Once again a last minute strike on London Underground will cost the private sector millions of pounds in lost time. The routine of millions of hard working individuals is disrupted because of the excessive claims from a few thousand overpaid Underground workers.
Why is it that a trade union is allowed to cause financial loss without paying compensation? Why is the Underground not fully automated, just like the Docklands Light Railway?
Perhaps we should not rely upon the state to provide essential services. Why, under the Big Society umbrella, volunteers could do it instead!
Volunteers providing public services while its workers are on strike has a long tradition. The General Strike of 1924 caused trams, buses, gas, electricity, the Underground and other essential services to be interrupted. A state of emergency was declared. Thousands of volunteers pitched in and within a week the strike was called off.
In the first quarter of the 20th Century college students often acted as volunteer strike breakers in the US. In the Interborough Rapid Transit Strike of 1905 college students acted as motormen, conductors, ticket sellers and ticket choppers.
Last year, BA famously trained staff from other departments to cover on flights while cabin crew were on strike.
But why not train outsiders to pitch in? Many unemployed individuals would probably volunteer for free – giving them valuable CV credits for future employment.
Big Society: bring it on! Let’s stop relying upon the state.