Unions v real world

sovtek

Manic Moran wrote: »

I have to say, I've avoided any unions so far, and I don't feel I'm any the worse off for it. If the company I work for changes for lousy conditions, I see no reason I shouldn't simply change companies. The joys of free markets.

If the object of a company is profit then every process that makes one company a bigger profit than everyone else will copy that to get in on the bounty.
Pretty soon the big boys are all doing the same thing...and almost no one has a job. The joys indeed. That, of course, assumes there is a free market where in reality none exist (kinda like those never ending job opportunities).

Fratton Fred

It is worth pointing out that three of the most reliable car brands, Nissan, Toyota and Honda all have very successful plants in the UK and the reason they came there? because of the un-unionised workforce.

The big difference between those companies and BL though, is that they are well run and have good management.

I think more BMWs and Mercs are made in South Africa than Germany now as well.

Zombrex

jahalpin wrote: »

I organised my life around working in the City Centre but was prepared to move as it was in the best interests of the company.

You believe that his move is in the best interests of Dublin Bus? Why exactly?

Dublin Bus already have a huge problem with missed buses because drivers are either off or late. I know, I take at least 2 buses a day.

Personally I don't care a whole lot either way about the drivers. Some DB drivers are nice and friendly, some are complete assh*les.

I support the drivers not because I think they are great but because I don't want a bus service that is even more shambolic in its schedule than Dublin Bus already is. Making it harder for drivers to actually get to work in the morning on time is going to effect me.

jahalpin

Wicknight wrote: »

You believe that his move is in the best interests of Dublin Bus? Why exactly?

Dublin Bus already have a huge problem with missed buses because drivers are either off or late. I know, I take at least 2 buses a day.

Personally I don't care a whole lot either way about the drivers. Some DB drivers are nice and friendly, some are complete assh*les.

I support the drivers not because I think they are great but because I don't want a bus service that is even more shambolic in its schedule than Dublin Bus already is. Making it harder for drivers to actually get to work in the morning on time is going to effect me.

The first buses will obviously still have to leave from the garages and the last buses will have to go back to the garage at night.

The changing in town should make the service more efficient as the bus will stay in service longer, don't forget that DB are always saying that they don't have enough buses and this will free up buses as they will no longer be used as a personal taxi service for the drivers

Zombrex

jahalpin wrote: »

The first buses will obviously still have to leave from the garages and the last buses will have to go back to the garage at night.

Yes but the drivers live near the garages. They are complaining that starting in the city centre is going to be a lot of hassle for them because they have to get into the city centre to start their shift, rather than out to the garage as they have been so far.

Have you considered how you actually get to the city centre before the buses start running?

Sleepy

I'm guessing traffic would be pretty light so it'd be a fairly short commute timewise.

Jackie laughlin

The purpose of a union is to maximise the income and working conditions of the members. SIPTU is no different in this respect to the NUJ or any professional association. Union members use whatever resource they control to protect themselves and to push up the cost of their labour.

Because their origins are in the progressive working class movements and because many socialists have worked within unions, some people seem to think that unions should confine their activities to the protection of the very poor. They can be relied upon to divert members contributions to fighting for the weak and oppressed - and members often object - but in normal circumstances they do as their members want: get as much of the cake as possible. It's just enterprise. However, workers and their unions are uniquely asked to justify their claims publicly. Professionals, senior managers etc. quietly look after one another without public debate.

emertoff

I don't know the ins and outs of the Dublin Bus dispute but as someone who has worked in the private sector for 10 years for companies that are non-unionised its more important than ever in the global economy that workers are organised.
However, I also feel that social partnership in this country and what amounts to a scandal in the form of 'benchmarking' has endangered the economy and quite frankly makes a lot of folk like me disillusioned and disenfranchised. For me and thousands others, productivity and efficiency statistics are rammed down my throat 9-5, Monday to Friday, and if I don't contiuously meet set standards, it's a chat with the boss and a P45 in my hand.
The 'public sector' to me encompasses not just the civil service - look at the health service, education etc. There is a complete lack of any service ethos and on so many occasions I see a 'take it or leave it' attitude when I access or try to access public services. Why should one half of the workforce have to continuously raise their game whilst the other bury their heads in the Victorian era with ridiculously generous pay hikes, guaranteed pensions, generally more family-friendly hours, and the smug cosiness that goes with all this. Why do we need 25,000 administrators in the health service putting ticks in boxes? I could go on and on and on. Do we want to reach a situation whereby our political masters eventually have to resort to taking drastic action in the mould of Sarkozy and Thatcher to bring this juggernaut to a halt?

moe_sizlak

to say the difference is stark between the reception you get when you enter a state department or a private business is to put it mildly , if i went into my local toyota dealership with the look of someone who might be interested in ordering a 2008 corolla , the person behind the counter would be keen to do there upmost for me in terms of service , contrast this with the reception you are met with when you go into a local county council or dept of whatever office , after you ring the bell and wait the standard 10 minutes ,you are met with a jaded , uninterested and bored official who when you state your business usually has an attitude of , dont you know that i am doing this for you , selflessly for mother ireland
this is usually followed by , the person who deals with that has moved to drogheda