Scargill Wasn't Lying Then.

[St Jim]

Indeed. Such a simple concept that many seem to find so baffling...

 

I wonder if all those complaining about the coal mine closures would have be moaned if their welfare benefits had been cut to fund keeping the mines going.

[Saint in Paradise]

So I wonder what the Govt. needs the money for that they are going to save by stopping fuel allowance and

bus passes for O.A.P.s if they get re-elected in 2015. I know - another pay rise for them and civil servants

[Halo Stickman]

In the late 70s, I was a Labour voting trades-union member. I can’t speak for the coal industry, but in the large engineering company in which I worked the sole motive for most of the union officials was to extract the maximum amount of wages for the minimum amount of work. The restrictive working and demarcation practices were a complete joke; there were blokes getting paid for doing virtually f uck all; and others that regarded getting paid time-and-a-half for reading the newspapers on Saturday morning as simply a perk of the job. Of course, most of us lapped this up – at least until such time that the company became so uncompetitive that mass redundancies were the inevitable conclusion.

[EastleighSoulBoy]

I wonder if all those complaining about the coal mine closures would have be moaned if their welfare benefits had been cut to fund keeping the mines going.

 

Olympic gold for jumping to conclusions. What about those of us in full time employment who tried to support the miners throughout the strike. There are some of us who thought other than 'feck you jack I'm alright'.

 

In the late 70s, I was a Labour voting trades-union member. I can’t speak for the coal industry, but in the large engineering company in which I worked the sole motive for most of the union officials was to extract the maximum amount of wages for the minimum amount of work. The restrictive working and demarcation practices were a complete joke; there were blokes getting paid for doing virtually f uck all; and others that regarded getting paid time-and-a-half for reading the newspapers on Saturday morning as simply a perk of the job. Of course, most of us lapped this up – at least until such time that the company became so uncompetitive that mass redundancies were the inevitable conclusion.

 

So while Union officials were trying to extract max wages for minimum input what were other unions and their officials doing? Working with the company to ensure safe working practices. Reasonable working conditions for the staff, it wasn't all about money (as the rabid right might have us believe). Job security..how was that achieved? Certainly not by working against your employer! What you have described obviously happened but it wasn't a far reaching thing and many employers worked hand in glove with the unions to achieve stability and success in the market place.

[Halo Stickman]

So while Union officials were trying to extract max wages for minimum input what were other unions and their officials doing? Working with the company to ensure safe working practices. Reasonable working conditions for the staff, it wasn't all about money (as the rabid right might have us believe). Job security..how was that achieved? Certainly not by working against your employer! What you have described obviously happened but it wasn't a far reaching thing and many employers worked hand in glove with the unions to achieve stability and success in the market place.

 

No right minded person who knows anything about the terrible working conditions existing before the advent of unions would decry the good work they’ve done – and still do. As I said, I was a member of a trades-union myself, and carried on paying my union subs as a single member long after I was made redundant. But the fact is that in some areas in the 70s, many union officials had become corrupted by power, and many were prioritising their own political agendas over the long-term wellbeing of their membership – let alone the long-term viability of the company paying their wages.

[Fitzhugh Fella]

Had a feeling Trousers would be all over this thread like a rash. When ever his darling Tories are found out (yet again) he goes to work big time.

[trousers]

Had a feeling Trousers would be all over this thread like a rash. When ever his darling Tories are found out (yet again) he goes to work big time.

 

 

My obsessive dislike for all things Pompey is almost matched by my disdain for anti-Tory mythology