A long ramble about implications

By now you should know that metrorail employees are striking.
This has forces hundreds and thousands of people to resort to taking busses, organising lifts and using their cars. I am one of those that will be doing the car thing as of tomorrow.

The problem now comes in with the striking of those who deliver the fuel.
Not only will you now run out of petrol, but busses and taxi's will also have to cease operation.

The result of this is a dire impact on the economy of the city as well as the medical field. Many ambulances and medical personnel will be without means to get to emergencies if this strike carries on too long.

But the question I ask myself is: Do these people ever realise the impact of their actions? Do unions really think things through before they allow their people to strike?
The funny thing is, without fuel the strikers won't be able to be transported to various locations to walk around and yell about how they want pay raise.

Note that what I wrote up here is complete "worse case scenario". I doubt it will come to that.

But strikes, like so many other actions are extremely selfish of nature.

Why, you ask?

See, by law all employees have to receive a pay-raise once a year. BUT, still they ask for a bigger increase. I'm uncertain about the rest of the country, but Cape Metrorail employees had a lengthy strike last year as well, which was followed by a pay-raise at the end of the year.
Now, five months later, they strike again.

I often see that companies and bodies of national importance (I only spreak for South Africa) rarely consider all things when they take drastic action.

For example. Marches don't just influence the traffic that use those roads, but also the economy of a city/province, for reasons partaining to lack of workforce and thus influencing prouctivity.
Medical services are also dealt a blow, as ambulances have to use alternative routes to emergencies - which could make them tardy for saving lives.

And of course all this influences tension.

If you've watched How I Met Your Mother, you'll know all about Barney's chain of screaming/anger that only leads to sadness all around. Now this is quite similar.
People strike/march. Heerengracht is closed for traffic. Everyone coming in from the N1 and N2 has to use Sir Lowry road. This makes the road back up with an extremely large load of traffic.
Person X is now stuck in this traffic and irritated, s/he comes late for work.
This irritation is transferred to lower employees which take it out on others and at home, which cause a whole lotta tension.

What I'm trying to say, is that in an ideal world sorting issues out in a boardroom, with proper planning is better than marching up and down, not going to work and influencing those that have little or no connection to your cause.
It really is a massive schlep (An arduous journey).