Just Say Yes!

Yesterday, news reporters continually asked PCS representatives whether they were not taking advantage of the start of the Olympics to press their case, by striking on the day before the Games start.  If I were a PCS spokesperson I would just say "Yes".  Or more precisely, "Yes, just like everyone else with something to sell."

I would say,

"We are doing just the same as every business in London is doing, that is trying to make money from the games, by raising prices to take advantage of higher demand, like every hotel has done by raising room charges, and so on.  We are doing what every good business does under Capitalism, which tried to maximise profits by raising prices whenever there is an increased demand, or a shortage of supply.  Like every good entrepreneur, we are doing what Capitalism demands, which is to maximise the returns for the one thing we have to sell - our labour-power.  That is what we as a Trades Union exist to do, to ensure that our members can sell their labour-power for the best possible price in the given conditions."

I would further add,

"Not only have we learned the Capitalist lessons of how business maxmise their profits by raising prices where opportunities such as the Olmpics come along, or by reducing the price they have to pay for labour-power, whenever demand for it falls, but we have also learned the lessons of Government itself.  The Government, whenever market conditions allow, such as when unemployment rises, and the demand for labour-power falls, are quick to take advantage to reduce the price paid for labour-power in the form of the social wage.  The Government always take advantage of such market conditions, and the weakness of workers to get a decent price for selling their labour-power, to ut things such as Pensions, Unemployment Benefit, or services such as Education, Healthcare and so on, that workers have paid for through their taxes.  In fact, the Government often takes advantage to increase those taxes at the same time as cutting the services they are supposed to pay for.  That is what this strike is really about after all.  It is a strike about the fact that the Government has itself taken advantage of the current economic crisis caused by the Banks, and the decision of the State to bail them out from our money, to cut services such as the Border Agency, to sack workers, to reduce pay, pensions, and conditions."

Yes, we are taking advantage of a situation where it arises, just as every Capitalist does, just as the Government has done!