Alias Posted August 18, 2008 Share Posted August 18, 2008 hahaha this is over 0.2%? Admit it, they're just after the 4 day long weekend (as stated previously barely anyone bothered turning up to the actual meeting) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sebrof Posted August 18, 2008 Share Posted August 18, 2008 By the use of blackmail, organised labour arranges for a short time that people get paid more than they are worth. This distortion of the labour market leads to the organisations they work for becoming uncompetitive, and eventually they go to the wall. So much for organised labour. That 1926 general strike which saw Welsh miners starving to death obviously passed you by. Or you feel they were earning more than they deserved. And Thatcher, not Scargill, closed the pits. Quite right, it passed me by. As did the Crusades, Noah's flood, and the Minoan tsunami. My name is not Methuselah. Thatcher closed the pits because Scargill made them uneconomical to operate. Nobody's saying the militant unions from the late 70s are something to yearn for. But people should earn a fair wage for what they do. I find most employers are reluctant to pay people at the bottom of an organisation a fair wage whilst the money washes around the upper tiers. Labour is just another cost of production. It is priced by the market according to the laws of supply and demand. Government's job is to ensure that there is enough demand to match supply, and when there isn't, to provide a safety net. The least unionised labour market in the western world is in the USA. Not coincidentally, their standard of living, and their (low) cost of living, are the envy of most of the world. And as for blackmail - "If we pay you more, you and all your friends will be out of work" is pretty good. You're right - it IS good. Because it's true. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sebrof Posted August 18, 2008 Share Posted August 18, 2008 4.1% in a recession is a damn good pay rise It is indeed, but we're not in a recession just yet. [Pedantic mode] For the record, recession is an explicitly defined economic term. It means two consecutive quarters of negative economic growth. At the moment we're still experiencing positive economic growth - albeit at the slowest rate for some years. [/Pedantic mode] If you are going to be pedantic, do it properly. Nobody knows whether we are presently experiencing positive or negative growth, and we won't know until the figures come out after the end of the present quarter. The figures might show negative growth in the current and next quarters, and if so, then we are already in a recession. It's probably going to happen, and the sooner it does, the sooner (hopefully) it will all be over. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hugh Jampton Posted August 20, 2008 Share Posted August 20, 2008 4.3% and £150 accepted. Sounds like a result for the workers and no strike Source is a MT worker Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silentbob Posted August 20, 2008 Share Posted August 20, 2008 Told ya Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Em T Posted August 21, 2008 Share Posted August 21, 2008 Not accepted as yet. The CWU have recommended members accept it but it's still to go the ballot next week. The strike is only at the suspended stage. They'll accept it as Chief Sheep has spoken so the lambs will follow of course...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ai_Droid Posted August 21, 2008 Share Posted August 21, 2008 4.3% and £150 accepted.Sounds like a result for the workers and no strike Source is a MT worker Is dragging your employers name through the mud for .1% a result? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twitch Posted August 21, 2008 Share Posted August 21, 2008 4.3% and £150 accepted.Sounds like a result for the workers and no strike Source is a MT worker Is dragging your employers name through the mud for .1% a result? Agreed. I bet Sure can't believe their luck. I trust the union reps are feeling proud of themselves now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burt Posted August 21, 2008 Share Posted August 21, 2008 Not accepted as yet. The CWU have recommended members accept it but it's still to go the ballot next week. The strike is only at the suspended stage. They'll accept it as Chief Sheep has spoken so the lambs will follow of course...... This will be interesting. Wonder if "Em t" and others clearly not in the union will stand by their morals and refuse to accept any pay increase brokered by the union. I for one very much doubt it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomTucker Posted August 21, 2008 Share Posted August 21, 2008 someone needs to tell the MT worker that lives on my street, because he seems to strike about 4 times a day when he pops home for 30mins - 1hr each time, some of you scabs should take a leaf out of his book, he's hardcore! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mission Posted August 21, 2008 Share Posted August 21, 2008 Energy FM reporting that tomorrows strike has been called off. No further news at this point though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
loaf Posted August 21, 2008 Share Posted August 21, 2008 Agreed. I bet Sure can't believe their luck. Don't be so "Sure"... If you believe the old maxim that "There is no such thing as bad publicity", then it is Manx Telecom who can't believe their luck. From an observer's point of view it's simply an internal grumble about pay, and it's been solved now. Nothing about poor service, low standards, negligence. Nothing that would make them go "Well, in that case, I'm plucking up the courage to switch over to Sure..." And what did MT get out of it? Endless discussion on Manx bulletin boards, countless mentions of their name in local radio, and all for free. Other supporting threads about poor Manx Telecom service on here can be easily dismissed with "Just a temporary problem", "Obviously the complainant had a personal axe to grind"... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boog Posted August 21, 2008 Share Posted August 21, 2008 Seems fair and reasonable to align managers and employees increases.Anything that overestimates inflation for a utility firm is just going to fuel local inflation and is self-defeating. Willow's comments will support management resolve to cut headcount-this kind of comment is a direct result of the threat of industrial action. If management don't cut costs, then pressure from private equity is certain as the business case is good (e.g. MacQuarie, Laxey Partners).The job of private equity will be much more hard line and will start with shedding the managers unwilling to do shareholders bidding and take radical action to control the costs in the first place - but they won't stop there. Manx Telecom people need to support management,otherwise your management who I'm sure are frankly quite-nice-in-comparison-to-private-equity-ownership will be out the door and many more jobs will go,and go quickly. Perhaps it would be worth sending a few radicals down to the steampacket and see what has happened there? My guess is that last years figures for Manx Telecom were quite good given competition stimulates demand (anyone remember supply/demand curves from school) hence expectation from the workforce high? Reality is longer term lower margin,will take time to impact P&L and Balance Sheets, owners are aware of this and will seek to sustain/increase profitability, Manx Telecom's union is not. What are the controllable costs?People. Any others? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twitch Posted August 21, 2008 Share Posted August 21, 2008 Agreed. I bet Sure can't believe their luck. Don't be so "Sure"... If you believe the old maxim that "There is no such thing as bad publicity", then it is Manx Telecom who can't believe their luck. From an observer's point of view it's simply an internal grumble about pay, and it's been solved now. Nothing about poor service, low standards, negligence. Nothing that would make them go "Well, in that case, I'm plucking up the courage to switch over to Sure..." And what did MT get out of it? Endless discussion on Manx bulletin boards, countless mentions of their name in local radio, and all for free. Other supporting threads about poor Manx Telecom service on here can be easily dismissed with "Just a temporary problem", "Obviously the complainant had a personal axe to grind"... Possibly, but I believe in the “Service-Profit Chain” principle where employee satisfaction directly correlates to customer satisfaction i.e. happy workforce = happy customers = good profit. I’m not certain that the morale in MT is that good at the moment, even accounting for this settlement. This will eventually be reflected in poor service standards and hence, less satisfied customers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P.K. Posted August 21, 2008 Share Posted August 21, 2008 Possibly, but I believe in the “Service-Profit Chain” principle where employee satisfaction directly correlates to customer satisfaction i.e. happy workforce = happy customers = good profit. I’m not certain that the morale in MT is that good at the moment, even accounting for this settlement. This will eventually be reflected in poor service standards and hence, less satisfied customers. Correct. But it's very difficult to quantify business losses due to low morale. How else do you think the UK in general has had appalling managers getting away with it year after year? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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