Union Strikes at Perkins, Stafford - 2010

[shoes]

That's a fair point. Buts it's better to ask questions rather than jump in and label 250 people as ungrateful greedy militants.

You're in a union. You voted for a strike over a pay rise. And you have the audacity to suggest that tek monkey hasn't got a backbone to stand up for himself.

I think you'll find being a member of a union is effectively paying someone else to deal with matters on your behalf.

With regard to what I quoted, you are an ungrateful greedy militant. Go and find another job which pays more. Presumably you're going to give a retort to the effect there are no other jobs for you to go for - in which case you're lucky to have a job let alone a pay rise.

Your employer is not obliged to give you a pay rise unless you are on NMW in which case they are obliged to observe increases in this level.

You employer is not obliged to pay you in relation to how much money the plant is making.

And personally, if my workers started striking then I would rather spend the money that I could have paid them on a shit hot employment lawyer to allow me to sack you all one by one, legally, and replace you with someone desperate for a job.

 

[toooldtorock]

Blimey!! Just the one barrel operational today then?

 

[shoes]

Haha it's still a bit early for me!

 

[tek-monkey]

Just to reiterate, I wish we got a 4% pay rise! Did your contract state that all pay rises would be in direct relation to other areas of your site? Did it even promise a pay rise? You could always work elsewhere, somewhere that pays better?

Maybe you should ask for one, or are you one of the people that like to moan but haven't got the spine to stand up for yourself.

If I have an issue I bring it up, have done several times and received raises accordingly in return for promises of what more I can bring to the company. When this is unforthcoming or I'm unhappy with my lot I move employers, if I am unable to find a new employer that pays what I want then I re-evaluate my worth. Never saw throwing a hissy fit as an option TBH.

It's called inflation or were you immune from the recent VAT rise.

I didn't get my pay docked when they reduced vat, so I don't expect a pay rise when it goes up.

 

[Trumpet]

This strike is about more than just money there's alot of things happening at Perkins that are just plain wrong.

That'll be the couple of guys I know that work there and often complain of the boredom they suffer through having nothing to do whilst on overtime.

 

[John Marwood]

Whatever happened to The Strawbs?

 

[Trumpet]

Can't touch 'em apparently!

 

[Striker1]

That's a fair point. Buts it's better to ask questions rather than jump in and label 250 people as ungrateful greedy militants.

You're in a union. You voted for a strike over a pay rise. And you have the audacity to suggest that tek monkey hasn't got a backbone to stand up for himself.

I think you'll find being a member of a union is effectively paying someone else to deal with matters on your behalf.

With regard to what I quoted, you are an ungrateful greedy militant. Go and find another job which pays more. Presumably you're going to give a retort to the effect there are no other jobs for you to go for - in which case you're lucky to have a job let alone a pay rise.

Your employer is not obliged to give you a pay rise unless you are on NMW in which case they are obliged to observe increases in this level.

You employer is not obliged to pay you in relation to how much money the plant is making.

And personally, if my workers started striking then I would rather spend the money that I could have paid them on a shit hot employment lawyer to allow me to sack you all one by one, legally, and replace you with someone desperate for a job.

So I'm paying someone to strike for me am I ?

Someone else talking with no knowledge of the whole situation.

With your upper class twit attitude if you had any employees you would not have them long.

Why not go down to the gates of Perkins today and hear the total story of a troop of people that your branding as militants. That's not likely to happen though when you can stick your oar into other things you have no clue about on the Internet


What an idiot you are

 

[tek-monkey]

You paid someone else to make the decision to strike, true? The problem is many people nowadays take care of themselves rather than acting en mass, people have enough employment laws to protect them nowadays and I don't really see as much need for unions. Self responsibility is the key, hence me not being in a union. If they voted to strike and I didn't want to, I wouldn't!

Feel free to answer any other points raised in the last few posts though, rather than just pick up on that bit.

 

[shoes]

Ah right, you would would strike without the union, yes? And presumably your union is free to join?

I have no knowledge of your specific situation however I do know that unions and striking are effectively what killed our primary and secondary industries (although blaming thatcher is quite easy and convenient for sure).

My attitude is shared by the majority of employers, and if you don't like it you're more than welcome to walk.

I might pop down later once I've finished work, I only live about half a mile up the road (on that nice estate, you know the one - where all the people going an honest day's work live).

As for me being an idiot, well that's just superb. Who's the one who ended up in a job which pays naff all? Who's the one who's so short sighted and selfish that striking registers as a sensible and useful thing to do? Who's the one who cannot see past their own worthlessness and doesn't seem to realise they could be replaced at the drop of a hat should their employer wish to?

Anyway old chap, I'd love to chat, but I have to adjust the thermostat in my thermostatically controlled office as it's about a degree too hot in here. Whilst I'm up I think I'll grab a latte and go for a cigarette by the pond, soak up some of this beautiful countryside. Perhaps I'll hear the distant chants of people who are pissed off they are getting a pay rise.

Perhaps not, it's quite rural and tranquil out here. Tatty bye!

 

[Striker1]

You paid someone else to make the decision to strike, true? The problem is many people nowadays take care of themselves rather than acting en mass, people have enough employment laws to protect them nowadays and I don't really see as much need for unions. Self responsibility is the key, hence me not being in a union. If they voted to strike and I didn't want to, I wouldn't!

Feel free to answer any other points raised in the last few posts though, rather than just pick up on that bit.

Nobody other than me made the decision for me to go on strike and if I didn't think what we as a union was asking for was fair then I would not of joined in with any action.

The employment laws that you talk about are being flaunted so much at Perkins that this is o e of the contributing factors to the current action.

What I'm trying to point out is some people on here are commenting on things without knowing the full story.

 

[Alan B'Stard]

I have no knowledge of your specific situation however I do know that unions and striking are effectively what killed our primary and secondary industries (although blaming thatcher is quite easy and convenient for sure).

Complete and utter nonsense, what killed our primary and secondary industries was an purposeful ideologically driven government that wanted a service based economy instead of manufacturing and heavy industry and legislated to achieve this by shackling the unions, amongst many other things.

Yes, it is easy to blame Thatcher, because she actually is to blame.

Do some reading other than The Daily Mail and you might one day realise this.

 

[shoes]

Ah right so you reckon that perkins should just cave, give these lazy C**ts what they want and then prepare to roll over again in two weeks when they strike again wanting another 4%?

Or perhaps they should just say sod it, close down tixal road and move production to china?

Or perhaps the workers should realise that actually it's not that bad and get on with that they're paid to do?

Perhaps we should send the workers to work in a factory in china for a month, and then see how hard done by they think they are when they get back.

Perhaps we should all just give up, sign on the dole and live like left wing scum. There is, afterall, a bottomless pit of money the government are hoarding and secretly keeping from us all, isn't that right?

 

[Withnail]

Since our last pay rise the company has made $250m and is expecting to make $150m in 2011

these lazy C**ts

They don't sound that shabby to me.

 

[John Marwood]

I have no knowledge of your specific situation however I do know that unions and striking are effectively what killed our primary and secondary industries (although blaming thatcher is quite easy and convenient for sure).

Complete and utter nonsense, what killed our primary and secondary industries was an purposeful ideologically driven government that wanted a service based economy instead of manufacturing and heavy industry and legislated to achieve this by shackling the unions, amongst many other things.

Yes, it is easy to blame Thatcher, because she actually is to blame.

Do some reading other than The Daily Mail and you might one day realise this.

we know we wuz theyar

 

[shoes]

Or perhaps they should just say sod it, close down tixal road and move production to china

I see that striking over pay is having the desired effect

 

[tek-monkey]

Nobody other than me made the decision for me to go on strike and if I didn't think what we as a union was asking for was fair then I would not of joined in with any action.

The employment laws that you talk about are being flaunted so much at Perkins that this is o e of the contributing factors to the current action.

What I'm trying to point out is some people on here are commenting on things without knowing the full story.

What is the point in a union if its not all or nothing? You'll stand with them if they swing your way but would turn your back if they didn't? At present they are still taking on staff, a relative of mine started a few months back, so I guess they're OK for now. Of course I'm not sure these young bloods will want to strike, as they are being paid exactly what they signed up for.

The simple question is how much money does that one particular factory on Tixall road make? If its not that much, and future orders are not already stacking up, it'd be a prime place to sell for housing and ramp up production elsewhere.

 

[Alan B'Stard]

Ah right so you reckon that perkins should just cave, give these lazy C**ts what they want and then prepare to roll over again in two weeks when they strike again wanting another 4%?

The depth of your ignorance and arrogance never ceases to amaze me.

Because workers are withdrawing their labour in a legal industrial dispute, they are lazy C**ts?

You are, indeed, a tw*t of the highest order.

If you think another strike could be called within 2 weeks of a settlement for a further 4%, then you are living in cloud cuckoo land and have absolutely zero knowledge of trade union legislation.

Or perhaps they should just say sod it, close down tixal road and move production to china?

So you would support the sacking of these "lazy C**ts" and the removal of their wages from the local economy would you?

Or perhaps the workers should realise that actually it's not that bad and get on with that they're paid to do?

How do you know it's not that bad?

The strength of the mandate from the workers seems to suggest there are certainly problems there.

Perhaps we should send the workers to work in a factory in china for a month, and then see how hard done by they think they are when they get back.

Oh yeah, that's a real good comparison, perhaps it would be very different because it's bloody CHINA and not the UK.

Perhaps we should all just give up, sign on the dole and live like left wing scum.

Do you ever engage your brain before striking your keyboard?

 

[shoes]

I couldn't give a monkey's about trade union legislation, whatever it is they're too powerful. In fact, by existing at all they have been granted more rights and power than any sane person would grant them.

I am well aware that another strike could not be called again in two weeks, i was exaggerating my point to make it clear. Are you capable of reading and interpreting or do you just take everything you read literally? If so then I suggest you take your computer outside and set fire to it. I say take it outside because I would hate for you to burn your house down, having not told you to take it outside and all that

No I do not think it would be a good idea to move it to china at all, the comment was made in sarcasm - it's difficult to project that in this medium, I understand, however I think this may be one point we agree on - the plant should stay....er...planted.

In my small amount of experience of dealing with the shop floor, workers at the lowest level love a good moan, they really do. The commissioners who work for the same company I do moan like nobody's business about their pay and conditions. Sadly, it seems that £24k, a brand new golf and a diesel card just isn't enough these days. I would imagine the shop floor at perkins are on a lot less, and I would suggest that whinge is inversely proportional to pay.

As for your comment about china.... wow. Just wow. Human beings are still human beings whether they're chinese, british or even french. So you think it's acceptable for a chinese person to work in these conditions then, just not british workers?

I always engage my brain before striking the keyboard, that's why I earn a shitload of money and haven't got to worry about crying over 1%.

 

[soulboy]

Ah right so you reckon that perkins should just cave, give these lazy C**ts what they want and then prepare to roll over again in two weeks when they strike again wanting another 4%?

The depth of your ignorance and arrogance never ceases to amaze me.

Because workers are withdrawing their labour in a legal industrial dispute, they are lazy C**ts?

You are, indeed, a tw*t of the highest order.

If you think another strike could be called within 2 weeks of a settlement for a further 4%, then you are living in cloud cuckoo land and have absolutely zero knowledge of trade union legislation.

Or perhaps they should just say sod it, close down tixal road and move production to china?

So you would support the sacking of these "lazy C**ts" and the removal of their wages from the local economy would you?

Or perhaps the workers should realise that actually it's not that bad and get on with that they're paid to do?

How do you know it's not that bad?

The strength of the mandate from the workers seems to suggest there are certainly problems there.

Perhaps we should send the workers to work in a factory in china for a month, and then see how hard done by they think they are when they get back.

Oh yeah, that's a real good comparison, perhaps it would be very different because it's bloody CHINA and not the UK.

Perhaps we should all just give up, sign on the dole and live like left wing scum.

Do you ever engage your brain before striking your keyboard?

Here bloody here , he's obviously tooo much time on his hands as he's forever on this forum. Sounds like a complete arsehole to me who aint got a clue. Perkins have made £250 milion in 3 yrs , thats just tixall road site on its own. No pay rise for 3 yrs, they are just greedy twats who want more and more all the time for less pay , willing to take but not give , take them on i say , if you dont know the situation then keep your big trap well and truly shut.