# General Strike



## brocher (Mar 21, 2011)

Apologies if this has been mentioned already - I thought it had but can't seem to find it now

I believe a General Strike has been announced for 29th March. 

Is this likely to affect public buses, like avanzabus airport schedule?


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

No one will know until it's actually happening.
I'm flying to England that day.


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## brocher (Mar 21, 2011)

Pesky Wesky said:


> No one will know until it's actually happening.
> I'm flying to England that day.


My youngest is due to fly out (for the first time and on her own) that day, too.

I've just been reading that many airlines rescheduled last time to the day before/ day after.


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

Like most mis-named 'General Strikes', its effects will be patchy and not particularly restrictive of every-day activities.
In our area, during the last ineffective 'General Strike' buses ran, shops were open...the only sign of activity was a small and much ignored picket line outside Carrefour which was open and doing business as usual.
To be truly effective, such strikes have to literally paralyse the country which they never do because working people themselves are divided as to the point of such action and over half of them, including union members, carry on working.
I speak from years of experience as a Trades Union activist who on thankfully few occasions in my decades of working life felt obliged to try, often in vain to, persuade my members to down chalk ,leave the classroom and show 'solidarity' over some grievance or other.....


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## brocher (Mar 21, 2011)

mrypg9 said:


> *Like most mis-named 'General Strikes', its effects will be patchy and not particularly restrictive of every-day activities.*
> In our area, during the last ineffective 'General Strike' buses ran, shops were open...the only sign of activity was a small and much ignored picket line outside Carrefour which was open and doing business as usual.
> To be truly effective, such strikes have to literally paralyse the country which they never do because working people themselves are divided as to the point of such action and over half of them, including union members, carry on working.
> I speak from years of experience as a Trades Union activist who on thankfully few occasions in my decades of working life felt obliged to try, often in vain to, persuade my members to down chalk ,leave the classroom and show 'solidarity' over some grievance or other.....


While it's true that most strikes aren't disastrous for *every day* life, it would be nice to know, as soon as possible, if BA are going to pull the plug on a sixteen hour journey, because ground staff or ATC are going to strike!


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

brocher said:


> While it's true that most strikes aren't disastrous for *every day* life, it would be nice to know, as soon as possible, if BA are going to pull the plug on a sixteen hour journey, because ground staff or ATC are going to strike!


I doubt it...but why not contact them and ask what their plans are?


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

mrypg9 said:


> I doubt it...but why not contact them and ask what their plans are?


As I'm sure you know, that is totally illegal


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

Pesky Wesky said:


> As I'm sure you know, that is totally illegal



Why is it illegal to ask about a flight you have booked and paid for?
Remember back to the time when some BA flights were obstructed by industrial action? 
I received e-mails updating me on the situation from BA....I was a very frequent flier then though and member of their Club....
They continued to operate, albeit on a greatly reduced schedule, during the industrial action..
It was ironic as I was travelling on trades union business...


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

mrypg9 said:


> Why is it illegal to ask about a flight you have booked and paid for?
> Remember back to the time when some BA flights were obstructed by industrial action?
> I received e-mails updating me on the situation from BA....I was a very frequent flier then though and member of their Club....
> They continued to operate, albeit on a greatly reduced schedule, during the industrial action..
> It was ironic as I was travelling on trades union business...


It's not illegal to ask about the flight. It's illegal to ask employees what their plans are about strike action. If you ask a company about what's _going to happen_ on the day of a strike you are effectively asking them about their employees future plans which they are not permitted to ask.
In schools the teachers usually tell students if they are going on strike or not, especially younger students who can't be left unattended, but they are not officially obliged to, and it is actually illegal for employers to ask their employees, although if you wish to you can give out this information.


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## thrax (Nov 13, 2008)

I know of two people who are flying back to UK on that day (3 if you count PW) and one of them is my daughter who is with us atm. She is flying with difficult jet so if anyone has any knowledge of how they deal with these situations I would be grateful!!


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

Pesky Wesky said:


> It's not illegal to ask about the flight. It's illegal to ask employees what their plans are about strike action. If you ask a company about what's _going to happen_ on the day of a strike you are effectively asking them about their employees future plans which they are not permitted to ask.
> In schools the teachers usually tell students if they are going on strike or not, especially younger students who can't be left unattended, but they are not officially obliged to, and it is actually illegal for employers to ask their employees, although if you wish to you can give out this information.


Ahh...all is clear...apart from my post which wasn't!!

In the UK you can ask....you may or may not get told but to my knowledge there is no law forbidding headteachers, say, from telling parents how they intend to keep schools open during strikes.
If there is it has never been invoked.
My union rarely takes strike action but on the occasions when we have done so employers were informed in advance, they knew who are members were and they knew that unlike some teaching unions 99% of our members could be relied on to obey union instructions and down chalk.
So they could inform parents with a great deal of certainty as to what would happen.


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

thrax said:


> I know of two people who are flying back to UK on that day (3 if you count PW) and one of them is my daughter who is with us atm. She is flying with difficult jet so if anyone has any knowledge of how they deal with these situations I would be grateful!!


Once when I lived in Prague my Sleazy flight was cancelled because of heavy snow. I was told I could have a refund but every time I rang to arrange this the phone was engaged...after going through the usual 'If you are...' ninety-nine options I decided I would spend more on phone calls than I'd get by way of refund.

I stayed in my warm bed drinking coffee and reading,looking out at the metre-deep snow, thinking of the chaos at Prague Airport as hundreds of hungover stag weekenders turned up smelly, unshaven and bleary-eyed hoping to board a flight that wouldn't get airborne.


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

thrax said:


> I know of two people who are flying back to UK on that day (3 if you count PW) and one of them is my daughter who is with us atm. She is flying with difficult jet so if anyone has any knowledge of how they deal with these situations I would be grateful!!


Hahaha difficult jet!!
I must say they've always seemed pretty easy to me. The Madrid Bristol Madrid run is very uneventful and we normally arrive on time or early even if boarding is a little late. In fact, we've never arrived late, never had a problem with the flights or airport... TOUCH WOOD!! The biggest problem we've had is very cold cabin temperature and I hate the waiting around queuing organization in the departure lounge. Why they just can't give everyone a number or even a seat is beyond me.
I have no idea what will happen, but I reckon nothing. For me it's not too much of a problem to hang around. I'll be on my own with a supply of bocatas and reading material and I can get home and start again if necessary


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

mrypg9 said:


> Ahh...all is clear...apart from my post which wasn't!!
> 
> In the UK you can ask....you may or may not get told but to my knowledge there is no law forbidding headteachers, say, from telling parents how they intend to keep schools open during strikes.
> If there is it has never been invoked.
> ...


This is the problem of forum communication. More clarification...
It's not illegal for, for example, heads to tell parents what coverage there will be if the teachers are on strike. There will always be "servicios minimos" in education, transport, medical centres etc and you can, and have to, give information concerning that. However, the school authorities, or bosses in a company cannot legally ask their employees about their intention to strike or not. That way the employers could "make plans" about how to overcome the effects of the strike for example, should he not support the strike himself. 
That's the way it works in schools anyway, and I understood that it was the same in all fields. I will check today.


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

Pesky Wesky said:


> Hahaha difficult jet!!
> I must say they've always seemed pretty easy to me. The Madrid Bristol Madrid run is very uneventful and we normally arrive on time or early even if boarding is a little late. In fact, we've never arrived late, never had a problem with the flights or airport... TOUCH WOOD!! The biggest problem we've had is very cold cabin temperature and I hate the waiting around queuing organization in the departure lounge. Why they just can't give everyone a number or even a seat is beyond me.
> I have no idea what will happen, but I reckon nothing. For me it's not too much of a problem to hang around. I'll be on my own with a supply of bocatas and reading material and I can get home and start again if necessary


For almost two years I flew at least once a week, often more, with EJ. Only once did they cancel a flight for good reasons as I described above. I invariably arrived within five minutes of the ETA.
My main objection wasn't to their service as such but to some of my fellow-passengers and the way they were treated onboard. Serving alcohol to people who are already obviously drunk and extremely offensive may increase the airline's profits but doesn't make for a comfortable journey for more abstemious, sober passengers, especially those with children or those who have led a sheltered life.
I understand that the Prague route attracts more stag and hen custom as do Barcelona and Dublin and now Tallin and Krakow and I once flew Gatwick to Malaga in total peace and comfort -at a price roughly the same as the fully-booked BA flight (it was Easter) so my aversion is purely subjective and now I only fly three or four times a year I'll get over it .


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