GMB union confirms strike ballot

[dave.m]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/tees/8523382.stm

Steel workers are to be balloted for strike action in protest at the partial mothballing of Redcar's Corus plant. The GMB union confirmed the move as work gets under way to shut down the blast furnace at Teesside Cast Products

Aren't 'strike action' and 'shut down' connected in some way?

Why don't Unions wake up and smell the coffee?
Call a strike and shut down the plant! Great idea BUT . . . .

. . . isn't that just what Corus want to do with it?

 

[roughcaster]

Union leaders,, a bunch of arseholes,,, they're ruining an already ruined country. They're getting too powerful again, and need their wings clipped. I see today that the Unite union lost another case against British Airways,,, good. Common sense prevailed again.

 

[wotan]

It really saddens me to see our industries closed down and moved abroad, but the sad fact is we can't compete with cheap labour.

Wotan

 

[tim west]

Thats "Free Enterprise" for you, gawd bless maggie thatcher (NOT)

Controls need to be put in place to stop the now foreign investors from being allowed to pack up businesses over here say under the threat of losing their british assets and any future investment must come with a deposit that can be seized if the business is wrapped up within a time limit and they have to guarantee redeployment elsewhere or generous redundancy payments for those who want it.

It may stop investment? well if those that are put off by tough regulations dont invest here then they cant be serious enough to guarantee jobs in the first place.

And new rules to stop british businesses being sold off totally in the future say a cap of 49%?

That way foreign investment in the future can still benefit both themselves and the british economy.


Foreign investment should be used for the benefit of this economy, not just to make a quick profit and run!

It really saddens me to see our industries closed down and moved abroad, but the sad fact is we can't compete with cheap labour.

Wotan

I'm not sure why after all our wages may be higher granted but we pay a premium in the uk for goods even when made here that should cover the extra wage bill?

 

[Trazor]

Thats "Free Enterprise" for you, gawd bless maggie thatcher (NOT)

It may surprise you to find that the manufacturing base has declined faster under Labour than the conservatives.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/671...o-the-economy-almost-halves-under-Labour.html

New Labour under the guidance of Gordon Brown, catastrophically believed that the financial sector would be sufficient in its self.
Remember his boast "we have abolished boom and bust."

And no rubbish about Maggie left nothing to build on, Labour is allowing all our viable industries to go to the highest bidder.
12 years of unfettered spending, especially on public service jobs, which create no wealth, and merely serve to massage the unemployment figures.

 

[conny]

British manufacturing was once the pioneer in industry. It was innovative, took risks (that usually paid off), invented and implemented some fantastic ideas, was the envy of the rest of the world.
Now where are we?
Trying to play catch up with those same countries that had the sense to take up when we sat back on our laurels thinking no-one would ever be as Great as us.
Lets face it, how else did Britain become Great Britain?

 

[tim west]

It may surprise you to find that the manufacturing base has declined faster under Labour than the conservatives.

So that just leaves the Lib Dems then

 

[Nige F]

British manufacturing was once the pioneer in industry. Lets face it, how else did Britain become Great Britain?

Slave trade and building an Empire on the backs of the workers I only Hate Maggie for 2 things ...Care in the Community. And selling Council Housing at a discount ...IF she had let tenants buy @ full market value , I wouldn`t have a problem . Care in the Community was a short sighted chucking out of vulnerable people before the care was set up in the community properly. Other than that she was no worse than any of the other Toss pot politicians

 

[conny]

Slave trade and building an Empire on the backs of the workers

Like most countries in a developing world, think back to the Romans or Ancient Egyptians. However, you fail to comment on my mentioning of the inventiveness and innovation of the British people. Something which we had a flair for and were not afraid to promote at the time.

 

[dextrous]

Slave trade and building an Empire on the backs of the workers

Like most countries in a developing world, think back to the Romans or Ancient Egyptians. However, you fail to comment on my mentioning of the inventiveness and innovation of the British people. Something which we had a flair for and were not afraid to promote at the time.

So, if we could persuade the BNP to bring back slave labour.....

As for the traits of British people, it is a shame to see it depart from these shores. Complacency is always a danger, and tends to lead inexorably to the end of established empires - history demonstrates this quite well. It's looking more and more like it's Asia's turn to rule the roost.

 

[Blasphemous]

It's looking more and more like it's Asia's turn to rule the roost.

It's Asia's turn to have an emerging economy. No one in the developed world can compete against that in terms of cost.

 

[JOHNBOY42]

It is happening all over the country where firms are having their production done in china or india as the modern engineering companys cannot compete ...it is expected thta within 6 years china will dominate the world in exports because evrything is made cheap by cheap labour even after shpping costs/levy,s they can still undercut British frims...It is very worrying where our manufacturing base will be in 10-20 years time

 

[dextrous]

It is happening all over the country where firms are having their production done in china or india as the modern engineering companys cannot compete ...it is expected thta within 6 years china will dominate the world in exports because evrything is made cheap by cheap labour even after shpping costs/levy,s they can still undercut British frims...It is very worrying where our manufacturing base will be in 10-20 years time

Things change, it's the way of the world. What I'm curious about is what will the next thing be for us, what's the next bandwagon as it were. "We" started up along technological fronts, but then let it slip past us without fully capitalising on it. We then developed our use of the financial markets, which is ow going t*ts up on us. Wonder what's next - forget large scale manufacturing, this has goen now. It may well be alternative energy sources will be our thing (there's one heck of a market for it for a whole host of political and financial reasons). Who knows?

 

[Nige F]

Slave trade and building an Empire on the backs of the workers

a flair for and were not afraid to promote at the time.

Was that time after WWII when we had to Export or Die. All we have now is a flair for smoke and mirrors banking; and endless form filling/ risk assesments.

 

[Steve]

I was chatting to a union rep once (had a spare 5 minutes). I was managing a store at the time, she had come to recruit some of my staff into the union.

We were discussing breaks. I pointed out that I dont take a full hour for dinner, on a 9 hour shift. She asked me if I thought that was fair. I told her that yes, I did. Because I was being paid far more than the rest of the staff. I was the one to set an example to the rest of the staff. I get to sit down for a while doing my job, they dont. I only take 10-20 minutes for a sandwich and a drink.

She then went on to point out that for a 9 hour shift I should have a total of 1 hour and 30 minutes break. I asked her what I should do on my break for 90 minutes, while the shops being robbed left right and centre. She said read. I asked whether the company should pay for reading matter, or if I have to buy it myself, while the union is forcing me to take 90 minutes break. I then pointed out to her that this entitlement **** is why this country is dying on its feet, and walked off.

I hate union reps.