Yesterday I took my son Christmas shopping. I drove and on the way back he decided to go off and meet his friend.
Both of us forgot about the train strike until two hours later, when he called to ask me through chattering teeth if I could come back and pick him up.
The answer was no. A combination of strikes and bad weather meant the traffic on the roads was worse than ever and it had already taken almost two hours to get home.
Just as I was about to try and offer some suggestions, his phone battery died. He was left to figure it out on his own.
Despite the nightmare of crisis-crossing London by bus, he made it home, shivering and frustrated but grateful to be finally indoors.
And that’s the whole point of the strikes gripping our country. They are designed to cause inconvenience – how else will they get anyone to listen?
But for the most part the disruption to our lives doesn’t last long. Of course there will be exceptions and people who will be more impacted than others. But when strikes have been advertised for weeks we should be able to plan for it.
Of course for some people it’s more than a little inconvenience. Businesses who rely on Christmas trade to boost their profits are among the people hardest hit by the rail strike.
People trying to get home to loved ones have had to leave early or face sky-high ticket prices.
But the pain is worse for the keyworkers – nurses, train staff and postal workers striking for improved wages – who we applauded for weeks during the pandemic, and who are among the hardest hit by the cost-of-living crisis and struggling with food and energy bills.
So, yes, the next few weeks will be -difficult, and at many times annoying, but don’t blame the workers fighting for a fairer deal. Blame the management who are not working harder on a solution that rewards them for all they do for us and the country.
