| Comment | In a vacuum, that makes perfect sense. In an ideal world, everyone would be equal actors, entering into contracts on equal terms.
The reality though, is that working is not really optional. UC isn't enough to live on, and will be taken from you if you refuse a job anyway. So you have to work. And since Scotrail is an effective monopoly within Scotland, if you're a train operator by trade, you have very few choices but to take the contract Scotrail offers you, no matter how unfair the terms might be. Yes there ARE other options, but not enough for everybody in the Scottish rail industry. Somebody is going to have to take that offer, whether they like it or not.
The fact is that the balance of power between employee and employer is very skewed. We have to work, we can be fired without cause for the first two years, at any time. If the employer wants to change your contract, they can simply fire you and rehire you on the new contract, or you can just be jobless. The only counterbalance to this, is collective bargaining, to say "Listen boss, the lads and I have been talking and we all agree that 8 hours is an honest day's work, so if you want us to stay longer you're going to have to start paying us more. And if you refuse, we'll just down tools and you see how long all your managers and consultants can keep this service operating without us." |
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