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MarJay |
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MarJay But it's British!
Joined: 15 Sep 2003 Karma :
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Posted: 14:54 - 30 Mar 2018 Post subject: |
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stinkwheel wrote: |
The union decreed that no members were to use the new machine unless there were at least 12 men on the job and they made damned sure it took them just as long as it has with the old machine.
How many ships do they make in Glasgow now? |
I've heard a story about the BBC world service which I believe comes from a reputable source. They used to need 12 people in their main control room to manage the switching between various services globally and to switch to the local newsroom every 15 minutes for a news bulletin. The BBC at great expense purchased an automation system that meant only a single person could do the same job. The union insisted the BBC continue to employ the same 12 people, but they just used to take it in turns to be the one in the hot seat. The rest would go shopping or go home or sleep or whatever. Because the world service was funded by the foreign office, nobody really gave a crap. In private industry that may have meant the difference between a company staying afloat and going under.
My mother has worked in local government all her life. I tried to explain to her that private industry is what brings the net income into the British economy because all government workers are paid from tax, therefore they don't bring in any external money. She kept saying to me "But I pay taxes!". I've tried to explain this to her a few times, but she doesn't get the whole idea that her taxes pay a minority of her own salary, and don't in fact contribute to her own. You need probably 4 people on the same salary in industry to pay the remainder of her own salary, and the idea of her paying a contribution to her own salary in itself is laughable. But people who work for government or publically funded organisations conveniently ignore or forget this which is often why things like old former 'British' publically owned companies are often so unionised, like BT, British Gas, the BBC etc.
Some people might see the search for profit as a bad thing, but it does motivate cost cutting and efficiency which is actually something we need in local government and public services, because we all pay for it! ____________________ British beauty: Triumph Street Triple R; Loony stroker: KR1S; Track fun: GSXR750 L1; Commuter Missile: GSX-S1000F
Remember kids, bikes aren't like lego. You can't easily take a part from one bike and then fit it to another. |
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Rogerborg |
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Rogerborg nimbA
Joined: 26 Oct 2010 Karma :
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Posted: 15:40 - 30 Mar 2018 Post subject: |
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Oh, the tales. There's one about British Leyland / Rover where they'd removed or re-routed wiring, but kept employing one chap to keep drilling holes that were no longer needed, plus another to plug them up again. ____________________ Biking is 1/20th as dangerous as horse riding.
GONE: HN125-8, LF-250B, GPz 305, GPZ 500S, Burgman 400 // RIDING: F650GS (800 twin), Royal Enfield Bullet Electra 500 AVL, Ninja 250R because racebike |
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hellkat |
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hellkat Super Spammer
Joined: 12 Jul 2004 Karma :
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Posted: 16:27 - 30 Mar 2018 Post subject: |
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Ribenapigeon |
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Ribenapigeon Super Spammer
Joined: 20 Feb 2012 Karma :
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Ribenapigeon |
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Ribenapigeon Super Spammer
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BigTim |
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BigTim Trackday Trickster
Joined: 29 Sep 2017 Karma :
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Rogerborg |
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Rogerborg nimbA
Joined: 26 Oct 2010 Karma :
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chris-red |
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chris-red Have you considered a TDM?
Joined: 21 Sep 2005 Karma :
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Shaft |
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Shaft World Chat Champion
Joined: 27 Dec 2010 Karma :
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Posted: 01:05 - 01 Apr 2018 Post subject: |
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[quote="chris-red"]Can someone explain what this 'Union Gravy Train' thing is all about, I'm not expecting any financial benefits form doing it.
As to losing chances of becoming a manager I do not care, I'm a technical person, I never wanted to be a manager and I do not believe I have the skill set to do it.[/quote]
Then you likely don't have the skill set to be an effective union rep, you will just be multiplying your work load, with no realistic prospect of any kind of reward.
If you neither know nor care how management works, management will walk all over you. ____________________ Things get better with age; I'm close to being magnificent........
20 RE Interceptor, 83 Z1100A3, 83 GS650 Katana
WooHoo, I'm a Man Point Millionaire! https://www.bikechatforums.com/viewtopic.php?t=234035 |
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MarJay |
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MarJay But it's British!
Joined: 15 Sep 2003 Karma :
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Posted: 11:50 - 01 Apr 2018 Post subject: |
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In my opinion and experience:
The union rep generally does jack-all real work, certainly when compared to those who are not union members. The reasoning behind it is often that the people in question do not think they want to ever be a manager, but they want to have job security but get away with doing the minimum. As the union rep they have enormous power over the other more junior workers, and as such don't get pulled up on things.
The type of person who seems to go high into the structure of a union, seems to also be the type of person to want to gain benefit from that. I'm not saying that is always the case, but it seems to be a trend.
So, despite having no direct financial benefit, there is job security and a bit of blind eye turning to how you are actually working. As I said, I'm sure this is not always the case, but in my experience, the union reps I've dealt with have been the lazy feckless ones who take three hour lunch breaks and do very little actual work.
I suppose what I'm saying is that being you don't get extra pay for having to do all the extra work of a union rep, the type of people who are drawn to the hassle of it likely have an ulterior motive. ____________________ British beauty: Triumph Street Triple R; Loony stroker: KR1S; Track fun: GSXR750 L1; Commuter Missile: GSX-S1000F
Remember kids, bikes aren't like lego. You can't easily take a part from one bike and then fit it to another. |
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Speedy23 |
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Speedy23 Two Stroke Sniffer
Joined: 04 Dec 2017 Karma :
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Ste |
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Ste Not Work Safe
Joined: 01 Sep 2002 Karma :
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Old Thread Alert!
The last post was made 6 years, 18 days ago. Instead of replying here, would creating a new thread be more useful? |
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