Now tell me again why I don't want to work in America? In fact I knew that way back, when I was first on alt.music.filk, when I was discussing with a filker in the US about jobs there. 2 weeks holiday a year (minimum for a full-time job in the UK is four), /possibly/ plus some of the national days (he said he'd only had Independence Day off for several years, all the others he'd had to wook including Christmas)? Expected to work weekends? And this was before mobile phones and laptops became common, when they did it became "we'll expect you to be available on your holiday and weekends".
Er, no. I "work to live, not live to work". If the company needs extra hours during the day, or at weekends, occasionally, then I'm happy to do it (if I happen to not have anything booked) -- I might not even charge them for it. If they make a habit of it, or want me to cancel holiday, no. Oh, I might not make it an absolute 'no', I'll tell them things like "double time for evenings, triple for weekends plus I get an equivalent off in lieu next month", or for something I have booked it's "triple time, at 24 hours per day, plus the cost of the event". They don't usually take me up on it, for some reason.
Yes, there are people in the UK who do take work home with them, and are "on call" at weekends (I don't mean just in time-critical jobs like doctors and essential maintenance where they are paid for being "on call", I mean things like programmers and managers). More fool them. They are the ones "letting the side down" by being willing to work in their 'free' time.
I'm not a union person (I despise most modern trade union "strike first" groups), but that sort of thing is what unions were originally intended to do, stand up for the needs of the workers. Not to grab everything for themselves but to make sure that the ordinary worker didn't suffer for some slavedriver's profit.
But people are no longer willing to revolt. They are sheep who are willing to take any scraps the pigs leave them (to use George Orwell's imagery). They'll mutter about their liberty and having no time and unfairness, but as soon as anyone suggests actually taking a stand they back out.
Just imagine if anyone put up the poster saying "A lack of planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on mine" and stuck to it. I wonder how fast the management would find that they did actually need to hire back those people they "downsized"...
I completely understand why you don't want to work in the US. I consider these transparent attempts to squeeze more work out of people for no extra pay dishonest and infuriating.
I *am* a union person--if only in the sense that I think unions are absolutely necessary for regular people to have a decent standard of living, though a progressive tax code also helps. I agree that unions are imperfect, but I don't see anything better on the horizon, and when one party in a bargain has all the power, it very rapidly ceases to be a "bargain" at all.
People aren't willing to revolt *yet.* And I hate to say it, but I think things may have to get considerably worse before that changes. But I think that can and will change.
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Date: 2011-06-23 09:02 pm (UTC)Er, no. I "work to live, not live to work". If the company needs extra hours during the day, or at weekends, occasionally, then I'm happy to do it (if I happen to not have anything booked) -- I might not even charge them for it. If they make a habit of it, or want me to cancel holiday, no. Oh, I might not make it an absolute 'no', I'll tell them things like "double time for evenings, triple for weekends plus I get an equivalent off in lieu next month", or for something I have booked it's "triple time, at 24 hours per day, plus the cost of the event". They don't usually take me up on it, for some reason.
Yes, there are people in the UK who do take work home with them, and are "on call" at weekends (I don't mean just in time-critical jobs like doctors and essential maintenance where they are paid for being "on call", I mean things like programmers and managers). More fool them. They are the ones "letting the side down" by being willing to work in their 'free' time.
I'm not a union person (I despise most modern trade union "strike first" groups), but that sort of thing is what unions were originally intended to do, stand up for the needs of the workers. Not to grab everything for themselves but to make sure that the ordinary worker didn't suffer for some slavedriver's profit.
But people are no longer willing to revolt. They are sheep who are willing to take any scraps the pigs leave them (to use George Orwell's imagery). They'll mutter about their liberty and having no time and unfairness, but as soon as anyone suggests actually taking a stand they back out.
Just imagine if anyone put up the poster saying "A lack of planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on mine" and stuck to it. I wonder how fast the management would find that they did actually need to hire back those people they "downsized"...
no subject
Date: 2011-06-23 10:26 pm (UTC)I *am* a union person--if only in the sense that I think unions are absolutely necessary for regular people to have a decent standard of living, though a progressive tax code also helps. I agree that unions are imperfect, but I don't see anything better on the horizon, and when one party in a bargain has all the power, it very rapidly ceases to be a "bargain" at all.
People aren't willing to revolt *yet.* And I hate to say it, but I think things may have to get considerably worse before that changes. But I think that can and will change.