Aggression from SIPTU/IMPACT at UCD gates

lemon_sherbert

I crossed the picket and unashamedly so. I respect the picketing protesters' right to free assembly and protest, but with finals in two weeks, I can't afford to miss a 2 hour lecture which equates to one twelfth of the course. I didn't have much hassle driving in the gate, just some placard waving, but I went in at Fosters Avenue, and in the rain there were only 3 protesters.

graduate

Ok, let's get this right. The strike was to oppose pay cuts. Because apparently people can't afford to take pay cuts. Those that were striking were on full time contracts and were as such loosing no money for doing so.

The question is not whether people can afford pay cuts, it is the arbitrary application of paycuts without negotiation. Anyone striking loses a days pay, and so are in exactly the same situation as you.

johnfás

I support their right to protest but I expect them to respect my right to get on with work. My assignment deadlines are not being pushed back by a day as a result of the action and I am paying over 8,000 a year to do a Masters in Law. I feel I am perfectly entitled to make use of the library facilities when I am paying that sort of price for doing so.

I don't see the SU compaigning to have concessions made on behalf of students who will miss out as a result of the industrial action.

mloc

johnfás wrote: »

I don't see the SU compaigning for anything useful, ever

FYP

Plasid

Pride Fighter wrote: »

Why cross the picket? There is nothing there atm. It's not ideal to be a scab.

Not everyone trying to go into UCD today was staff or a union member, many had jobs to go to, many had classes or exams (that were not cancelled), many do not work for UCD and as such cannot be a scab.

mloc

There is also the small matter of research facilities, many of which requiring on-going work to be taking place and don't fit in with in the whims of union leaders. You might have heard of them; they generate a lot of money for the university through research grants.

Mardy Bum

Why should students respect SIPTU members when these people never respected students strikes last year?

Some of you people on here eg. God 33 are extremely ignorant. Take a look at the state of the country, fine people can strike, but disrespectful behavior at pickets from strikers, isn't endearing behavior at all. Some people cannot afford to strike, have some respect.

Euro_Kraut

Mardy Bum wrote: »

Some of you people on here eg. God 33 are extremely ignorant. Take a look at the state of the country, fine people can strike, but disrespectful behavior at pickets from strikers, isn't endearing behavior at all. Some people cannot afford to strike, have some respect.

+1 I was out on a picket today myself and helped out with the organizing of placards etc. To hear of this kind of bullying behavior by fellow ICTU member Unions is very disappointing. It does nothing for the Union the cause. These people are bullys, little else. They have clearly forgotten what the Union movemnet is all about.

Everyone has a right to protest and everyone has a right not to protest. I spoke with work collegeues today as they crossed the picket. It was all very cordial and adult like. I understand why others don't get involved and I hope they understand why I do.

Such behavior as described should be reported to the relevant Union. Members found to be acting in a manner contrary to the good of the Union can be expelled.

ProjectColossus

I demonstrate for a course, and today was the last opportunity a lot of students would have to ask specific questions about the course before the exams, on a one to one basis. I'm also paid hourly.

Relatively few students turned up, but since the labs had not been cancelled, I figure it was the correct decision.

Nobody challenged or said anything to me, entering from the N11 bus stop around 1.30.

Zuffer

I entered at the main entrance, and was challenged, but wasn't stopped from entering in any way. I saw a few cars trying to get in, they were all forced to stop and made aware (as if they couldn't see the placards) of the strike. One car did actually turn around. The rest drove in.

I really don't like the attitude of those who say "You should never cross a picket" or similar things. That is your opinion, but I completely disagree. You'd like if everyone feared the picket because that would give unions more power. In my opinion unions cause more harm than good, so it is better for society to see them depowered.

That said, they are perfectly free to strike, and I wouldn't envy the people on the pickets today. It takes some courage to stand up for yourself, even though I don't agree with the cause. I also think the official email we got telling us to come in was bad. It set up an automatic confrontation between staff and students, which management must have loved. It would have been better for industrial relations to just shut down the college to non-essential stuff for the day.

The_Minister

ardmacha wrote: »

Students are all mé feiners, not much point in expecting anything from them, unless it is concerned with Abercrombie and Fitch gear.

Leave aside the fact that the students of today are probably going to see most of their tax money go towards repaying the loans we are taking out now, rather than services for their own benefit, and that the strikers want to increase the amount that has to be paid back, mostly by students. Which means that any student who supports the strike is probably cutting his own throat.

Leave aside the idea that the people holding the strike are the ultimate mé feiners, as they want massive increased borrowing, paid for by the rest of the population, to maintain their currant incomes.


Your post is basically just empty ****-stirring. If you have a point to make, take two minutes and make it, otherwise don't post. An ignorant one-liner reliant on a baseless stereotype thrown in doesn't benefit the discussion one bit.

Alkers

Surely "crossing a picket" is if you're going into a place that is your place of work. Like someone walking through UCD is not crossing a picket. Ridiculous nehaviour this morning tbh, heard it was very bad over by smurfit.

The_Minister

Simona1986 wrote: »

Surely "crossing a picket" is if you're going into a place that is your place of work. Like someone walking through UCD is not crossing a picket. Ridiculous nehaviour this morning tbh, heard it was very bad over by smurfit.

I heard it was the few students protesting that were the culprits, not the actual staff.

Aside: A friend of mine in UCG went in, and someone shouted "Death to the Bourgouis (spelling?) at him.

glaston

The_Minister wrote: »

Aside: A friend of mine in UCG went in, and someone shouted "Death to the Bourgouis (spelling?) at him.

Bourgeois:

1 : relating to the social middle class
2 : marked by a concern for material interests and a tendency toward mediocrity

#2 = public sector in a nutshell

1968

The_Minister wrote: »

Aside: A friend of mine in UCG went in, and someone shouted "Death to the Bourgouis (spelling?) at him.

I'm assuming if someone did say this that it was as a joke.

UCG? Presuming you mean NUIG?

qwert2

glaston wrote: »

Bourgeois:

1 : relating to the social middle class
2 : marked by a concern for material interests and a tendency toward mediocrity

#2 = public sector in a nutshell

Brilliant

I was pissed off about the library hours today. I have a vital exam on Thursday and I usually use the library to study. As a result I got f-all done today

The_Minister

1968 wrote: »

I'm assuming if someone did say this that it was as a joke.

UCG? Presuming you mean NUIG?

Dats da bunny.

1968

qwert2 wrote: »

Brilliant

I was pissed off about the library hours today. I have a vital exam on Thursday and I usually use the library to study. As a result I got f-all done today

Could you not have studied at home for just one day?

qwert2

1968 wrote: »

Could you not have studied at home for just one day?

Afraid not, way too noisy

Pride Fighter

mloc wrote: »

The behaviour today of the public sector epitimises the culture of waste and protectionist bloat that has eaten away at our country.

The public sector did not waste 5-10 billion on re-financing the banks and giving them an additional 54 billion bailout.

betafrog wrote: »

It's not ideal to lose a days wages. It's also not ideal to impact your education by not being able to attend lectures and tutorials that weren't otherwise rearranged. No need to insult someone just because they have different priorities to you. I can't afford to lose a days wages and I can't afford to lose the marks available for the work done in my tutorial. How the f*ck is that being a scab.

I am up to my neck in financial misery. I would never cross a picket, even if I was paid 10 grand.

The_Minister

Pride Fighter wrote: »

I am up to my neck in financial misery. I would never cross a picket, even if I was paid 10 grand.

Regardless of the purpose?

KeyLimePie

The_Minister wrote: »

I heard it was the few students protesting that were the culprits, not the actual staff.

Aside: A friend of mine in UCG went in, and someone shouted "Death to the Bourgouis (spelling?) at him.

If it was Cillian Flemming it was well deserved.

Mr.Nice Guy

Pride Fighter wrote: »

The public sector did not waste 5-10 billion on re-financing the banks and giving them an additional 54 billion bailout.

Well said. Too many people in this country with the 'I'm alright Jack' attitude so to hell with everyone else.

johnfás

1968 wrote: »

Could you not have studied at home for just one day?

I don't have access to all the books I need at home. Why should I have to study at home? My fees are €8,300 per year (excluding all the materials I have to buy and my expenses). We have 12 week semesters which is only 120 days of term days a year which means I am paying 70 quid a day for the pleasure of studying in UCD. I'm happy to forego studying for a day if I get a one day extension on my assignments and I get refunded the 70 quid I have paid to use the library for each day I can't.

You can call that mé-féinism if you want but the fact is this - I am a graduate seeking to enter a sector which has a huge level of unemployment among younger members of the profession. I do not currently have a job and I am self funding myself to a total of getting on towards €15,000 this year to upskill myself to try and get a job so I can contribute to this society... and then I am criticised for doing that by a bunch of people who have great job security and pensions and are being asked to take a reduction in salary when the reality is if they don't take it the State is going to default and the IMF is going to give them all the sack anyway.

Take a reality check, the money simply isn't there to keep paying the salaries that the Government is paying. That's harsh and it is going to hurt alot of people but it doesn't change the reality and we can't magic money out of thin air to pay it. I didn't vote for this incompetent Government, I didn't take out a mortgage I can't afford or go on 3 holidays a year on my credit card yet I am going to spend the entirety of my working life paying higher taxes to bail out a country that did... and then you criticise us for going into the library in order to study so that we can at least get ahead in doing so?

Give me a break.

insert-gear

Agree with all of the above.

I went in because we still had lectures and its the last few days before the end of the year. Some of us don't have a home environment we can study in either, and we need the library. Completely selfish actions on the part of the strikers. Protected jobs, and regardless of wage cuts, prices are coming down everywhere, and they see fit to cause further economic damage by striking for a day. And then use it as an excuse to cause a 6km tailback getting their Christmas shopping done. Absolutely disgusting

dajaffa

insert-gear wrote: »

Protected jobs, and regardless of wage cuts, prices are coming down everywhere

When involuntary redundancies are being touted, I don't think I'd call their jobs protected. All have had their net pay substantially reduced, and from people I know who have good public sector jobs, they're willing to take more cuts but worry for their co-workers of lower grades who are already having trouble paying mortgages, which aren't meaningfully protected despite every one of us taking on the banks debts.

insert-gear wrote: »

And then use it as an excuse to cause a 6km tailback getting their Christmas shopping done. Absolutely disgusting

As well as much if the increase being due to people taking leave to mind the kids so they went up, the PSNI reported a crash on the Dublin to Belfast road just past the border resulting in the tailbacks. Saying its all the strikers causing it was pure media propoganda.

The Government strategy is simple - divide and conquer. Lets all argue with each other and then we aren't arguing with them. I was appauled with how some media portrayed yesterday's events.

Plasid

You have a legal right to strike...

I have a legal right to cross your picket...

You have a right to be a member of a union...

I have the right to not join same...

Respect is a two way process, your behaviour at the gates of UCD places the perspective your protest back someways

mad lad

So I assume the anti-strike side agree with the recruitment embargo and cuts in the pay budget which has meant that colleges across Ireland have had to cut classes, lectures, tutorials, library hours and science labs.

This is an example of student myopia at its worst.

Malmedicine

Told about strike while entering from the bus stop at 930 yesterday and told I was scum for going to work and crossing the picket. I am a student who had one of their finals today a presentation and was dressed in shirt and tie. I'm a medical student and would have loved to turn around to the guy holding "SIPTU" placard I think and tell him how I would love to strike, , how I would love to go on strike about my future loss of earnings, how I would love to strike about the massive abundance of middle management in the health service, how I would love to strike and not have to treat. But I can't cos I'm a ****ing student . Lost all respect for the strikers, times are tough for everybody, we do what we have to to get by. NO WAY I'M TAKING A HIT IN MY FINALS, think of the outcry sorry wasn't in the day they thought me bout heart attacks I was respecting your ****ing strike (over simplification but you get the idea)

Danco

Public Sector worker in UCD here:

There's no excuse for people on a picket abusing anyone who decides to cross it for whatever reason. There's no need to resort to bullying, that's only going to undermine any protest.

At the same time, just because people may have come up against ignorant protesters on the pickets doesn't mean they should tar everyone in the public sector with the same brush. God knows I deal with students who are complete tossers every day in my job, but I still treat each student who approaches me as an individual. I judge them based off how they conduct themselves rather than their current position in society.

Some students are incredibly ignorant, most are not. Believe it or not, the ratio in the public sector is more or less the same, even if it doesn't always appear to be.

Balance is largely absent from almost all debate I've seen on the public service issue.