If you need urgent support, call 999 or go to your nearest A&E. To contact our Crisis Messenger (open 24/7) text THEMIX to 85258.
Options
GMB to let people freeze this winter
BillieTheBot
Posts: 8,721 Bot
BillieTheBot
Posts: 8,721 Bot
Comments
When I first heard that this was being considered, I was expecting you to rant about it and then for Blagsta and FTP to defend "the workers" and their right to withold their labour.
Then the polarised POV would get into an argument about whether there really is anything for the workers to worry about in this situation and, in some cases, try to ignore the whole "raison d'etre" for the jobs in question.
You just spoiled the thread now
Although, it will probably still happen. Then Klintock will kindly imform us that it doesn't exist anyway.
looks like I got you pretty well trained already.
But of course! How could I not learn from your infinite wisdom?
Anyone can join in when they know the words, Hamster old hoss! :yes:
Anyway, what are you on about? I am an idiot.
Quoted. And I didn't like to be rude.
Besides I must be an idiot if George Bush agrees with me.......
http://www.capitolhillblue.com/artman/publish/article_7779.shtml
And the alleged "british" don't even have one!
don't understand any of the above (except the Original Post)
The story includes the line
"We have fully co-operated with the company to ensure that emergency arrangements are in place."
From what I heard on the radio a week or so ago when I first heard about this. THese 'emergency arrangements' include cover to fix boilers for vulnerable people.
The rest of us will just have to put another jumper on.
So What! There would be no point in striking if no one noticed
E
(is that more like what you wanted Kermit)
Did it not occur to you that if your gas stops working say between 12-23 December or perhaps 4-10 January out-of-hours you might get a bit cold? Or if it breaks down within the 24 hour timeframe?
I never realised you were as detached from reality as the GMB…Final salary pension schemes would be nice but they’re not sustainable. And British Gas isn't doing as well as it used to...
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/4528377.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/4084481.stm
British Gas is bringing itself into line with most other companies in the private sector. The GMB can strike and even if it gets its way it's only putting off the inevitable. Not that they realise that since like most unions they're short-sighted.
Their rights are not what they are striking about.
If the heating breaks down, its going to get chilly. But hey, screw having no hot water at christmas, lets have a few extra days holiday to get the shopping in.
They're not striking about their rights. They're striking for hypothetical rights for hypothetical people. While the rest of us get hypothermia (boom boom).
Thank God electric heating has less parts that can break.
Pensions are employment rights in my book.
The organisation I work for has a final salary pension scheme and we're a charity not a business. Seems sustainable to me.
From the link you posted
The rest of us who aren't old or ill will just have to swivel.
Typical trade unionist attitude, that.
Well?
Surely it's not only British Gas that fix boilers?
You think that they're the only engineers in the UK?
They're trying to protect their pension rights. Whats wrong with that?
The row revolves around British Gas' plans to close its final salary pension scheme to new staff.
Get it ... NEW STAFF .. they're trying to protect the rights of others and not themselves ... I for one think it makes a nice change - most people strike for more money for themselves or more benefits for themselves - at least they are doing something to protect others... in this case probabaly the young people around about your age who are just joining the company so that when they come to retire they'll have a pension.
I don't think anyone will die because of a strike, if the hot water stops they'll boil a kettle, if the heating dies, they'll put some more clothes on.
But I always thought that charities [generally] like the public sector get slightly lower wages than the private sector but better benefits like final salary pensions or whatever.
British Gas workers pay since privatisation has increased far more than inflation, in turn benefits for future employees can’t be as generous as they used to be.
Anyway this doesn’t even affect current employees; their pensions won’t be affected which further undermines their justification for striking. And the timing is pretty convenient isn’t it? A few extra days off at Christmas.
Indeed they are. I have no argument with that.
But whose pension rights are in question here?
I guess the concept of solidarity is an alien one to you then.
New employees. Therefore showing that in fact, they aren't being selfish at all.
Not quite what the GMB are arguing though, is it?
They are claiming that they are trying to secoure the right to final salary for people who do not work for the company - interesting concept that one, why not let the recruitment process dictate that. If it's important enough then they won't be able to recruit, if not then new employees will know thier rights on appointment.
However, the GMB also claim that British Gas' move is the first step to withdrawing the same rights to existing members. Of course, BG have argued that they have no intention of doing anything about it and that by cutting off the benefit now they will secure the rights for existing staff.
Not quite as alturistic as it first appears.
I fully support their right to strike for their own right, if they are under threat. But they aren't.
The little power the unions have left occasionally gets used to protect the rights and well-being of workers. What on earth is wrong with that?
There is going to be around 3 one-day strikes, during which emergency teams will still be at work and of course countless other engineers will be available. No one is going to freeze.
Unless you happen to be employers, there appear to be a few turkeys here voting for Christmas.
And how does this strike help people whose heating fails? I know it doesn't seem important, but that is what the engineers are actually employed to do...
Nothing.
How are these working right's being affected?
It's this kind of action which creates the "turkey voting for Christmas" scenario. All this does is alienate the people whose support the striking workers need.
More pay, better working conditions, no loss of rights are all very good motives. This one isn't.