900 Lindsey Oil strikers sacked

[labasta]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/e...er/8108434.stm

I remember this from a while ago. They were annoyed at a few of them being replaced by Italian workers. I think the government went for the cheap Italian bid and that subcontractor brought in Italian workers replacing British ones. I wonder if any brown envelopes were involved. I always suspect corruption when one side gains at the expense of another (especially involving gov bureaucrats). Might not be though.

Doesn't matter now. They are fired.

Is it easy enough to replace these skilled workers quickly?

[GRG55]

Re: 900 Lindsey Oil strikers sacked

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/e...er/8108434.stm

I remember this from a while ago. They were annoyed at a few of them being replaced by Italian workers. I think the government went for the cheap Italian bid and that subcontractor brought in Italian workers replacing British ones. I wonder if any brown envelopes were involved. I always suspect corruption when one side gains at the expense of another (especially involving gov bureaucrats). Might not be though.

Doesn't matter now. They are fired.

Is it easy enough to replace these skilled workers quickly?

Read the article. Can you explain exactly what "the government" [I assume you are referring to the UK government?] has to do with awarding bids for a privately owned refinery construction contract?

[labasta]

Re: 900 Lindsey Oil strikers sacked

Oh yeah. I was jogging my memory (poorly) on that piece of news.

That's right. Oh well, maybe they can hire Italians on the cheap on mass, like the Germans did with the Turks and the British with the Bangladeshis.

Maybe the Brit workers can go work cheaply somewhere else.

All good, except if you can't or really don't want to move... mortgage (can't sell house), really settled in English speaking community etc.

I heard Americans are more transient, but not Europeans (language and culture being the primary barriers I reckon, along with the "settled" equation).

That's why this situation sucks I think. Sometimes, following the money is not what a lot of people want, in fact most people probably value other things as a higher priority. I think this is why the freedom of capital and labour sucks balls to a lot of people.

[GRG55]

Re: 900 Lindsey Oil strikers sacked

Oh yeah. I was jogging my memory (poorly) on that piece of news.

That's right. Oh well, maybe they can hire Italians on the cheap on mass, like the Germans did with the Turks and the British with the Bangladeshis.

Maybe the Brit workers can go work cheaply somewhere else.

All good, except if you can't or really don't want to move... mortgage (can't sell house), really settled in English speaking community etc.

I heard Americans are more transient, but not Europeans (language and culture being the primary barriers I reckon, along with the "settled" equation).

That's why this situation sucks I think.

Hey, I am not arguing that the situation doesn't "suck" for these British workers. But I don't think you can have a properly functioning common economic zone without freedom of labour mobility within that zone.

The mobility of US labour across their vast country is one of the reasons the US economy become such a powerhouse post-WWII, and is one of the benefits the EEC was originally trying to emulate. If people in chronic high unemployment areas are not able to move and find employment in areas of labour shortage then the only alternative tends to be ongoing government "job creation" programs...and these tend to artificially raise the cost of labour in high unemployment areas thus discouraging any private sector capital investment and business formation activity. In the most extreme cases it becomes more lucrative for unskilled workers to stay on the dole than take a low-paying job; and government perpetuate the situation because the most "generous" get the captive votes of the chronically under-employed. The US is far from a perfect labour mobility market. Professionals [lawyers, engineers, etc.] tend to have restrictions from practicing in different states unless they write exams and join each of the self-regulated state associations, as one example.

However, I agree as you point out that fragmented Europe with differing national histories, cultures, languages, attachment to family unit, and so forth is probably always going to have less labour mobility than the USA. And that's one reason I don't expect Europe as a whole will ever be able to compete with the Americans. The economic crisis is forcing politicians to make statements ["British jobs for British workers..."] and raise barriers to mobility and trade that ultimately will make everyone in the smaller, trade-dependent countries poorer. By comparison the USA will benefit.

[thunderdownunder]

Re: 900 Lindsey Oil strikers sacked

Bully tactics sometimes are not thought through.
If they can do it for 650 workers and make them "reapply for their positions" on, no doubt Totals terms and conditions then all workers are at risk. What if your a worker they don't like or one who has good working conditions relative to others?

http://business.timesonline.co.uk/to...cle6539561.ece

Not a good time for the master to kick a starving dog.

A recession can be used as an excuse to reset the standards - Business Standards of profit that is, of course!!!