Today is Monday. Around the world, Monday is known as a terrible day. We are so accepting of its awfulness that there are numerous songs dedicated to it. Today’s Monday however, is a cut above the horrendous rest, and all because of strikes.
City-wide Strikes
Today there are both tube strikes and Southern strikes happening across the capital. TfL warned t
at most zone 1 stations would likely be closed, and to avoid going into work if possible. Southern – well, Southern are still Southern. My station this weekend simply put up a piece of paper saying ‘no trains’ (despite National Rail sites having no apparent clue) and all went home. Its frankly a surprise they haven’t just done the same on their website and shut down entirely.
In a very British manner we’ve tried to approach this with humour: the classic ‘we all hate going into work anyway’ has made the rounds once again. But as stories of the repercussions work their way into the public eye, it’s hard to keep smiling. People have lost their jobs through repeatedly running late or not making it into work at all. As a result, rent, mortgages and relationships have suffered or in some cases, been entirely ruined. Suddenly, it’s no longer a laughing matter.
The Blame Game
It’s easy to blame Southern (because it’s their fault) and TfL, but it’s time we started blaming our workplaces too. Strikes aren’t new. The first recorded strike happened in the time of Pharaohs. So why aren’t workplaces in London geared up for it? How on earth are we in a situation where people are fired for something entirely out of their control?
Lets just take a look at an example. On a good day when trains are running (if I can remember that far back) getting to Kings Cross takes me a 30 minute train and a 12 minute tube. All in all, around 50 minutes of travel from my local station. I don’t own a car and even if I did, I certainly wouldn’t drive into London. Buses would take over two hours, if they run perfectly to schedule. The options for getting to Kings Cross quickly narrow down to trains and tube alone.
Today, buses are equivalent to a Dantean circle of hell. I’m still getting messages from friends saying they are one of hundreds stood at bus stops, watching full bus after full bus crawl past. Some have simply ended up walking for two and a half hours as it was quicker. All are doing their best to commute and none should pay an incredible price for the decisions of transport staff and service providers wholly unconnected to them.
Making Measures
I appreciate not every job allows people to work from home, but in this day and age a huge number do. We have advance warning of strikes and workplaces should be able to accommodate those put in untenable positions. Such arrangements also clear the way for those not reliant on technology. Buses wouldn’t be half so packed or slow if those who could work from home did.
It also comes down in part to superiors giving a shit. I know two people currently trying to get to work, despite knowing that their bosses have stayed at home. Neither were allowed to do the same. One has only just started her role and is actually in training – training that requires her boss to be there. She will spend hours getting in, only to be unable to do anything before spending hours getting home.
When shit goes down in London, we can be incredible. I think that the ‘We are Londoners’ banners decorating the post-7/7 city should never have been taken down. We look after our own in difficult times and it’s distressing to see that when something as simple and familiar as a strike happens, some employers cease caring. It’s time we got this sorted on a city-wide scale and maybe next time there’s a Southern-like strike, we can make a stand instead of a standstill once again.
The post Strikes: It’s Time to Take a United Stand appeared first on Felix Magazine.
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