British Work Ethic Condemned

ILW

ninky wrote: »

is this the grumpy old man nostalgia corner? bring back the birch, bob a job and sunday school.

Might be, but a day now and then with none of the big shops open would make a nice change for many. Some would probably go through Bluewater withdrawal though.

ninky_2

ILW wrote: »

Might be, but a day now and then with none of the big shops open would make a nice change for many. Some would probably go through Bluewater withdrawal though.

so are people supposed to take a day off when they want to go shopping?

ILW

ninky wrote: »

so are people supposed to take a day off when they want to go shopping?

Do we need to go "shopping" every sunday?

I did find it rather refreshing when none of the major shopping centres were allowed to open on Easter sunday, don't think anyone starved to death because of it.
I doubt if your job is a mon-fri, nine to fiver.

I have spent time in parts of Europe where Sunday opening is forbidden and it does seem kind of special.

ninky_2

ILW wrote: »

Do we need to go "shopping" every sunday?

I did find it rather refreshing when none of the major shopping centres were allowed to open on Easter sunday, don't think anyone starved to death because of it.
I doubt if your job is a mon-fri, nine to fiver.

I have spent time in parts of Europe where Sunday opening is forbidden and it does seem kind of special.

not every sunday, no. but why shouldn't people be allowed to trade on sundays? all sounds a bit authoritarian.

gagahouse

ILW wrote: »

Do we need to go "shopping" every sunday?

I did find it rather refreshing when none of the major shopping centres were allowed to open on Easter sunday, don't think anyone starved to death because of it.
I doubt if your job is a mon-fri, nine to fiver.

I have spent time in parts of Europe where Sunday opening is forbidden and it does seem kind of special.

Except when you live there. It does have its charm, especially if you have children, but it also forces you to cram everything into Saturday. Some shops here close at 12 Sat morning too. Most shops close here at 6 weekday evenings, so for your average worker it's not very convenient.

ILW

ninky wrote: »

not every sunday, no. but why shouldn't people be allowed to trade on sundays? all sounds a bit authoritarian.

Not disagreeing with you, but maybe shut up shop just one day a month would be nice for the nation as a whole.

I am probably biased as my partner seems to like traipsing round Bluewater on a Sunday and I hate it and wish they were just forced to close.

ninky_2

ILW wrote: »

Not disagreeing with you, but maybe shut up shop just one day a month would be nice for the nation as a whole.

I am probably biased as my partner seems to like traipsing round Bluewater on a Sunday and I hate it and wish they were just forced to close.

yes i think you're biased. they probably feel the same way about mse forum.

ILW

ninky wrote: »

yes i think you're biased. they probably feel the same way about mse forum.

MSE forum is cheaper.

I just don't get shopping as a leisure activity.

birkee

This subject seems to have developed from 'work ethic' discussion, into a 'working hours' discussion to identify work ethic.
It's OK to stick to 40 hours a week, as long as you do the job properly. Nobody seems to give a damn anymore.

As for Unions.... they used to be a bully boy club to beat the management, and the management fought to keep them in their place.
Neither did a good job!
Remember Red Robbo at Austin Rover? He fought to maintain his members wages didn't he? Got it down to zero in the end.
Went through a phase where my employer was in financial difficulties and wanted to lay some people off, and what did the union want to do? Yes, you got it, go on strike! That would have finished them off nicely don't you think?

Quite honestly, until the recent agreement, I full expected British Airways to go under as a result of the the employees actions.
If BA pay more than other airlines, then what motivation have they got to keep going, except to maintain their identification as BA.
The answer is to start a new airline with the wages the same as their competitors, and let the BA airline just fade away.
Survival means meeting in the middle, not showing each other who is the dominant one.

ChiefGrasscutter

ninky wrote: »

if the law society is doing nothing more work related than the average book club i wonder why so many people in the legal profession are members.

Possibly because they "have to be".

I know the engineering sector, and it's like this:
To be registered as a Chartered engineer you HAVE to be a member of one of the engineering institutions. You cannot register your experience and qualifications direct.
The engineering institutions thus have a monopoly...people have to be members whether they like it or not if they wish to retain their chartered status.
Many of us regard the engineering institutions as of very little relevance to our lives - they seem more interested in changing the eligibility criterion ever wider so as to get more and more members to presumably justify their own existance - along with putting the annual fees up. Its basically like an annual tax for being on the Engineering Register

Of course the situation is starting to move to the next stage as (unlike law, accountancy etc) you can quite legally employ a non chartered engineer in a role where one should be employed.
So employers are starting to view chartered status as irrelevant in respect of recruitment and pay, younger members are starting not to bother becoming Chartered or not even joining in the first place.

To prevent us all mid aged persons quitting en-masse they have changed the qualifications criterions such that those who qualified as a chartered engineer some years ago would not now qualify should re re-apply now. So quitting and loosing our chartered qualification is not an option as we could not regain it by re-joining some years time if it because more relevant to the individual.