Fuel Strike

[Andy Collins]

I respect your opinion, however strikes will never achieve anything, except the alienation of the strikers from the populace. I cannot remember a time now when the strikers have had the overwhelming support of the general public. Usually striking means that we find a cheaper alternative elsewhere through necessity, then stick with that alternative because it's cheaper, then the strikers have no work to return to. Very effective that!

[likeitorlumpit]

As in almost every issue their are two sides to every story and would suggest that the (Tory owned) media is feeding us (the general public) the party line.

Talk about divide and rule!!!!

I have friends in the fuel industry and has explained to me how the strike is about minimal trained operators who will work on Sunday's/night shift/bank holidays/extrahours/etc without any increments. My pal gets up at 3 am everyday and works a lot of overtime to make his money up & earns nowhere near 45k. They know they get a good days pay and they (the drivers) are trying to defend this.

 

A strike (if it happens) will cost the drivers wages first and foremost money, that they will never recoup.

 

For god sake stop beating up our fellow blue collar workers, 45k is just about a starting salary in the London Banks and those tossers have brought the country to our knees then got bailed out with our money and are now getting fat bonuses.

Keep beating a working bloke up cos they earn a half decent wage and we will end up on a race to the bottom. Lastly if it wasn't for the unions, manual workers would still be working

80 hour weeks for bugger all money until you where to ill or old to work, then spat out. The unions have been berks in the past but have done good work too.

Rant over.

PS the sun is shining, it's a beautiful day to be outside and it's Friday so stop moaning ;-)

 

Every business is always looking out for ways to reduce costs- thats the way of the world.

Got to admit you're right about wages being beaten down to lowest- I'd hate to see that.

I can't see it changing though since the unions screwed it up in the 70's.

My old dad was constantly brought out on strike (engineeering) and he said later that they never made their money back. Just led to new working practices designed to reduce labour inputs.

Back in those days guys would go into work and sleep their shift. Thats how bad it got

[Sam Thompson]

Bring back national service to educate and discipline our disrespectful youth of today!!

 

What a load of bollocks. The "youth of today" have SFA to do with this!

[easy-lift guy]

Another fine example of why unions should be removed from the face of this country. They are a blot on our economy, it's gone beyond supporting workers rights now. When something threatens the security or welfare of the country IMO it is treason. Ok we can't hang them high for that anymore, but it should instantly mean the armed forces take over supply routes to keep the country moving, protecting the greater community.

 

Andy your spot on!, the government should be responsible for two things only,

Basic services and protecting the country from abroad and within. Anything else is a complete waste. I bet you already know my feelings about the Unions as well:thumbdown:

easy-lift guy

[skyhuck]

Lastly if it wasn't for the unions, manual workers would still be working

80 hour weeks for bugger all money until you where to ill or old to work, then spat out. The unions have been berks in the past but have done good work too.

 

Nonsense, the unions worked when they were small groups of works back early in the last century, people were being truly exploited.

 

In the last 50 years they have done nothing for the working man and are not needed.

 

Look at the fire fighters, they saw the tube drivers on £35K and thought they deserved the same, but the difference was that they were struggling to get tube drivers, so upped the money until they could fill the positions, where as they had over 80 applications for each fire fighters job, so why pay more??

 

Our economy is controlled by market forces, its not perfect, but its got most of us to a far better standard of life than most of our ancestors and at least its impartial.

 

Do we really want to move to a system where wages are government controlled or where those who get together and make life difficult for the rest of us get more money???

[easy-lift guy]

Regrettably, I believe you will not have to wait much longer to get an answer to your question. Once the government get's out of the business of business the faster nearly all

economiies will truly start to recover.

easy-lift guy

[gensetsteve]

With the standards of driving on the roads you would not get me sat in front of 12,000 litres of unleaded for 45k a year . When these drivers arrive at stations its there responsability to decant fuel safely and I bet the H&S paperwork is a nightmare. You will need to be on your guard for people wandering about with phones and fags etc.

[dirtybiker]

All I'm saying is that in any job especially in manual work, you will always find someone to do it cheaper. There's enough evidence of that in the threads on this forum.

I just don't believe In beating up lads because they earn a few quid. If we do it will soon run round in a downward spiral and we'll all be working for nothing.

[Dean Lofthouse]

I have friends in the fuel industry and has explained to me how the strike is about minimal trained operators who will work on Sunday's/night shift/bank holidays/extrahours/etc without any increments. My pal gets up at 3 am everyday and works a lot of overtime to make his money up & earns nowhere near 45k.

 

What about nurses don't they work all hours, bank holidays, unsociable hours, Xmas day, new years day etc etc with no increments.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone cos it was

[dirtybiker]

Exactly my point, nurses are just about the lowest paid out there ! They should be paid a lot more.

Should we all be paid as low as nurses to make it fair!

Like I said it will just be a race to the bottom of the wages structure and we'll all be knocking our pipe out for very little!

Just once I like people to get as upset about a shiny arsed office worker getting well paid instead of getting on a manual workers back.

Seems to be the opinion that if you work with you hands we should all be grateful to just scrape a living.

Just my opinion ;-)