Strikes...who does the real work?

It was another very early start for Johan this morning as he had to be at work before the changeover of shift at 6am...this all because of the strike at *** for a higher wage increase.  The strike has been going since the last week in September and I think very few out there even know there is a strike at all.

There are some workers...those directly employed by *** and not contracted to them, who have faithfully been working as usual, but they are few.  The majority have obviously seen this as an opportunity to have a holiday with benefits and I say this because they are allowed to strike but they have to be given things like toilet facilities and refreshments.  I mean really, did the strikers of yesteryear have such benefits given to them?  Surely not.....

Today apparantly the strike is 'stepping up a notch', there will be a larger workforce present, according to reports, they will make their demands known with a louder voice!!!!  I wish I could invade the mind of a few of these strikers to find out what they are thinking and what kind of an outcome they are expecting.  I'm sure that not many of them fully comprehend or understand what the implications to the company who employs them, really are.  Last year after the general wage increase strike, there were many who were laid off and already talk is that the same will happen this year.  For Johan all this strike means is that he has to go to work earlier and work a 12 hour shift together with the other workers on the floor and then he can spend his day catching up on the admin side of his job which tends to fall behind at other times, as there is very little that needs fixing or repairing at the moment.  One would therefore dedeuce that those who steal parts of the machinary, block up the drains, break doors and drive fork lifts 'by accident' into the lifts doors, etc etc, are those outside who are striking.  Such are the laws in this country though that prevent employers from taking any form of action against a perpetrator, let alone firing them.  So peace reigns at *** while the strike is on and they still with a skeleton staff manage to produce enough **** to keep the country happy.  lol

So who then is the one that suffers most in this saga?  It cannot be the strikers who have meals, refreshments and portable toilets given to them daily....nor can it be those who are running *** ******* in their absence, with so little having to be repaired and *** ***** running smoothly....I would have to say it is the spouses of these workers who take the fall.  They are the ones who wake their husband or wife earlier so they can make it into *** ******* premises before the picket line is up, they are the ones who pack their loved ones lunch for the day, they are the ones who run around both in the mornings and the late afternoons picking up the slack and looking like headless chickens, so that home and family life can run smoothly....so who then is the one that deserves a pay increase?  Well quite obviously the one left at home, the one who doesn't earn a salary in the first place....hehe

Images of strikes from long long ago...

*** used to protect the company and loyal employees identity....