As you are no doubt aware, 30 November will see widespread disruption to public services due to strike action being taken by numerous trade unions.

I work in a high-profile government department, but I am not a union member and I do not intend to strike. I have been offered the opportunity to cover at a national airport next Wednesday (can you guess the govt. dept ) so to ensure they don't grind to a halt. Furthermore, in order to provide said cover, I will have to rake in an obscene amount of overtime this weekend in order to prepare me for the role. This overtime will cover Christmas in my household.

Am I making the right choice in crossing the picket line? The reason I'm not striking, aside from not being a union member, is one of selfish rational choice - the government will do whatever they want, and it doesn't matter if Kirkstaller comes into work or not. So, I might as well take them for all I can in overtime.

My office isn't the kind of place where strikebreakers would get shunned or abused, but the current atmosphere is noticeably more hostile than during previous disputes. Also, the pickets at the airport are likely to be a lot more militant than the Trotskyites at my gaff.

Advice would be appreciated, gentlemen.

I am a union/safety Rep but if it came to strike I would have to be 100% behind the cause or not a chance. When we were offered 3% pay rise a year or so ago people played hell but the big picture is others in other jobs were being asked to take a pay cut, Strikes cause that much disruption and in not only your own household.

You work to live - cross the picket line and have yourself a cracking Christmas. The industry I work in has never (to my knowledge) gone on strike but if I ever had the opportunity to rake in a sack full of cash because my colleagues decided to stage a pointless protest, I'd jump at it.

Look out for number 1 mate, sod the rest of them.

Agree, cross the picket line, and work the OT, I will be doing the same on the 30th.

Look after your family. I work in local government and will be in work as normal...my wife works in local government too and this year was forced into a 20% reduction in hours leading to a 20% cut in pay.
I would like to be a man of principles, but the bottom line is, as a family, we can't afford to lose a days pay and pension rights, particularly in the build up to Christmas.

It depends what the strike's for.

I'm striking on the 30th. I'd rather lose a day's pay now than suffer loss of pension for many years.

How sad and depressing is this! - that people are forced into a position where they can barely afford their principles. Having to cross the picketline because money is so tight for families is a really sad choice but I understand it. The attack on wages, salaries and pensions is appalling though and the Government need to understand that they cannot ride roughshod over pension arrangements made in good faith. They are doing little enough to keep jobs available and these attacks on workers' rights must be looked at in the light of the aftermath of the bankers' self-rewarding and self-serving actions. At the same time as they enjoy an even bigger bonus, the child poverty and need for food sharing etc in this country is a disgrace and yet people, often those who can least afford it, rise to the challenge and give so generously (Children in Need). If you have to cross because you feel you can't afford not to, then THINK ON!

I wouldn't do it, but I'm in a union and the whole point of unions falls apart if there isn't some right-or-wrong solidarity between them.

If you're not in a union and not bothered by the cause then go ahead and work.

(Although I'm going to have to take the day off anyway because my kids' school will be shut...)

Am I right in thinking if you joined the picket but wasnt in the unions striking you could be classed as being on unauthrised leave?

For me I would cross. Im getting a bit sick of some of the pickets that are popping up. The big ones I have a gripe over is the rail and maritime that strike because their staff were only offered a 3% pay rise. Theres a lot of folk out there that havent had a pay rise for years because of the economy, be thankful you have a job.

I concur.

I've never been in a union (apart from once by accident but they kicked me out) and while I might sympathise with their cause they wouldn't be able to persuade me, a non-member, from not crossing their self imposed "line", the money would help too.

...although if they had cake around the brazier at the entrance gate I might be seen to linger a while.

In the private sector we have had to put extra money into our pensions and extend our retirement ages for years now nothing new. Pretty sure the public sector pensions will be better than mine.

Just remember who got us into this mess... and despite all of the differences who is working together to fix the problem. The Labour manifesto promised cuts at this point and would be cutting the NHS too, not just reorganising it! In an ideal world the torys would be cutting tax and the lib dems would be spending allot more. Lucky for us all they are making the choice to fix the mess we are in. No its not nice, but needs to happen.. Unless you want us in the same place as Greece, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Ireland, USA ect...??

Anyway thats my political, common sense, rant over.

I’d like to think that we’ve moved on from demonising those who cross the picket line. But that won’t happen until protesters are cut a lot of slack in the right wing media too. It should be a mature day where everyone sympathises with everyone and we all eventually come to an agreement. This agreement isn’t going to come within a day. But it’ll come a lot quicker if we stopped the petty judgements and got on with solving things democratically.