Doing the right thing

I think I spent far too much of my youth watching films about martyrs. At first I thought I just had a rebellious streak, but for some reason I always have to stand up for what I believe is right. It’s got me into a few tight spots over the years, but I’d like to think it’s always stood me in good stead.

These last couple of days I’ve been hearing about a group of music teachers who are being treated appallingly by their employers. They’re facing an 11% paycut, backdated to April. There are a number of factors involved (like Gordon Brown’s insistance they pay National Insurance twice), but essentially they’ve never stood up to their employers. They’ve accepted poor pay in relation to equals elsewhere, they’ve accepted poor working terms and contracts, they’ve stood by and watched as individuals are picked off and sacked without justification, and all the time they’ve accepted the management’s policy of ‘not discussing’ any issues that affect them.

Today the news is full of the ‘unofficial’ action at the Vauxhall production plant at Ellesmere Port. A CEO in The States makes a seemingly insignificant aside comment about it being the likely place for economic job-cutting, and they’re all out for a day of protest. Ironically, University students may not graduate this summer as their lecturers are refusing to mark exam papers unless their 12.6% pay-rise over the next 3 years is increased. I don’t like using class terminology, but you can’t help but think that the middle-classes are only bringng it on themselves…