Felixstowe Docks in trouble?

FungusFighter

Theres an artile about our mate Pickles here:D

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-428231/How-Pickles-possum-sailed-12-000-miles-Britain.html

mewbie_2

FungusFighter wrote: »

Theres an artile about our mate Pickles here:D

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-428231/How-Pickles-possum-sailed-12-000-miles-Britain.html

That's brilliant and...

"Staff at the park have paired Pickles with a male possum, named Bruce"

FungusFighter

mewbie wrote: »

That's brilliant and...

"Staff at the park have paired Pickles with a male possum, named Bruce"

Could be you an me babe:D

jetski690

Apparently my old mate Pickles was there when they opened the container doors, the other people around took one look at the possum in the container and one look at Pickles and that's how it's name came about.

FungusFighter

jetski690 wrote: »

Apparently my old mate Pickles was there when they opened the container doors, the other people around took one look at the possum in the container and one look at Pickles and that's how it's name came about.

So how did [STRIKE]you [/STRIKE]original Pickles get his name?

I'm guessing he either smells of vinegar or gives you chroic indegestion? (:rotfl:)

(PS I think they opened the container at sea so unless Onion Boy was being abducted for the white slave trade, I doubt he was there mate:rotfl:)

jetski690

http://www.eveningstar.co.uk/content/eveningstar/news/story.aspx?brand=ESTOnline&category=News&tBrand=ESTOnline&tCategory=xDefault&itemid=IPED24%20Sep%202009%2013%3A42%3A09%3A840

mewbie_2

jetski690 wrote: »

http://www.eveningstar.co.uk/content/eveningstar/news/story.aspx?brand=ESTOnline&category=News&tBrand=ESTOnline&tCategory=xDefault&itemid=IPED24%20Sep%202009%2013%3A42%3A09%3A840

Bit disappointed. Clicked on the link expecting more charming possum anecdotes, and it's just what truckers are hoping to get for Xmas.

pickles110564

Maersk abandons recovery hopes and looks to slash officer jobs



MAERSK Line is seeking over 280 voluntary officer redundancies from the UK and Denmark in a bid to slash costs across the company.
Confirming the industry’s worst fears, the box giant admitted that hopes of an early economic upturn have now been abandoned and frontline jobs are on the line.
The company is aiming to replace 170 of its 800 Danish seafarers with cheaper Asian crew and cut 113 of its 560 British officers through voluntary redundancies.
While the company has stressed that the lay-offs will be voluntary, the UK cuts are understood to be essential to stem the current surplus of officers out of work thanks to the increasing amount of vessels being laid-up.
The company, which posted a first half loss of nearly $1bn and expects that figure to reach$2bn by the end of the second half, has already “said goodbye” to around 7,000 employees worldwide over the past 18 months.
The possibility of further job cuts has not been ruled out.
“We just cannot carry on with a huge surplus of officers,” AP Moller Maersk head of marine human resources Henrik Sloth told Lloyd’s List. “We are doing this in the hope that there will be better times ahead soon, but we cannot live on hope alone”.
The Maersk fleet has been carrying surplus officers for several months in the hope of an economic upturn. On Friday, the company was forced to admit that their waiting had not paid off and the existing tranche of cost-cutting measures and efficiency savings were not going to be enough.
A total of 11 UK-flagged Maersk Line vessels are currently in lay-up and according to Mr Sloth the company conservatively estimates that 25 vessels across the fleet will join them by the end of the year.
Around 50 UK officers have already been transferred off the UK-flagged fleet into vessels less affected by the current downturn. But this programme has only dented the total surplus of officer that the company currently employs thanks to the increasing amount of lay-ups.
Without a significant upturn in economic activitiy the situation is expected to get worse before it gets better. Maersk currently has over 30 container vessels due to be delivered between now and 2012.
“The container industry is going through a tough period and with Maersk Line vessels laid-up, we simply cannot sustain surplus crew within a reduced fleet,” said Mearsk Company shipping division managing director Terry Cornick. “It’s not an easy decision to take, but it’s the right decision for the long-term future of our business.”
As part of the UK cuts, the Maersk Company has announced that it will also no longer automatically employ cadets graduating from training with the Company, although this decision is open to reviewas market conditions improve.
In Denmark Maersk Line will offer Danish officers with relatively low company seniority to take part in an early retirement and redundancy package. According to officlas the package will be attractive to officers with a desire to work in land based jobs and will be offered to all Danish officers in Maersk Line with relative low company seniority, excluding Captains and Chief Engineers.
Maersk started what promises to be a difficult round of negotiations with unions on Friday following the announcement.
“Of course this is very disappointing and we will be looking to negotiate the number of jobs down, but at this stage it really is a question of saving as many jobs and careers as possible,” said general secretary of officers union Nautilus International Mark Dickinson.

FungusFighter

Looks like trouble brewing, everybody out.....:D

PAY TALKS LATEST...


Company has made their final offer of 1%. Mass meeting to be held soon as possible.

Posted by C Shift Tug rep at 10:48 7 comments




Anonymous said... this time our union has got to recommend that this offer gets turned down. this is less than the two unpaid days we took off. this company is all take take.
TURN THE OFFER DOWN!!!!!
20 November 2009 14:10

Anonymous said... here here i toatally agree
20 November 2009 16:53

Anonymous said... the company keeps talking about the dreaded RPI. what happens in january when VAT returns back to 17.5%?. the RPI goes up, inflation goes up, poll tax, water rates, household bills all go up, and we have to manage on a extra £5.50 a week. FDRC think again,
ONCE AGAIN VOTE AGAINST THE OFFER.
the company needs to give us something back,
TURN DOWN THE OFFER!!!!!!!!
20 November 2009 19:03

Basin Digger said... The company have had 9 months of take / take / take and now they want more !!. After reading that briefing paper boasting of better than we thought profits " 8 consecutive months of increased profits " just had one of the busiest months ever at the port ". So lets get to the ballot box and make the right choice.
20 November 2009 20:36

Anonymous said... I do sense this time that the workforce has had enough of being kicked in the teeth and hopefully this time we will stand tall and and say we're not taking this sh*t any longer.
20 November 2009 22:37

Anonymous said... It is time all you Gobby Gits in the messroom, to pick up the pen and place your cross.You know who you are!
This time the Company needs to see a massive turnout in the ballot box otherwise it will give them the green light to cut all the things they have wanted too. The things they have taken and lied about this year will be small change.
They will preach about how quiet it looks in Jan,Feb &March, but guess what it is has always been like that, I for one can remember when there have been only one or two ships on the terminal. How many times this year can you remember(in the worlds worst recession) seeing the berths with only a couple of ships on? Actually who can remember this year when we have been only at contract gangs?
We were told that this year, in the company's speech, that it would be so quiet that they would be sending gangs home. Did they?
There is only one way to vote and let us show the company that we will no longer believe the lies they have been churning out.
21 November 2009 11:32

Anonymous said... Totally agree with the comments above & it’s good to see the Union at last showing some teeth. That briefing paper with the Company ‘boasting’ about 8 months profits off our backs makes me sick. I don’t know who leaked it but it took some guts! Thanks to him/her. Know maybe some of the no voters will see the Company for what it is.
21 November 2009 14:22

SingleSue

Oh I well remember the walk outs in the last recession.......