No one can have missed the news now that the tanker drivers are planning strike action to disrupt the other hardworking people in this country. I find their reasons unacceptable as they seem to have ignored the fact that this country and indeed many others are in a financial downturn.
The key complaint appears to be that their employment package is being attacked, and I think most of this boils down to the pensions. They should get real and recognise that the high paying pensions they were on are unsustainable in the present economic climate and are these schemes are being closed down.
I was in a final salary scheme in my previous employment, and that was closed down over six years ago. The company just could not afford it. Initially it was closed to new employees but it was then closed to all. We were transferred on to stock market based pensions, which from my annual updates are doing very badly.
No one was happy, but to have taken action would have been counterproductive as the company would have even less money available to support the pension, and there was no way it could be re-instated.
The tanker drivers are just being asked to join many others in the private sector, with the prospect of having to work longer before they can afford to retire.
The salaries paid to them are quite good, and certainly well above the national average. They are indeed doing a dangerous job of work, but so are our armed forces and their remuneration package is far worse - and they have a far higher chance of losing their lives at work.
The general public should show that they do NOT support this action, in fact it was only put through due to some very interesting accounting in the vote process - certainly it is clear that the majority of those entitled to vote did not vote for a strike.
The panic buying of fuel should also stop - it can only make things worse, particularly if fuel is stored in an unsafe manner. People doing this risk injury or death by stockpiling (especially petrol which is far more volatile).
If electric cars really were viable, now would be the time they could prove it! I challenge them to do so.
