UNISON vote for strike

[somabc]

People like me? And what are MY people like?



And what if England were to take back their share of the North Sea? That would mean England owns 2/3 of the North Sea.

I didn't want to get started on this but you have to admit that Scotland is better off as part of the UK.

I simply mean people who hold the view that Scotland is some sort of waste of space that has cunningly attached itself to the UK in order to be feckless and sponge of billions of Treasury money (regardless of their race \ country of origin)

2/3rds of the North Sea! Look at a map! The UK (without Scotland) would have sovereign access to the southern half of the north sea, ie the bit with no oil! All the oil is between Scotland & Norway!

The Continental Shelf Act 1964 and the Continental Shelf (Jurisdiction) Order 1968 defines the UK North Sea maritime area to the north of latitude 55 degrees north as being under the jurisdiction of Scots law meaning that 90% of the UK's oil resources were under Scottish jurisdiction

How black gold was hijacked: North sea oil and the betrayal of Scotland - This Britain, UK - The Independent

[cookie_monster]

Unfortunately the tanker drivers had the ability to exert some pressure in the right places. There really aren't all that many high level managers compared to the number of 'ordinary' workers and while i'll agree that they should feel the economic pain it isn't going to happen. A few managers getting a large pay rise isn't the same a million people getting one.
If people want to see private sector pay then they need to work in the private sector and be subject to a more volatile market place but with the possibility of making allot of money.


somabc: the suggestion that scotland might of had more money than england probably doesn't factor in all the money we make selling arms around the world

[somabc]

There really aren't all that many high level managers compared to the number of 'ordinary' workers

I disagree there will be a substantial amount spent on pay awards to people on higher incomes (say £60k+)

somabc: the suggestion that scotland might of had more money than england probably doesn't factor in all the money we make selling arms around the world

I didn't say that Scotland would have had more money than England (or the UK) merely that it would (and still does) have enough income in order to support itself.

[cookie_monster]

Some are very big awards but they are usually for managers at companies that have made a good return (probably due to that manager) so they get a good bonus but overall they are way in the minority campared to how many < £40k workers there are out there. I'm guessing as i haven't looked at the figures for a while but i'm sure it's only 5% of the working population that earns over £100k.

[tech_guy]

Yay, strike! We get to burn car tyres at the entrance to schools and shout 'scab' at our colleagues!

[somabc]

Some are very big awards but they are usually for managers at companies that have made a good return (probably due to that manager) so they get a good bonus but overall they are way in the minority campared to how many < £40k workers there are out there. I'm guessing as i haven't looked at the figures for a while but i'm sure it's only 5% of the working population that earns over £100k.

Out of interest I got these figures on average earnings for Men for 2007

Source: http://www.statistics.gov.uk/pdfdir/ashe1107.pdf

Men 2007 Annual
10% earn less than £14,268.80
25% earn less than £18,626.40
50% earn less than £25,911.60
25% earn more than £36,748.40
10% earn more than £52,499.20

[LeMarchand]

Some are very big awards but they are usually for managers at companies that have made a good return (probably due to that manager) so they get a good bonus

Or they totally screw over the company and their pals give them a big fat payoff to go away -that's one of the many reasons that the "common people" are getting increasingly pissed of.

BTW, if I've worked it out correctly (using the figures at National Statistics Online), the "average" worker earns £457/week (x52 = £23, 764). I appreciate that some of you guys (deservedly) are on this sort of wage, if not a higher one - but a hell of a lot of this would love to receive "average" wages.

PS, I'm assuming that's before tax - if it's take home some of us would probably kill to get an "average" wage.

Doh! Beaten to it!

[cookie_monster]

So my guess was close ish then


@ LeMarchand: yeh i really hate the golden goodbys that you see, congratulations you f***ed up and lost your customers and shareholders a load of money here have a great big cheque.

[somabc]

So my guess was close ish then

touché but I still think that if they are getting double digit pay rises, bonuses et al it will have an impact on inflation.

[cookie_monster]

Yeh you could be right, i'm not an economist just an opinionated blue puppet

[mattx]

Yay, strike! We get to burn car tyres at the entrance to schools and shout 'scab' at our colleagues!

Just like a normal day at the office then.....

[Jobos]

BBC NEWS | Politics | Council staff agree strike dates

Its 16th and 17th of July

The 16th is Leicester city’s last day and the county finishes on the 11th so the strike won’t have any effect on schools here.

[duncane]

Firstly... GOOD GRIEF! How do you find the time to write all this - I only got five minutes off over lunch to read through this, and it's ballooned to three times the size before I got home!

The problem is who exercises this "restraint" not the tanker drivers or any other group who can hold the country to ransom through strike action, not the many high level managers with their sizeable salaries who are able to shop round the world for the best jobs. No the people who are asked to exercise restraint are those on low wages such as most Unison members. At a time when their outgoings are undeniably rising due to higher fuel costs, higher food costs, higher debt costs (including mortgages). These are basic needs that they will not be able to meet. They are the people who should have their pay cut for the next 3 years?

I think this is the key for me. As a percentage of our income, the increase in cost of basic items - not luxuries - is far greater than the better off. To them, it's not taking a holiday, or buying fewer bottles of wine. We shouldn't be the ones being asked to show restraint - we've already had our tax rate doubled so that the better off can have their taxes cut.

If we don't act to protect our interests, everyone else will have their pay increases, which will push up inflation, and we'll be even worse off. We have to peddle furiously just to stay still - we literally can't afford not to do anything.

As to the the 16th & 17th - yup, not much good - the schools are already shut, so I won't get the opportunity to show my support.

[cookie_monster]

the schools are already shut, so I won't get the opportunity to show my support.

Can you not go join the local council line as they are your employers after all?

[duncane]

Can you not go join the local council line as they are your employers after all?

My support would be shown by my withdrawal of labour - if I'm not actually due to work that day, and am therefore not giving anything up (i.e. a day's wage) - why would joining a picket line be a meaningful act of support?

Besides, there are limits on picket lines - and rightly so - I understand people who can't support the strike (perhaps because they can't even afford to lose one day's wage - I know some people who are in that bad a financial strait), and I wouldn't want them to be intimidated by a large angry crowd. I don't think that's fair - I understand it's a hard choice.