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Post by Bentley on Nov 21, 2022 15:22:50 GMT
Indeed. The idea that shop stewards controlled the unions is for the most part bollocks but with a few exceptions. The dockers union in London was a racket in the 60s, ditto the print union in Fleet St and to a degree the Train drivers union and parts of the TGWU . Barbara Castle the Labour minister wanted to reign in the unions in the late 60s with an industrial relations bill called ‘ In place of strife ‘. It didn’t go forward . It took another 15 years for Thatcher to cut the unions balls off . Along with those of an extra 3million unemployed. Mind you, I think it would have been a very different world back in the 1970s if Wild Cat Strikes had been made illegal then. We did have to wait for Thatcher to do that. The 70s weren’t the time to do it . I don’t know the details of Castle’s white paper( I was too young) but I do know it wasn’t going to happen . |
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Post by see2 on Nov 22, 2022 10:04:16 GMT
Along with those of an extra 3million unemployed. Mind you, I think it would have been a very different world back in the 1970s if Wild Cat Strikes had been made illegal then. We did have to wait for Thatcher to do that. The 70s weren’t the time to do it . I don’t know the details of Castle’s white paper( I was too young) but I do know it wasn’t going to happen . I agree. There are times for change and there are some changes that only a Tory government or a Labour government can make without seriously upsetting its supporters. |
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Post by patman post on Nov 22, 2022 12:13:34 GMT
In terms of bare numbers the amount of EU citizens working in the NHS has actually gone up since 2016 - but as a percentage of the total workforce they have fallen. So anyone can pick whatever numbers they like to make their point..  Are these current EU workers medical staff, or cleaners, or maintenance, or porters, etc…? |
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Post by Pacifico on Nov 23, 2022 7:45:40 GMT
In terms of bare numbers the amount of EU citizens working in the NHS has actually gone up since 2016 - but as a percentage of the total workforce they have fallen. So anyone can pick whatever numbers they like to make their point.. Are these current EU workers medical staff, or cleaners, or maintenance, or porters, etc…? no idea - they dont break the numbers down that far. |
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Post by patman post on Nov 23, 2022 13:04:45 GMT
Surely the types of staff employed is important. Most reference by the medical bodies refer to the shortage of trained and qualified doctors, midwives, nurses, etc. These vacancies cannot be replaced by general non-medical staff.
The aim must be to ultimately staff NHS medical positions with UK residents and not depend on imported staff. But attracting recruits depends on making the job worthwhile — vocational feelings do not pay the rent or put food on the table.
I’d make medical training free, with maintenance grants, for all who ultimately work in the NHS — dentists and others who eventually do most of their work privately, should be taxed more heavily to encourage them to do more NHS work, and reclaim some of the fees and grants…
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Post by dodgydave on Nov 24, 2022 3:33:53 GMT
We have just rejected Royal Mail's "final offer".
The "9% pay rise" is a con. It is 2% already imposed, + 2.5% when all changes are implemented (not backdated to April), £500 when changes are implemented, then 1.5% next April.
They want posties starting at noon and finishing at 7pm which should please the muggers. They want to send them home when it is quiet and then make them catch the hours up later. They are taking away allowances worth £50 a week. Reduced sick pay. New starters will earn 20% less. "Trial" owner drivers delivering mail & parcels. Contract out vehicle maintenance. Shut branches. Reduce headcount by 1,000s. Basically, employ nobody and staff the place with agency and owner drivers.
...and this is the best bit
No agreement unless we agree to unrecognize the CWU and a "company union" will be put in their place.
Yes, you read that right, they want the CWU to agree to no longer represent postal workers!!!
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Post by Pacifico on Nov 24, 2022 8:06:16 GMT
To be fair Dave I wouldn't accept that - good luck with the fight.
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Post by totheleft3 on Nov 30, 2022 0:37:39 GMT
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Post by dodgydave on Nov 30, 2022 13:46:54 GMT
Dave Ward, boss of CWU, is taking calls on LBC on Thursday at 8pm. RM dispute is different from the public sector strikes. The board of RM are trying to ditch the Universal Service by claiming they are losing £1m a day. Which is complete bullshit, they have ended cross-subsidy from the profitable parts of the business, and handed out £550m in dividends. It is also highlighting the problem of agency workers. In my mind you should only be able to use them to cover holidays, sickness and peaks... not as everyday labour. My instinct is to give all the public sector inflation matching pay rises every year. However, we need to get inflation down, so I think we need to meet them halfway and say give them all 8%. |
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Post by totheleft3 on Nov 30, 2022 14:03:35 GMT
Fire brigade due to go on strike for the first time in 30yrs there certainty a hard winter ahead
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Post by patman post on Nov 30, 2022 14:29:54 GMT
I’m not against fair pay — or even good pay — but most of today’s trade unions think they’re fighting the battles of the past.
Six-day letter deliveries are no longer required and the service is losing money. The services that are required and are profitable are package and parcel deliveries, and they may not be using 100% union members.
Although union leaders weren’t around when many working people really needed, they give the feeling they’d prefer to be fighting for the retention of wheelwrights, pre-containerisation dockers, steam loco crews, etc…
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Post by Pacifico on Nov 30, 2022 17:56:43 GMT
Fire brigade due to go on strike for the first time in 30yrs there certainty a hard winter ahead Oh FFS - don't call me I refuse to drive another Fire Engine.. |
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Post by totheleft3 on Nov 30, 2022 18:20:32 GMT
Fire brigade due to go on strike for the first time in 30yrs there certainty a hard winter ahead Oh FFS - don't call me I refuse to drive another Fire Engine.. Can see you behind the wheel of a Green Godess |
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Post by dodgydave on Nov 30, 2022 23:47:36 GMT
I’m not against fair pay — or even good pay — but most of today’s trade unions think they’re fighting the battles of the past. Six-day letter deliveries are no longer required and the service is losing money. The services that are required and are profitable are package and parcel deliveries, and they may not be using 100% union members. Although union leaders weren’t around when many working people really needed, they give the feeling they’d prefer to be fighting for the retention of wheelwrights, pre-containerisation dockers, steam loco crews, etc… You really haven't been listening have you. The Universal Service never made money, it is a state service that guarantees that all 32 million addresses will be serviced. What Royal Mail have done is hand out £550m in dividends, and then ended the cross subsidy between Royal Mail Group (ie Royal Mail / Parcelforce / GLS). Now they are claiming Royal Mail (not the group) is losing £1m a day, because they want rid of the Universal Service prior to them selling the group to venture capitalists, and people like you swallow it hook line and sinker. This is very much a modern battle, fighting against 10,000s of full-time jobs being lost, and replaced with scum bag agency workers. |
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Post by totheleft3 on Dec 1, 2022 1:27:09 GMT
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