LAST UPDATE | 23 mins ago

LAST WEDNESDAY, TEACHERS all over Ireland got a taste of Enoch Burke’s lifestyle, as they spent hours standing at school gates around the country. These teachers joined hundreds of thousands of public sector workers in coordinated industrial action calling for a new public sector pay deal.

When we think of strikes and industrial action, we generally tend to do so through the lens of relations between workers and employers.

These large-scale strikes have shown that there are far-reaching impacts beyond workplace relations – with the protest buoying much of the country. Particularly those who like to beep their horns.

In the run-up to last Wednesday’s strike, there were countless small businesses offering discounts and freebies to workers on the picket. Yogahub offered €5 classes to striking workers at all of its locations as a gesture of solidarity, while coffee shops around the country were churning out free drinks. Convenience stores were allowing picketers to use their staff bathrooms and people were delivering snacks en masse to teachers, hospital staff and civil servants around the country.

It was clear that support was coming from far and wide. It was the only time I’ve ever witnessed Dubliners display jubilance at the growing piles of rubbish on the city’s streets.

One of the lesser discussed........

© TheJournal