The Strike Season Poem by Rose Kanana

Let us flower the streets
With placards
With tree twigs
Insensitive we shall be to business people
Insensitive we shall be to patients
Insensitive we shall be to students
As we sing the ‘must go' and ‘solidarity' anthem


For our rights to earn are supreme
We shall recover through locum
We shall recover through private tuition
We shall recover finally by reciting bought exam papers
We don't really mind quality -you can choose home schooling
We don't really mind death- it is inevitable
We mind our right to pay- we blame devolution


Do we really deserve the pay? yes we do
Do we really deserve locum pay? yes we do
Do we really deserve private tuition fee? yes we do
It's a money minting society
Give us our pay-is all we need
Empty promises will lead to death
Empty promises will lead to a generation of rote learners