There is work to be done, people willing to work. and others capable of organising it. And all they ask the state is "let us""!
Andy
Part time work , home work and other flexible work systems can
solve many problems for any community. Most of us will have family
members who are old, sick , disabled , distressed or very young. We
may be artists, entertainers, scientists or have other hobbies and
interests, such as a desire to travel. Being able to have a free
choice in the pay , including unpaid , the hours , the prospects for
advancement and the working conditionals are all essential. Similarly,
a good manager will know that staff of integrity and skill are not
easy to recruit and hold, and like his team members needs choice.
Business does not want mere profit, but sustainable growth and people
do not want jobs, they deserve rewarding careers.
The problem we have locally is an employment culture that dates from
the days of heavy industry shop floors and plush corporate boardrooms.
Thus only a full time job is a "man's" job, unpaid volunteers
"undermine" paid positions, and and jobs are "stolen" by immigrants
rather than state red tape. The downside of "preserving" jobs through
discouraging flexibility means ultimately people working less hard ,
giving up (or not taking up or looking for) working altogether, or
becoming poor performing employees through sheer boredom.
Please listen, leaders of Britain. The population wants to work, there
is work ready to be dones, and there are the imaginative managers just
waiting to make things happen Look at the success of TV shows like
"The Apprentice" and "Dragon's Den". A lot of people think of a great
business, only to be put off after continually being slapped back with
petty rules from officials, lawyers and financiers. The difference
between and great referee and a mediocre one must surely be that the
greatest allow great players to play great football.
abelard
fyi
http://burningourmoney.blogspot.com/2009/11/how-many-people-work-for-government.html
--
web site at www.abelard.org - news comment service, logic, economics
energy, education, politics, etc over 1 million document calls in year past
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all that is necessary for [] walk quietly and carry
the triumph of evil is that [] a big stick.
good people do nothing [] trust actions not words
only when it's funny -- roger rabbit
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Maria
> Sir,
>
> Part time work , home work and other flexible work systems can
> solve many problems for any community. Most of us will have family
> members who are old, sick , disabled , distressed or very young. We
> may be artists, entertainers, scientists or have other hobbies and
> interests, such as a desire to travel. Being able to have a free
> choice in the pay , including unpaid , the hours , the prospects for
> advancement and the working conditionals are all essential. Similarly,
> a good manager will know that staff of integrity and skill are not
> easy to recruit and hold, and like his team members needs choice.
> Business does not want mere profit, but sustainable growth and people
> do not want jobs, they deserve rewarding careers.
> The problem we have locally is an employment culture that dates from
> the days of heavy industry shop floors and plush corporate boardrooms.
> Thus only a full time job is a "man's" job, unpaid volunteers
> "undermine" paid positions, and and jobs are "stolen" by immigrants
> rather than state red tape. The downside of "preserving" jobs through
> discouraging flexibility means ultimately people working less hard ,
> giving up (or not taking up or looking for) working altogether, or
> becoming poor performing employees through sheer boredom.
>
fact if things were still like this, there would not be a problem.
Immigrants *are* doing jobs that these men used to do always for low pay
and long hours without complaint (no not 'stealing' jobs). Too many
unskilled jobs are now farmed out to agencies, who only ever offer zero
hours contracts. Once you are on the dole, you cannot afford to accept a
day's work when you do not know when you will next be offered a day's
work. It's also these agencies who have cherry-picked migrantlabour -
their rates have dropped considerably as a result, though I don't know
if what they charge the employer has fallen. I know that when my husband
worked for Adecco in the same printers* for 6 years, he didn't have one
pay increase (in fact he had a considerable pay cut), but the agency
bill to the company increased every year. Adecco now only has 12 jobs on
offer in the whole of Northamptonshire - no wonder they made hay while
the sun shone.
* gone bust after employing a load of Poles instead of my husband and
his family. Unfortunately where they used people like my husband to
operate three hoppers at a time, the new workers either didn't want to
do this or couldn't, and so one per hopper was the end result. This not
a small printer - it used to print the Daily Mail Weekend magazine, but
lost the contract when it couldn't deliver on time (and had lost lots of
money being fined several times for lateness).
ceden
since when have economic indicators ever been an indicator of "the
quality of life"
Culex (The Infamous Culex)
wrote:
> The difference
> between and great referee and a mediocre one must surely be that the
> greatest allow great players to play great football.
You appear to have misspelled "handball". HTH.
--
Culex -- the Infamous Culex
Vicko Zoomba
I know exactly how you feel Maria. I'm a time served letterpress AND
lithographic printer and in the last 15 years it's gone from a good
job with good conditions, pay with an enjoyable working atmosphere
into a shithole industry where exploitation is absolutely rife. First
the closed shop union rule was abolished and this led to employers
taking on anyone who had "experience" of running a printing machine.
One company that I worked for in the north of Fife hadn't paid its
employes a pay rise in SIX years (take a bow Mr. K. Winters of
Tayprint). Not only that but overtime was paid only at the normal
rate. Each business has undercut their competitors so much that there
just isn't the money coming into the trade to maintain standards and
invest.
I've long since left the trade and still keep in touch with work
colleagues and ex colleagues. The ones who have left have never
regretted closing the door behind them. The trade has fallen from a
great height in the last 2 decades.
McKevvy
Vicko Zoomba
Dragons Den wouldn't invest in anyone who produces a product in
Britain when they have it produced elsewhere for less.
So much for "British jobs for British workers" Mr. Brown.
McKevvy
Big Les Wade
>I know exactly how you feel Maria. I'm a time served letterpress AND
>lithographic printer and in the last 15 years it's gone from a good
>job with good conditions, pay with an enjoyable working atmosphere
>into a shithole industry where exploitation is absolutely rife. First
>the closed shop union rule was abolished and this led to employers
>taking on anyone who had "experience" of running a printing machine.
>One company that I worked for in the north of Fife hadn't paid its
>employes a pay rise in SIX years (take a bow Mr. K. Winters of
>Tayprint). Not only that but overtime was paid only at the normal
>rate. Each business has undercut their competitors so much that there
>just isn't the money coming into the trade to maintain standards and
>invest.
>I've long since left the trade and still keep in touch with work
>colleagues and ex colleagues. The ones who have left have never
>regretted closing the door behind them. The trade has fallen from a
>great height in the last 2 decades.
The reason for that was (i) technology-driven structural change in the
industry and (ii) the breaking of the printworkers' union. Both were
inevitable and both were necessary for progress.
I'm sorry you suffered, but you were only paid as much as you were
because other people (who were not fortunate enough to be in your shop)
endured the consequences of union Luddism.
--
Les
If by creating a police state we can save just one child, then it will all have
been worthwhile.