Black Thursday

Not black as in profitable, black as in bad.

On Thursday, June 30, the three largest public sector unions have promised a "black Thursday" -- the biggest joint strike action since the 1970s. Even if only a third of their membership go on strike, that's a quarter of a million people.

In the 1970s, workers accepted pay freezes for 3 years while inflation soared at 10% per year, so you can understand why they walked out when told they would not get a pay increase for a fourth year. Today, they are walking out because the government has said retirement age should be raised to 66.

In the 1970s, the unions may have been fighting the "iron lady," Margaret Thatcher, but they had broad public support. Today, they are seen as a bunch of jobsworths.

I'm not sure where that British term came from, but it refers to the response of the typical bureaucrat when asked to do anything difficult: "That's more than my job's worth."

Fortunately tube workers aren't involved, and with 250,000 people staying home, my commute should be a doddle.