Through the years, we have heard every excuse in the book for scabbing on strikes. The simple fact, though, is that a scab comes to work not because they don’t want a 35-hour week and 10 weeks’ leave, but because they are too selfish, greedy and/or short-sighted to see the consequences of their actions.
Imagine a workplace without the RMT and the gains we have made. Do you really think we would be earning the kind of money we do if we had not taken industrial action in the past?!
Yet, these people happily accept a healthy pay rise year on year but refuse to stand up with their colleagues when action is necessary. They don’t understand that no sooner will LUL have finished slashing staffing levels elsewhere than they will be back for more blood on the (relatively) untouched groups.
Whatever Tim O’Toole’s little Thank You notes say, be assured that management do not respect scabs – they just use them.
If you know someone who broke the strike, talk to them, show them the error of their ways, try to get them on board. But most of all, don’t let them drag the rest of us down.
You can win some round
We hear that a rep on the Piccadilly line has successfully convinced two people who scabbed of the grave mistake they made. Both will strike next time, and one has given his day's earnings to the union. So it is definitely worth talking to them.
As this blog entry says, scabs are generally selfish, greedy and/or short-sighted. I think that short-sightedness can be cured. Not so sure about the other two.