[Misc] Any Sussex Uni staff on here .....
- Thread starter Westdene Seagull
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Indeed.
Unionism is a very outdated, old fashioned and pretty useless way of protecting workers’ interests. They are generally headless and non-strategic blunt organisations, they prop up our pathetic class system and helped Thatcher destroy countless industries in the 80’s by ignoring the interests of the Country and their own industries to focus on workers’ jobs & pay etc.
Workers should be represented at board level and be responsible for directing the business. The Germans know this and that is why they have a car industry and we don’t.
Universities is one of the most inappropriate places for Unions. There won’t be more than a couple of dozen staff picketing at BOTH Universities out of a staff team number in the thousands yet the disruption to colleagues and students is appalling.
I agree with most of that, but....
In the absence of kindly employers inviting employees onto the management boards, all that's left is......unions.
Yes, probably fewer than 10% of staff at the my uni were striking. However the 'disruption' is somewhat more nuanced than 'appalling'. Read my long post above.
My ex wife, appalled as the posteuring of political parties 30 years ago, used to trot out the mantra that 'politics is outmoded'. I pointed out that that means in effect replaced by something better, and that what she actually meant was that she'd like it to be replaced by something better. Not quite the same thing, sadly.
Trade union membership in Germany is about 20, in the UK it's about 23% - not too much difference.
You may think it's a blunt approach but if you think that employers would look after workers' interests with no pressure from unions, you're living in fantasy land. All the things we take for granted (sick pay, holiday pay, shorter working hours) have all been the result of union pressure over history
Ironic that Herr Tubthumper and your good self are part of a very small membership on this board that have pissed certain posters off so much you have had visits and or serious threats directed at you, you by your own admission had to change your NSC name as a result.
Probably says more about your type of posting style I’d say.
Yeah, we do tend to get under the thin skin of some posters. I suppose it’s just the cross one has to bear when calling out the buffoonery of certain types on here.
But we press on, imagine if Jesus had given up! There’d be no WinterFest, Greta, or GayPride :-0
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Bold Seagull
strong and stable with me, or...
That would be a certain poster with such abhorrent views they eventually got banned from this site for life? I think it probably says more about that poster to be fair, who to be perfectly honest had to change their handle so many times about 4 different accounts needing banning to keep them off here. HT and Clamp both happy to call out posts and views that were at times just out right racism. Good for them.
Well, with many connections in this world, I have seen Unions hold lots of very nice, sabre-rattling meetings with employees. All it does is delay the
inevitable. Employers know that they hold the purse strings/power and that is the bottom line. They come up with restructuring bollox as a reason
or offer a new role which is just shit. One way or another they get their way. I despise Unions and employers in equal amounts.
I think it’s very sweet you sticking up for them , well done.
It might be only 20 in trade unions but there’s also works councils which are very prevalent and active in medium to large businesses. I think this is around 90%
beorhthelm
A. Virgo, Football Genius
- Jul 21, 2003
- 35,368
Germany has work councils, closer relation between the workers and the business, rather than a national organisation with political axes to grind. seems to work better.
Out of interest, how old are you?
A simple sum here £240,000 to last 30 years of retirement works out at £8k per annum, which would roughly double the state pension. As the Op states this is mainly impacting younger workers, in essence they are taking a pay cut of around the same level when compared to the oldies of a similar number, depending on how many years they are away from retirement (assume 30 for arguments sake). You can play around with the impact of inflation and get a whole load of fancy projections, which won't really bend the argument much here.
In the private sector people have the option to make their own pension contributions and there are tax incentives for people to do so. People do need to generate what appear to be very large pots of money to live comfortably and independently in old age and it isn't something people should have to apologise about.
Out of interest, how old are you? 64 ........ you ?
My partner is a Research Fellow at a major London Uni, one of the few that requires very little teaching by their researchers, instead allowing them (currently, though there's whispers that this will change) to focus on, err, research.
Her PI, a Prof of international standing and a Departmental Head (about 250 people), asked her four years ago to run an annual 2-week short course for him; she didn't have to say yes, but agreed to do so. He's the Course Director and the principle reason why they typically attract 100 participants from around the world, my partner organises it and lectures on it.
The course starts on Monday next week.
Two weeks (or so) ago, when the strike was announced, my partner asked him if he was happy to hold the course in a campus building during the strike, and if he was happy to do the lectures he had signed up to. He said yes.
This morning he emailed my partner to say that he was no longer happy to hold the course in campus buildings and could she find alternative site(s) to hold the course in. By Monday morning. And inform the students of the change. And, oh by the way, he's only prepared to do 40% of the lectures he previously said he'd do. Like he did last year, and the year before, and the year before. The last four years there's been a strike at this time of year.
The Prof is the equivalent of a senior manager/Director in a decent-sized private company. In any company I've worked in, he'd be in a world of pain right now.
I've suggested my partner does some/all of the following:
1. Tell him he's a **** and he can figure out where to hold the course now, tell 100 students of the changes, and find another lecturer for the sessions he doesn't want to do any more
2. Move the course to another time of year for next year, if she really wants to carry on doing it; or
3. Tell him to find another mug to run it for next year
4. Ideally, accept the Fellowship she's been offered at Cambridge.
The guy's a complete ****
Rant over
PS - my partner needs to learn that if she doesn't wanted to be treated like a doormat, she'd do better if she didn't lie down in front of people. My sense is that today is not the right time to remind her of this pearl of wisdom.
Her PI, a Prof of international standing and a Departmental Head (about 250 people), asked her four years ago to run an annual 2-week short course for him; she didn't have to say yes, but agreed to do so. He's the Course Director and the principle reason why they typically attract 100 participants from around the world, my partner organises it and lectures on it.
The course starts on Monday next week.
Two weeks (or so) ago, when the strike was announced, my partner asked him if he was happy to hold the course in a campus building during the strike, and if he was happy to do the lectures he had signed up to. He said yes.
This morning he emailed my partner to say that he was no longer happy to hold the course in campus buildings and could she find alternative site(s) to hold the course in. By Monday morning. And inform the students of the change. And, oh by the way, he's only prepared to do 40% of the lectures he previously said he'd do. Like he did last year, and the year before, and the year before. The last four years there's been a strike at this time of year.
The Prof is the equivalent of a senior manager/Director in a decent-sized private company. In any company I've worked in, he'd be in a world of pain right now.
I've suggested my partner does some/all of the following:
1. Tell him he's a **** and he can figure out where to hold the course now, tell 100 students of the changes, and find another lecturer for the sessions he doesn't want to do any more
2. Move the course to another time of year for next year, if she really wants to carry on doing it; or
3. Tell him to find another mug to run it for next year
4. Ideally, accept the Fellowship she's been offered at Cambridge.
The guy's a complete ****
Rant over
PS - my partner needs to learn that if she doesn't wanted to be treated like a doormat, she'd do better if she didn't lie down in front of people. My sense is that today is not the right time to remind her of this pearl of wisdom.
maltaseagull
Well-known member
Ten years younger than yourself. Sorry didn't mean to pry, just trying to understand where you are coming from.
Do number 4) and do it now.
You are truly pathetic.
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