http://newsbiscuit.com/forum/topic.php?id=34756 The NewsBiscuit Community en-US Wed, 22 May 2013 11:32:08 +0000 http://bbpress.org/?v=1.0.2 q http://newsbiscuit.com/forum/search.php http://newsbiscuit.com/forum/topic.php?id=34756#post-98429 Wed, 30 Nov 2011 00:14:41 +0000 dvo4fun 98429@http://newsbiscuit.com/forum/ <p>hmm.... sorry about that [mumbles something else and shuffles off] </p> http://newsbiscuit.com/forum/topic.php?id=34756#post-98425 Tue, 29 Nov 2011 23:48:26 +0000 Vertically Challenged Giant 98425@http://newsbiscuit.com/forum/ <p>What's satire? I thought this was some sort of group therapy, have I got the wrong place? </p> http://newsbiscuit.com/forum/topic.php?id=34756#post-98424 Tue, 29 Nov 2011 23:44:39 +0000 dvo4fun 98424@http://newsbiscuit.com/forum/ <p>on strike </p> http://newsbiscuit.com/forum/topic.php?id=34756#post-98423 Tue, 29 Nov 2011 23:05:08 +0000 mr blue 98423@http://newsbiscuit.com/forum/ <p>Excuse me, where's the satire gone? </p> http://newsbiscuit.com/forum/topic.php?id=34756#post-98420 Tue, 29 Nov 2011 22:16:44 +0000 GreenCross 98420@http://newsbiscuit.com/forum/ <p>No, but union leader is interchangeable with foaming at the mouth militant red socialist ;-) </p> http://newsbiscuit.com/forum/topic.php?id=34756#post-98415 Tue, 29 Nov 2011 21:19:32 +0000 SingingHinny 98415@http://newsbiscuit.com/forum/ <p>This could, upon reflection, make a great left alert. Terms and conditions apply. </p> http://newsbiscuit.com/forum/topic.php?id=34756#post-98407 Tue, 29 Nov 2011 20:27:42 +0000 dvo4fun 98407@http://newsbiscuit.com/forum/ <p>err... 'scuse me for arksking but is 'Union member' interchangeable with 'socialist' then?</p> <p>My entire striking activity has been just shy of two days in 40+ years of employment. 1/2 a day when in private sector when, after weeks of unfulfilled promises, we militants measured the temperature shortly after the statutory '1 hour after start of play', recorded it with the office manager as being about zero and *&amp;^%ed off home. Rather unwisely I answered the fone later that day when one of the directors begged me to go back in on the assurance that he would personally sort out the lack of heating the very next day. I did and so did he. Lesson learned was that people seldom respond to threats but often do so to action. I was not in a union at the time but had I been I suspect that 'something would have been done' much earlier.</p> <p>Barely thirty years of raving left-ism rushed by before, a few years ago now, I took a one day strike action as a member of a public sector union in defence of previously agreed pension(i.e. deferred pay) arrangements. I had previously 'ignored' various strike calls over the years believing that the work I was doing was important.</p> <p>Not sure that my action in either case qualified me as socialist.</p> <p>Those hidden in the current'unemployment' figures include my goodself,shuffled off in redundancy and early un-enhanced pension. Still can't find the gold hallmarks on the pension though but sure I'll find them if I keep on looking. </p> <p>I am aware that public sector employment sits somewhere below estate agents and roughly on a par with sex offenders (except for nurses and doctors of course, who are all wonderful and not at all a drain on society). </p> <p>I for one cheer loudly when all those parasitic administrators in the health service get their marching orders. I'd much rather see fully qualified doctors &amp; nurses doing the admin and answering the phone. Oh, hang on a minute...</p> <p>Ah that's better. Great sub though VCG and full set as already noted. </p> http://newsbiscuit.com/forum/topic.php?id=34756#post-98381 Tue, 29 Nov 2011 18:55:09 +0000 John Ffitch-Rucker 98381@http://newsbiscuit.com/forum/ <p>FWIW, I suspect that we’re all a bit socialist, a bit liberal and a bit conservative, and the proportions vary according to context. As the Yanks put it, ‘a conservative is a liberal who just got mugged’. </p> http://newsbiscuit.com/forum/topic.php?id=34756#post-98369 Tue, 29 Nov 2011 18:09:05 +0000 Al OPecia 98369@http://newsbiscuit.com/forum/ <p>Running Dwarf of Capitalism. </p> http://newsbiscuit.com/forum/topic.php?id=34756#post-98363 Tue, 29 Nov 2011 17:39:33 +0000 Vertically Challenged Giant 98363@http://newsbiscuit.com/forum/ <p>Singing - there is no way this will be used, I'm willing to bet a whole day's pay on it. So bring on your union based opportunism.</p> <p>I was going to write something that would have been more of an attempt at an FP, but didn't have time before I knocked off early for the day. </p> http://newsbiscuit.com/forum/topic.php?id=34756#post-98354 Tue, 29 Nov 2011 16:49:18 +0000 bonjonelson 98354@http://newsbiscuit.com/forum/ <p>I was going to write something similar, but I'm on strike </p> http://newsbiscuit.com/forum/topic.php?id=34756#post-98349 Tue, 29 Nov 2011 16:40:12 +0000 SingingHinny 98349@http://newsbiscuit.com/forum/ <p>There goes my chance of union-based front page opportunism! Might as well join the picket line! Enjoyed reading it on my extended tea break. </p> http://newsbiscuit.com/forum/topic.php?id=34756#post-98302 Tue, 29 Nov 2011 12:46:00 +0000 Sinnick 98302@http://newsbiscuit.com/forum/ <p>@GreenCross, absolutely spot on.</p> <p>Isn't the word "socialism" a little problematic? It sounds nice &amp; fluffy, everyone looking after everyone else to the common good - can't really disagree with that, can we? But when it's used to blackmail the country into providing more money/better conditions for a minority at a time of severe hardship for many, then how is this different from the bankers?</p> <p>I agree that strikes should be an ultimate weapon against amoral employers, but most of us have lost substantial amounts from our pensions already, and many have lost jobs - so public sector strikers should get real, and not sacrifice a day of national productivity for their own gain. </p> http://newsbiscuit.com/forum/topic.php?id=34756#post-98297 Tue, 29 Nov 2011 12:31:37 +0000 Vertically Challenged Giant 98297@http://newsbiscuit.com/forum/ <p>I was waiting for somebody to 1* this. Took longer than I expected.</p> <p>I wonder if it was somebody who is pro-trade union, or the same person who 1-stars most of mine whenever they get in the top 10? </p> http://newsbiscuit.com/forum/topic.php?id=34756#post-98293 Tue, 29 Nov 2011 12:24:28 +0000 GreenCross 98293@http://newsbiscuit.com/forum/ <p>Five stars.</p> <p>reforse - no-one's suggesting that in generations gone by trade unions didn't play a vital role in helping us achieve the employment law we have today. However, the current lot just aren't living in the real world and, as always with socialism, are making it an 'us versus them' point of principle rather than actually dealing with the issues at hand. It simply is not sustainable to have 50% of this nation's working population employed by the taxpayer. There isn't enough revenue coming in to pay the bills.</p> <p>You'd have thought the experience of the miner's strikes and the British car industry would have taught us all we need to know about how well militant trade unionism works. The media may make a noise, but basically the rest of the country will just ignore them until they start behaving reasonably.</p> <p>People who are inconvenienced on Wednesday will be pissed off. But they'll manage, we always do. And the longer the stand-off goes on, the more pissed off people will get and the less public sympathy the unions and strikers will have.</p> <p>"The problem with socialism is that eventually you run out of other people's money" - Thatcher </p> http://newsbiscuit.com/forum/topic.php?id=34756#post-98291 Tue, 29 Nov 2011 12:10:01 +0000 John Ffitch-Rucker 98291@http://newsbiscuit.com/forum/ <p>Superb. 5* </p> http://newsbiscuit.com/forum/topic.php?id=34756#post-98281 Tue, 29 Nov 2011 11:14:53 +0000 waylandsmithy 98281@http://newsbiscuit.com/forum/ <p>Superb. </p> http://newsbiscuit.com/forum/topic.php?id=34756#post-98280 Tue, 29 Nov 2011 11:04:53 +0000 button 98280@http://newsbiscuit.com/forum/ <p>Now that is well worth 5 stars. </p> http://newsbiscuit.com/forum/topic.php?id=34756#post-98274 Tue, 29 Nov 2011 10:05:02 +0000 charlies_hat 98274@http://newsbiscuit.com/forum/ <p>Brilliant - I think I'll print it to keep.... </p> http://newsbiscuit.com/forum/topic.php?id=34756#post-98272 Tue, 29 Nov 2011 10:01:47 +0000 dvo4fun 98272@http://newsbiscuit.com/forum/ <p>Very good VCG - have a full set. I'll try to keep those thought in mind tomorrow on the picket line. The weather forecast's not good. I do hope it's not raining, the brazier might go out. </p> http://newsbiscuit.com/forum/topic.php?id=34756#post-98271 Tue, 29 Nov 2011 09:59:55 +0000 reforse 98271@http://newsbiscuit.com/forum/ <p>Enjoy that paid leave, maternity leave, state pension, enjoy the fact that unionised workplaces have less injuries. </p> http://newsbiscuit.com/forum/topic.php?id=34756#post-98267 Tue, 29 Nov 2011 09:50:16 +0000 Bryan with a Y 98267@http://newsbiscuit.com/forum/ <p>I thought it was just me...thanks 5* </p> http://newsbiscuit.com/forum/topic.php?id=34756#post-98263 Tue, 29 Nov 2011 09:47:51 +0000 Vertically Challenged Giant 98263@http://newsbiscuit.com/forum/ <p>Ahhhh, that feels better. </p> http://newsbiscuit.com/forum/topic.php?id=34756#post-98262 Tue, 29 Nov 2011 09:45:50 +0000 Vertically Challenged Giant 98262@http://newsbiscuit.com/forum/ <p>Are you tired of working almost 40 hours a week for a salary around the market average for your qualifications and skill set? Are you unhappy that your benefits are only marginally better than 95% of the country’s workforce? Do you have no qualms about holding innocent people, uninvolved in your dispute, to ransom in order to try and get what you want? Maybe you need a Trade Union.</p> <p>Trade Unions are a great British tradition, dating back to the days when sketchy employment laws meant that workers had to group together to fight for their rights. Having evolved through massive abuse of power, they are now an ideal bargaining tool if you feel that your employer is unreasonably attempting to work within a budget, rather than giving you an extra 10% pay rise and cutting your working hours.</p> <p>‘All I had to do was not go to work for a day every now and then, costing my employer millions by grounding flights, while disrupting thousands of people trying to go away on holiday.’ said Paul Lewis, a baggage handler at Heathrow and enthusiastic union member, ‘I got an 8% pay rise and won the right to carry on sneaking out early, to play with the latest electrical gadgets that I’d stolen from the mangled remains of somebody’s luggage, after I’d kicked it about a bit. It was brilliant. I’d definitely recommend Trade Unions to anybody.’</p> <p>A heart-warming tale indeed from Paul, but compare that to Johnny Slatter, an office worker from Kent who is not a Trade Union member.</p> <p>‘The company I worked for was struggling in the present market conditions, operating at a loss and having to make cutbacks. They told us all that we wouldn’t be getting a pay rise, and there would be some redundancies.’ explained Johnny, who is presently unemployed, ‘This upset us so we decided we wanted to do something about it. We didn’t have a union but wanted to follow their lead. So I called in a bomb threat at Heathrow and told my employer that the disruption would only end when they agreed to scrap the redundancies and give everybody a 5% increase in our salaries.’</p> <p>Johnny’s employer ignored his threats and pressed ahead with the redundancies. ‘They said they couldn’t afford to keep going as they were and something had to give, so I went into the managing director’s office and held a gun to his head.’ continued Johnny, ‘Do you know what happened? They threw me in jail. I wish I’d been in a Trade Union.’</p> <p>Trade Unions – we’ll work for you. And fuck everybody else over in the process. </p>