The socialist case against the strikes

Socialists like me are supposed to always support industrial action. But reports that doctors, teachers, local government employees and just about everyone in the public sector are considering joining rail workers on strike have failed to gladden my proletarian heart. Why? Because the reality is that none of these workers have much of a case to make for bringing Britain to a halt.

Don’t get me wrong: strikes aimed at improving the wages and conditions of low-paid workers are a legitimate way of ensuring demands are met. Socialists should always back workers when they are driven to strike because they are being treated unacceptably. But is this really what is happening in Britain today? I’m not convinced. Take the justification of Mick Lynch, general secretary of the RMT, whose members are striking this weekend. He says:

‘I think there are going to be many unions that are balloting across the country because people can’t take it any more.