Unions protest because contractors are using foreign workers at power station.

hethmar

Any, you are typing the words, I cant change them myself. If you tell us how wonderful the work ethic is of foreigners compared to us and then tell us how the foreigners are not striking in the UK, of course I shall point out that they strike in their homelands. I dont think we hear of troops of Brits striking in other countries, do we?

If you make a statement, you have to expect people to contradict what they see as unfair.

(Take it you have a day off today then)

sadsadjenjen

I am British not English please o please move on from that. I might be a so called immigrants child, but we (family members) have worked paid our TAXES and NI. Parents & siblings all owned properties (mortgage) never council rented, am I and others like me not welcome citizens of this country so therefor not able to offer criticisms
England needs to not down tools at the first instance, nor apply the blame game, but come up with plans to see us (All) through this economic downturn.
Only reason I am at home is due to the weather London once again has come to a standstill. Is that my fault No,
just another excuse to foreign investors not to invest further in Britain.

harryhound

PayDay wrote: »

If their work ethic was so "great", they why wasn't there any work in their county? That's a serious question.

Wouldn't a company want to set up business in a country where there was world recognised "great work ethics"?

The auto industry is off to Slovakia ?

http://www.clublexus.com/forums/car-chat/394472-slovakia-eus-detroit-maneuvers-around-meltdown.html

harrup

"It does make you wonder doesnt it, if all the brits are so shiftless, workshy and lazy, how the hell did they make this country so great that people all over the world fight to get here."

Whilst naively put.....there is a valuable question contained within this.

Perhaps a moment of reflection pondering this issue would be more constructive than to continue to harp on the erroneous assumption that the "foreigners" * got the welding job because they were cheaper. Since they come from countries with comparable standards of living and in view that the Euro made the cost of living high, this premise is exceedingly unlikely.

Thus - just WHAT were those magical qualities which made Britain a force to be reckoned with?

Discipline, innovation, resilience, self-reliance, courage to explore the unknown and to avail oneself of any opportunity. That, coupled with complete ruthlessness to exploit the ( native!) poor and the slaves, of course. No foreigner was that motivited to storm the borders then. Since, why would they?

Measures were subsequently implemented to adress the deplorable state of affairs and quite rightly so. But the pendulum has swung too far in the other direction. Many workers behaved like pampered pooches or spoilt toddlers who threw a sickie at any given opportunity when they didn't fancy going to work, or striked when they really couldn't get their way, secure in the knowledge that they couldn't be dismissed for sloppy - or absent - work. They felt entitled to everything and responsible for virtually nothing.

Be that as it may: whilst British workers don't have a right to be automatically offered a job - British workers have a right to demand to know from the government the specifics of the contract given to the Italian firm. They have every right to demand transparancy and to know what aspect(s), specifically, made them unable to compete for a local job in their own country. WHY did the Italians get the contract and not one of the 5 UK companies bidding for it? Did the winning contender operate on a smaller profit margin than the UK firm and it was that that made them "cheaper"? Or did they run a leaner and thus, more profitable operation? Was completion time a determining factor and did their proposal guarantee that the task could be completed in a shorter time frame and thus for less money? Did they have greater manpower available? Or...did they cross some palms with lots of silver? Or.....???

No one knows since the "details of the contract are confidential". And THIS is the one aspect that I feel it is worth rioting over. If you are left in the dark about what makes you unable to compete - how can you avoid doing it again? Meanwhile....if anyone deserves a demonstration on their doorstep it's the 5 BRITISH companies bidding for the job and failing to nab it. That failing truly warrants some explanation. But no - in lieu, we direct our fury at the hapless contender who submitted the best proposal. That's pathetic....and futile.

squirrelchops

Hello all,

OH and I were talking about the strikes last night. We both feel it is unfair at how foreign contractors get the 'they have taken all our jobs' stick brandished at them. Also the house we sit in has been funded by my OH being a foreign contractor himself, going off to work in Italy, Germany and Holland over the years.

He was quite ahsamed to find his hourly wage at £22per hour was over double his Italian colleagues were earning for the same job in Italy but he had been given the contract and he wasn't going to complain.

I know i have drifted off the main point but just thought I would share how we see it in our household.......not the one hyped up by the Daily Mail for example!

harryhound

leveller2911 wrote: »

I will ask again: If a worker has a wife ,2 children,mortgage ,council tax to pay ,all with 1 wage how can he compete with 4 migrants living in 1 house all paying 25% of all the bills but earning 4x the wages.?
.

Wife on the game, children up the chimneys?

Seriously though grandparents are press ganged into looking after the kids and the wife goes out to work.

leveller2911

sadsadjenjen wrote: »

I am British not English please o please move on from that. I might be a so called immigrants child, but we (family members) have worked paid our TAXES and NI. Parents & siblings all owned properties (mortgage) never council rented, am I and others like me not welcome citizens of this country so therefor not able to offer criticisms
England needs to not down tools at the first instance, nor apply the blame game, but come up with plans to see us (All) through this economic downturn.
Only reason I am at home is due to the weather London once again has come to a standstill. Is that my fault No,
just another excuse to foreign investors not to invest further in Britain.

In the 70,s there was strikes all the time, I think your "over egging the pudding", as a nation we don't have strikes very often(fact).I admire people who make a go of there lives and NOT burden the system,im self employed and have been for 25 years, work hard, pay taxes etc but thats should NOT stop me having a view about what I see as an unjust system.When you can see a problem is going to arise the idea is you come up with a plan BEFORE the problem takes effect, our government is ALWAYS 1 step behind the game and never 1 step ahead, Please DON'T blame the working class for that.

Lastly , theres NO shame in renting a council house, Id rather have that than the !!!!!! we are in now because of f*e*c*k less borrowers want to keep up wth the "Jones".

MissMoneypenny

harryhound wrote: »

The auto industry is off to Slovakia ?

http://www.clublexus.com/forums/car-chat/394472-slovakia-eus-detroit-maneuvers-around-meltdown.html

Your yahoo link doesn't work Harry.

MissMoneypenny

sadsadjenjen wrote: »

England needs to not down tools at the first instance, nor apply the blame game, but come up with plans to see us (All) through this economic downturn.
Only reason I am at home is due to the weather London once again has come to a standstill. Is that my fault No,
just another excuse to foreign investors not to invest further in Britain.

I made it in to London for work.

leveller2911

MissMoneypenny wrote: »

I made it in to London for work.

Yes but we don't all have Bond to pick us up;) :rotfl: