Strike Bound

‘JUST by way of a memo about the probity of our European cousins, the Guardian says that the European Central Bank is thinking about tagging big euro notes with electronic chips to combat a six-fold increase in fraud.

”Was it not a Frenchman who said ‘All for one and one for out’?”

If you like that story, each day we’ll try to bring you another tale of life on the continental shelf.

But if you think the story of forged notes is a loaded story, weighted for the europhobes, we’ll even it up with the Times’ lead story on how Unison, the country’s biggest union, is thinking about adopting a typical French custom.

The union, it seems, it looking to the creation of a permanent ”strike fund”, taking up a ”continental tactic” intended to bypass laws which ban secondary action.

What this means is that the union can call on co-ordinated industrial action. If staff in one sector – say, teaching – want to walk out, then their brothers and sisters in local government and health care can come out in sympathy.

It’s what the French call Les Grandes Vacances. And with a bit of luck, it’ll be here soon. Roll on the endless summer…

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Posted: 9th, June 2003 | In: Broadsheets Comment | TrackBack | Permalink