Strike One

Many thousands of people went on strike in the UK yesterday and there was a lot of public support for it. F was at one march and sw no negativity and a lot of appreciation for what people are doing. Somehow this is not what the news is saying though. These public sector workers are being given a hard time for being greedy in seeking to protect their gold plated pensions and disruptive and selfish in failing to do their jobs and provide vital services.

Well this would be what we hear generally because most of our media supports our government. they try and give an appearance of being balanced but the bias is clear.

These pensions are not gold plated. the strikers are striking so that they do not have to pay work, work longer and get less when they do retire. They are striking not just for themselves but for every other worker in this country who does not what to have to retire later, because the private sector will be next.

Who wants a 68 year old trying to carry them out of their first floor flat when they are unwell? Who would expect a 68 year old nurse to work the night shift and lift people in and out of bed? Who would expect a 68 year old PE teacher to run around with teenagers? And so many other professions..... thing what it would really mean to people, to you, if you had to work to that age doing what you do, doing what they do.

I work in a fairly physical sort of an environment and one of the guys is nearing retirement. he goes at things just as hard as a younger bloke, but he shouldn't. He gets ill, he has injuries. Some days he looks old and tired. He does not get paid if he is sick. Well he gets statutory sick pay but that does not count for much....

My parents - my Dad retired early but he had a bad leg infection and was in Intensive Care and came close to losing his leg. Now he is on permanent antibiotics and has pain and swelling. he can't stand or walk for long. i can't imagine how on earth he would cope if he had not been able to retire...

My Mum is diabetic, has underactive thyroid and high blood pressure. She is due to retire soon as she has reached that age and I can not imagine how she would cope working much longer either.

How many people are really, so very healthy, that at 68 they can still work as well as a 30 year old or 50 year old? It is hard enough for many people at the current retirement age!

And people think it is just about money!

One colleague started spouting today not realising that F had been on strike. It also seems he had no idea about the retirement age changing and when I explained he was like, no, that just isn't practical. I agreed and stated that was why many people were striking. he couldn't quite believe that this important fact was being left out. he couldn't quite believe that the BBC was not completely impartial.....

The unions have been telling the strikers that there is a lot of ignorance about all this and also not to believe what they hear on the media about the range of support. You only have to look onfacebook to realise that there is a lot of support out there.....