Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Sacked ICTS airport workers renew hunger strike (again) in Belfast city centre

If I had a measure of magic pixie dust that could be used to solve a problem in Belfast today, I’d use it to find a resolution to the dispute between the sacked ICTS airport security workers and their union TGWU (Unite).

Photo from belfastairportworkers.wordpress.com blog

Having suspended their hunger strike in April when the union agreed to pay their costs, Gordon McNeill resumed again this week - hospitalised yesterday lunchtime - but signed himself out of hospital and rejoined the action again today.

(Moochin Photoman happened upon the ambulance and fire brigade at the scene on Monday lunchtime and took some photos from the top of the ladder recording the sorry incident.)

I commented back in April ...

“Whatever the circumstances, it’s sad that the pair’s relationship with their union has been allowed over the years to deteriorate. Particularly, when unions are often the first to speak out about conciliation, mediation and the importance of good communications.”

I’ve severe reservations about people abusing their bodies as a means of leveraging action from an organisation. As did Cosmo who commented in April.

Does anyone else find the idea of hunger strikes as sick?!

While thousands today will die because they want to eat but can't, why would anyone with the means to eat flaunt that in the faces of the starving? (Unless it is an act of sympathetic suffering to highlight the plight of the poor).

Please, do make protest and seek the justice which is due. But please also think about the methods and the message it sends.

I am dismayed that this dispute has been allowed to rumble on, endangering lives and damaging the credibility of trade unions. If pixie dust is in short supply, surely some kind of independent - yet binding - arbitration would be possible?

1 comment:

dr. adder said...

It's a sad day when a union appears to be as corrupt as the businesses and the practices that they are supposed to be defending their members from. I agree that a hunger strike is not the way to go - since it serves no real purpose and nobody appears to be taking any notice of the hunger strikers anyway. It really is time that the union conceded that they were wrong, sack the officials responsible for this debacle and sort out compensation etc. for those wronged by this dispute.