Unions and Tories must put political differences to one side

Boris Johnson in a London Underground train (Image: The Independent)

If us Brits were given a pound for every time we whine, we'd be the biggest economy in the world. While other countries act violently to show their disgust over political decisions, Britons simply sulk. We're like babies crying over spilt milk.

Of course we have been violent. Some of us burned down shops during the London Riots in the summer of 2011, while much earlier than that in the 1980s, we had the Miners Strikes in Wales and the North East, and various riots in Northern Ireland. Mass violence in the UK however, happens rarely, hence their significance. But as a whole, we're not a violent country. Thank heavens if you ask me.

However, despite violent protests shows the physical damage, a lengthy sulk can be equally as powerful. Being a London resident for two months now, I know that the English capital is very busy at the best of times. But this week was something I had never experienced before. For more than 48 hours, staff members of The London Underground went on strike. There was limited service between 9pm on Tuesday until the last train service on Thursday and according to reports, four million commuters were affected. I certainly was one of them.

There was only one, key reason for the lengthy strike. Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, announced that 750 jobs were to be lost. Due to technological advancements, travellers no longer rely on a ticket officer to purchase tickets, or top up their Oyster Card - they now rely on computerised machines which does their job for them. It's devastating, but it's the 21st Century.

The threats of strike by Unions; RMT (National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers), and TSSA (Transport Salaried Staffs' Association) had been rumoured for a long time and their concerns about the potential job losses were raised to the Mayor of London, and the British Government. RMT's boss Bob Crow offered to discuss with Boris Johnson about the future of these workers but talks would break down with little or no agreement. So then the Unions decided to strike - twice. Having witnessed one strike, another 48 hour strike is due to take place between 9pm on the 11th, and all day on the 12th and 13th February.

The decision to strike has divided people. While some understand the decision made by the two Unions, others voiced their anger. Boris Johnson has apologised for not doing enough to prevent the protests, but Prime Minister, David Cameron took another route. He steered the blame away from his Tory pal and condemned Labour leader Ed Miliband for not doing enough to convince the Unions to cancel the strikes because of the Opposition's supposedly good relationship with the Unions (without them, Ed would have lost to his brother, David, in the Labour leadership elections in 2010). Cameron should have pointed his fingers at Boris because, being the Mayor of London, he should be on top of all Londoners' concerns. But, I suppose Etonians stick together, hand-in-hand.

The strikes could have easily been avoided. One of Margaret Thatcher's problems during her time as Prime Minister was that, during economic recovery in the mid 1980s, she casually got rid of jobs in sectors in which she believed were losing its cause (Coal Mining Industry), without offering the workers affected an alternative. Yes sure, she introduced the Coal Miners to newer industries later on, but the damage had already been done. Boris Johnson has fallen in the same trap as the Iron Lady. He should have been aware that technology would advance to the point that ticket service operators would no longer be relied upon. Transport for London (TfL), should have seen this coming as well. The retail industry had done things right when supermarkets introduced self-service tills and trained their staff members in how to use them without their employers letting them off in the process. This Tube strike blunder is a prime example to Britain underestimating the power of technological advancement.

While Boris Johnson has been battling with two Unions, another Conservative politician is having difficulty being in the good books of one Union. NUT (National Union of Teachers) have this week agreed to strike on the 26th March 2014 over pay. They have been in discussions with Education Secretary, Michael Gove about the future of education and they haven't been happy with his ideas. He comes up with many proposals which would dramatically change the face of the system so many have issues with. He wants children to have ten hour school days, instead of seven, in addition to proposing a four week summer break rather than six. The shorter breaks and longer working hours has been strongly criticised by the Teachers' Union because while Gove is proposing these policies, he's not offering them a national pay rise - hence the scheduled walkout.

A previous teachers' strike (Image: Daily Telegraph)

It can be said that the Education Secretary job has to be one of the most unpopular positions as so many people are passionate about the system and would want to change it their way. All the arguing and heated discussions are going absolutely nowhere and the children are not being supported. Michael Gove is convinced that his ideas are revolutionary while the Unions related to the education system think otherwise. Many want him to go, and with the general election in just over a year from now, he has to be in their good books between now and May 2015.

The education system will always be a mess unless the children have a voice. It's all okay when Gove is trying all he can to revolutionise, but he should be fully aware that children will not be able to focus for ten hours five days a week. Not many adults can work the required eight, how can Gove, or anyone else, expect a child to learn for a long period of time. Even for the teachers, who are required to attend school at least an hour before and after the required 9am-3.30pm time to prepare their day - just imagine them working at least 12 hours a day, in addition to dedicating their evenings marking work. Potentially working 60 hours a week wouldn't attract the new generation of quality teachers, especially when for much of it, they have to handle a classroom full of 30+ screaming children.

You can understand the Unions' frustration. They are meant to be speaking on behalf of the general public. Should they disapprove of something, the government should take it seriously and communicate. The Unions are historically left-wing, but they have had their problems with the previous Labour government too. However, because of their political preference, they seem to be the little annoying whispers, in the eyes of the current government. The Conservative Party members have too much pride, yet it is their ignorance which is letting the Great British public down.

I'm against all strikes as I believe communication is vital to getting things done without protest and if the Tories can't do that with a small number of people, how can they be trusted with representing a country of 60+ million? I feel it is so important that political differences must be put to one side in situations like this. The Unions and the Conservative-led government need to start making friends before the public start losing the will to live by 2015.