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Powercuts: the new weapon of mass persuasion?


Clair
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As with the recent "bossnapping" of management in several factories, there is a new weapon in the disgruntled employee's armement.

In the last few weeks, there have been several instances where gas and electricity supplies have been deliberately cut by striking employees of ERDF (management of the electricity grid) and GRDF (management of the gas grid).

Last Thursday, no fewer than 66,500 customers were without power and 9160 households without gas supply.

On Tuesday, Douai Hospital suffered a power outage of 40 minutes, coupled with a generator failure, which "was not due to the

strikers, but to a technical problem
".

The unions support the controlled and targeted cuts on government offices, even if the local population is also affected, and justify this course of action, citing more and more subcontracting, deteriorating working conditions and significantly

lower wages since ERDF and GRDF were made subsidiaries. The announcement of salary increases for the managers of GDF-Suez was the  last straw, according to the CFDT (workers' union).

The government is now brandishing the threat of sanctions against those strikers who deprive users of gas or electicity supply.

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Interesting post, Clair. Many thanks.

Perhaps one day soon, le petit Nicolas and his gang will realise that to try and "Thatcherise" what is, effectively, a working man's state, in isolation of accord with those very workers is doomed to fail.

As both Lionel Jospin and Domenique De Villepin both discovered to their cost.

After all, enshrined in the civil code of the Fifth Republic is the absolute right to assembly and peaceful demonstration.

Like it or not....................................

 

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  • 1 month later...

Far to dangerous a course of action to be permitted .You cant have people cutting power to get their message accross..people will die..

These idiots dont give any thought to the outcome of their actions ..It could  be one of their family members killed on the junctions when the traffic lights go out .or worse the landing aids at the airports ..The governement will have to treat as an act of terrorism any damage to sub stations and act accordingly ...lots of jail time ...Its the sort of stupid thing  we have learned to expect from the French though isnt it !

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[quote user="Frederick"]
...Its the sort of stupid thing  we have learned to expect from the French though isnt it !
[/quote]

You mean fast, decisive and effective industrial action?

Give me that any time compared to the misery, suffering and final result of the UK miners strike.

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[quote user="J.R gone native"]

[quote user="Frederick"]

...Its the sort of stupid thing  we have learned to expect from the French though isnt it !

[/quote]

You mean fast, decisive and effective industrial action?

Give me that any time compared to the misery, suffering and final result of the UK miners strike.

[/quote]

There is nothing inherently wrong with fast, decisive and effective action but.........Its the wrong target selection.

As was mentioned, airfield landing aids, including runway lighting (if the standby genny fails to auto start), hospital life support systems (again if standby supply fails). Its a very very dangerous game to play. If /when someone dies in a hospital, or hundreds die as a plane piles  into the ground will anyone at all still be sympathetic to the industrial demands?

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 A few years ago the dissruption to a sub station supply in the USA caused an automatic switch over that went out of kilter...the whole eastern seaboard  of the USA went into darkness with loss of life ..   The people who plan these sort of industrial actions seem to be too thick to work out what the outcome could be ..

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[quote user="Frederick"]

 A few years ago the dissruption to a sub station supply in the USA caused an automatic switch over that went out of kilter...the whole eastern seaboard  of the USA went into darkness with loss of life ..   The people who plan these sort of industrial actions seem to be too thick to work out what the outcome could be ..
[/quote]

Quite right, how dare these lower working class people think they can do this. They must accept any pay cut they are given, work longer hours for less pay, receive less pensions then they were promised, and they must also be grateful for it.  After all they are too thick to deserve any better!!!!! 

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   So its OK for unions to plan actions to further their cause that will mean their fellow countrymen may die  in order for them to get their way is it ?  Doctors and nurses in need of a pay rise  you would be happy to see strike and  turn away arriving ambulances then.?...That  would be fine as long as you are not the one on the trolly ..is that how you would be happy to see industrial action go ? The world is full of hot  heads that have to be kept in check and as I said France has a few more than most it appears when it comes to strike actions ..The ports closure as first target for any dispute is as we all know too well a fine example .

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[quote user="Frederick"]
  he world is full of hot  heads that have to be kept in check and as I said France has a few more than most it appears when it comes to strike actions ..The ports closure as first target for any dispute is as we all know too well a fine example .
[/quote]

Yet another example of fast, decisive and effective industrial action with the added bonus of loads of international press exposure, have you noticed how they always time the blockages to minimise the effect to French travellers and maximise inconvenience to British travellers?

You mention any dispute closing the ports as a first target, I can only recall action by lorry drivers, fisherman, marine workers etc, mind you it would be a good follow up to shutting off the public address system if the power was then cut to the ferry terminals, the boats may still be able to run but checking in and boarding etc would be like trying to buy something in a supermarket when the tills have gone down, everything becomes paralysed in this modern world without computers and of course the electricity to run them.

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[quote user="ebaynut"]

[quote user="Frederick"]

 A few years ago the dissruption to a sub station supply in the USA caused an automatic switch over that went out of kilter...the whole eastern seaboard  of the USA went into darkness with loss of life ..   The people who plan these sort of industrial actions seem to be too thick to work out what the outcome could be ..

[/quote]

Quite right, how dare these lower working class people think they can do this. They must accept any pay cut they are given, work longer hours for less pay, receive less pensions then they were promised, and they must also be grateful for it.  After all they are too thick to deserve any better!!!!! 

[/quote]

ebaynut, thats a pretty OTT response IMO, we are not talking about a bit of inconvenience here but a potentially DEADLY action.

I for one would be a tad miffed if I was one of the unfortunate ones  killed or injured in the cause of furthering an industrial dispute.

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 You mention Supermarkets JR ...Who knows a Super U. lock out might get them a pay rise.....starve us all into fighting their corner for them....  Mind you a forced starve would do me a favour right now !  Time to stop being mischievious I think ! 

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How would you be starved out by a Super U strike Fred, you live in union free rural Dorset[:P]. 

Ebaynut was spot on, why shouldn't workers take direct action that is the way its done here.  Please don't talk tripe about hospitals and airfields being blacked out as all have emergency generators and automatic back up battery backed lighting systems in the event of local power cuts.

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[quote user="Ron Avery"]Please don't talk tripe about hospitals and airfields being blacked out as all have emergency generators and automatic back up battery backed lighting systems in the event of local power cuts.[/quote]

From one of the articles quoted on my first post:

On Tuesday, Douai Hospital suffered a power outage of 40 minutes, coupled with a generator failure, which "was not due to the

strikers, but to a technical problem".

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So they would have had  a power outage of 40 minutes if there had been a local supply failure caused by a substaion explosion or fault then?  Only one generator in the whole hospital or was this just the lighting?. In critical areas of hospitals and control centres etc its normal practise to have generators and battery packs installed, but maybe in France..........[Www]
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France seems to be entering a period of serious industrial unrest caused largely by the need to achieve sensible manning levels in the large State or pseudo-State industries where there has been overmanning for far too long, largely paid for by the consumer. Unfortunately this need for change plays into the hands of extremist elements who are desperate to stop any form of change and by causing chaos hope to make political capital.

 

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[quote user="Ron Avery"]

How would you be starved out by a Super U strike Fred, you live in union free rural Dorset[:P]. 

Ebaynut was spot on, why shouldn't workers take direct action that is the way its done here.  Please don't talk tripe about hospitals and airfields being blacked out as all have emergency generators and automatic back up battery backed lighting systems in the event of local power cuts.

[/quote]

Read my ''tripe'' post again Ron, I specifically said if the standby genny failed,  and they certainly do fail on occasions. Battery powered lighting is not the issue. Operations can and have been done by torchlight. Life support machines tend to need a bit more power though.

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[quote user="Clair"]I see! [:D]
The hospital should be grateful for the wildcat power cuts![:-))]
[/quote]

Well in a way.  Yes.[:-))] They had notice of this cut, for an unplanned immediate failure caused by a supply fault they would have had no notice and would have been up merde creek without a paddle.  At least the next time there is a power failure this hospital will not be caught out by dodgy back up systems which might put lives at risk.

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[quote user="Ron Avery"]So they would have had  a power outage of 40 minutes if there had been a local supply failure caused by a substaion explosion or fault then?  Only one generator in the whole hospital or was this just the lighting?. In critical areas of hospitals and control centres etc its normal practise to have generators and battery packs installed, but maybe in France..........[Www][/quote]

Sarcasm is the lowest form of wit Ron. Perhaps we should bow to your electrical system knowledge???

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