with a wide range of HR activities. To contact him T: 01376 571360 or e-mail him at Quentin@qcpeople.co.uk

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