A nasty smear on workers as the Sun fails to provide balance
The Sun newspaper has published a nasty smear against train and London Underground staff set to strike later today.
What you won’t find in the story is why staff are striking. So we’ll tell you what the Sun won’t.
But first, the coverage.
The Sun’s story, Feud Tube: Strike ‘sour grapes’, consists of transport secretary Patrick McLoughlin accusing the unions – RMT, Unite, Aslef and TSSA – of striking simply because they are sorry the Tories won the general election.
If the unions had a stinging response to McLoughlin’s wild accusation, you won’t find it in the Sun. Its story has no quote or response from the unions, any train or tube staff, or anyone sympathetic to their position, either to respond or to say why they are striking.
Here’s what the story does say:
“Ministers plan to ban walkouts unless backed by 40 percent of those eligible to vote.
Some 20,000 Tube staff strike [sic] from 6.30pm over all-night services starting in September.
They have snubbed a two percent offer plus £2,000 for drivers.”
‘Snubbed’? How rude of them!
As it happens, this strike received 90 percent support from members of all four unions, with a turnout of more than 50 percent. Not that you’d know it from reading the Sun.
The Sun says editorial, titled Rail Wreckers, tells us:
“Unions have a right to protest. But it is time they were prevented from closing down essential services and making life misery [sic] for millions at the drop of a hat.”
So, they can protest, but not strike – i.e. employ the only negotiating tool they have, the ability to withdraw their labour.
So says the newspaper of the working class!
Here’s what the Sun won’t tell you. Tube staff are being asked to work extra hours at night and on weekends when the tube switches to 24 hour services in September.
The unions say staff already work seven-day, 24 hour shifts, and seek assurances this will not fall on people already working nights and weekends.
They also want a modest pay rise (much smaller than, say, the £7,000 a year MPs are set to receive) and oppose staff cuts at stations, which they say will provide a poor service to the public.
You can read more on their reasons here and here.
But not in the Sun.
Adam Barnett is a staff writer at Left Foot Forward. Follow MediaWatch on Twitter
Read more:
Never mind the unions. What about the Sun’s influence on the Labour leadership contest?
Tory press takes the side of the bosses with its anti-union bias
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31 Responses to “The Sun won’t tell you why train staff are striking. So we will”
Simon Saunders
How are they greedy, precisely? Because they leverage their workplace power to maximise their wages and (in this particular case, as you seem not to have read the article) defend their working conditions against management attacks?
Newsflash, that’s what you’re supposed to do within capitalism. Did you deliberately charge as little as humanly possible for a cup of tea, or did you try and maximise your profit base within the logic of your local market?
Kathryn
“If I knew I could earn near to 50k being a train driver on the Underground, I’d pack up my own job for that.”
You are absolutely free to do that. What’s stopping you, exactly?
Kathryn
Most places advertise jobs on their websites these days. I’d try there first.
Charlatans
T ?? Hmm you really trying to hide from me? You wrong on everything you write, plus you want to then call me a f*c*i*g etc etc
I do not wish to correspond with cowardly anonymous pillocks. Goodbye!
stevep
Driverless trains, robots running workplaces, computers replacing office staff. Where will all the jobs be then?
When the wealthy elite have no further use for us, will we all be scroungers?
Thank goodness for our Unions and collectivity. At least we want to build a better world for people to live and work in.