UNITE shows it's true colours
Discussion
dowahdiddyman said:
EDLT said:
dowahdiddyman said:
AlpineWhite said:
What a bunch of 
s. I'll drive a fking truck around for £40,000 a year. fking hell.
£40,000 a year is what could be earned by fuel tanker drivers but not by many other truckers. 40k sounds a lot until you divide it by upto 71 hours a week.Would you want to drive a mobile bomb for a living I know I wouldn`t. s. I'll drive a fking truck around for £40,000 a year. fking hell."from April 2007
Daily Driving: Max 9 hours. Can be extended to 10 hours twice a week
Weekly Driving: Max 56 hours.
2 weeks: 90 hours"
From here: http://www.hgvcity.com/Regulations/regulations.htm
Edited by EDLT on Sunday 9th January 14:14
ETA Now I've read your post properley you are correct on 5 days.
Edited by smifffymoto on Sunday 9th January 16:31
Twincam16 said:
davepoth said:
Twincam16 said:
The Tories announce they want to open a new generation of technical schools and the NUT's immediate response is 'this will create a two-tier education system'. This is their riposte to every single tory education policy regardless of whether it's actually what they've been asking for for years.
Labour's whole credo is to reject the idea that some people are just not set out for great things, and should be taught at an appropriate level to do something useful.
The whole idea of comprehensive schools was 'a grammar-school education for all'. This used to work before Labour got in. I went to a comprehensive and got pretty much the same level of education I would have got at the private down the road, maybe minus the Latin. However, when Labour started meddling (after I'd left, thankfully), this notion of getting everyone to emerge from the state sector exactly the same through a battery of tests and standards choked the system to death.
Thing is, since then I think they shot state education in the foot. They go on and on about attaining grades in state schools, but thanks to grade inflation it's meaningless. I went back to my old school during my (thankfully aborted) PGCE and was shocked to discover they'd got rid of the library and the head of English told me 'we don't expect the kids to read novels, I mean, when was the last time even you read a novel?' (I've usually got a fiction and a non-fiction on the go at any one time). The actual academic expectations of even the brightest kids was rock-bottom but they'd still come out with 'good' grades - grades that represented bugger-all in the real world. The result is that I don't think I've seen quite so many ex-public school types in high-profile jobs before.
Also, why have the teaching unions got this notion that technical qualifications and achievements are somehow worth 'less' than academic ones? What about the likes of Brunel? Or the Stephenson brothers? Or Alan Turing? Or any one of the people working in UK motorsport today? These are major technical achievements worth celebrating that you won't follow up if the people likely to achieve them aren't allowed to study them.
But of course the Union line on all of this is that if anything affects the 1970s post-grammar-school notion of a 'comprehensive education' that has lead so proudly to the achievements of neighbourhood after neighbourhood of workless, skill-less kids growing up with neither prospects nor pride in their own abilities because the unions and Labour decided that being able to fix a car or plan an extension is somehow beneath the UK citizen, and it's far more useful to the country if these people learn about Shakespeare instead
.I have a level 2 NVQ in vehicle maintenance and repair. I have working a garage for nearly 2 years, I know how a car works.
I also have an AS in maths at E and an AS in physics at B
But if I want to do automotive engineering at university, then me knowing how a car works, being able to see blatant design flaws in cars because I've had to fix them and being able to fix the bloody things is worthless.
Why?
Because someone whos done an apprenticeship, had to work 36 hours a week and 7 hours at college for £80 a week, has no chance of financial independance till they work full time isn't considered as good as someone who sat through A level physics and maths lessons and got a B or more.
elanfan said:
What makes me sick about these union leaders is their assumption that all their members support them in their political agenda. I'm a Unite member and politically opposite to this tt - unfortunately I do not have any say in his views. The unite membership is undoubtedly weighted in favour of labour supporters but being also a white collar union I'd be very surprised if there wasn't a health percentage of members that do not agree with his views.
In my opinion there should be legislation banning the political aspects of unions - if Red Len wants to be a politician let him stand for Parliament (and let's see how far that gets him). Unions should be representing ALL of their membership not just the percentage that suits them. Just hope Mr Cameron has a little of Mrs Thatch's backbone
I am also a member of UNITE and agree 100 percent with the above. Crap like this makes me wonder why i bothered joining in the first place.t - unfortunately I do not have any say in his views. The unite membership is undoubtedly weighted in favour of labour supporters but being also a white collar union I'd be very surprised if there wasn't a health percentage of members that do not agree with his views.In my opinion there should be legislation banning the political aspects of unions - if Red Len wants to be a politician let him stand for Parliament (and let's see how far that gets him). Unions should be representing ALL of their membership not just the percentage that suits them. Just hope Mr Cameron has a little of Mrs Thatch's backbone
AlpineWhite said:
mp3manager said:
Jealous much? 
Yes! Without wanting to sound like some sort of lentil munching, sandal wearing socialist, it seems a bit unfair that we have teachers and nurses earning less, and probably doing a more demanding job.
Everybody has a choice when they leave school to which career path they want to follow. If somebody chooses career path X and someone chooses career path Y, and Y pays more money, how is that unfair?
I chose a career in logistics and spent a lot of time, money and effort in to getting qualified to drive fuel tankers.
As a truck driver I find it funny that people are jealous of my wage....their life must be really crap.
Maybe they should use all that negativity and do something positive with it....like improving their own life.
Edited by mp3manager on Sunday 9th January 16:42
AlpineWhite said:
I've made my choices and gone on my path, which I'm happy with.
You've changed your tune then.Wasn't that long ago you were calling truckers like me
s, simply because I presumably earn more than you.Here's my passport to £40k. Full ADR - Core, Packages 2,3,4,5,6,8,9 & Tanks, (minus explosives and radioactives which isn't part of the normal course).
I'm more irritated by the threat of bringing the country to a standstill, again, than how much they earn. It was only 2008 since the last round, let's not forget. I'd rather be able to get to work, if I'm honest.
And thanks for the willy waving pic.
Edit - noticed your partial quote from my last post, don't fancy answering the other part, do you? Ta very much.
And thanks for the willy waving pic.
Edit - noticed your partial quote from my last post, don't fancy answering the other part, do you? Ta very much.
Edited by AlpineWhite on Sunday 9th January 19:55
v64paul said:
There is of course a really easy way for the govt to circumvent this just get the Army HGV drivers to drive the tankers - problem solved.
sorry Matt, the squaddies were'nt trained to use the loading systems in place during the last protest, so i dont see anything changing.
Ahh fair enough, I totally forgot the tanker drivers did the loading and unloadingsorry Matt, the squaddies were'nt trained to use the loading systems in place during the last protest, so i dont see anything changing.
If it does happen I am going to be royally in the mire as my car uses a bit more than the £10 ration they were giving people the last time.
Edited by mattmoxon on Sunday 9th January 19:56
AlpineWhite said:
Edit - noticed your partial quote from my last post, don't fancy answering the other part, do you? Ta very much.
Just like your partial quote of my previous post. Edited by AlpineWhite on Sunday 9th January 19:55
As you mentioned the medical profession earlier, are all GP's
s? As most of them earn over £100k?mp3manager said:
AlpineWhite said:
Edit - noticed your partial quote from my last post, don't fancy answering the other part, do you? Ta very much.
Just like your partial quote of my previous post. Edited by AlpineWhite on Sunday 9th January 19:55
As you mentioned the medical profession earlier, are all GP's
s? As most of them earn over £100k?And yes, anyone earning more than me is. Anyone earning less is alright by me. Even if they are paupers.
thenortherner said:
Company/Union agreements can be effective, and both parties can work well together. The problems only arise when they don't.
Hear here. What people forget is that employment is all about contracts and bargaining power, however that is leveraged. It is not a fashionable thing to say, but the vast majority of people (union members or not) enjoy decent terms and conditions of employment and living wages because of Union agreements.theironduke said:
Sorry, up to 40k for driving a tanker????????
Thats more than an Army Captain ffs (yes, rising to 45k i know but starting is about 38 i think)
s.
It's their career choice. Thats more than an Army Captain ffs (yes, rising to 45k i know but starting is about 38 i think)
s.I am a member of the TSSA union, I don't want to be, but I am given no choice as when an RMT backed member of staff starts and attack on you for no reason or makes stupid accusations I simply do not have the money to fight their solicitors.
Its the worst thing about my job by a long way.
k-ink said:
I'm a little torn on this. On the one hand going back to the 70's and 80's style strike chaos seems crazy. But if no stand is taken I have no doubt fuel prices will be double what they are now. It's simply a matter of how much time. Luckily I don't use a car to commute!
You do realise this strike isn't about fuel prices, and it can only make fuel prices worse?
GTIR said:
Max_Torque said:
Whilst i think it is very important that the "rights" of the workers are supported, bearing in mind we operate as a Capitalist not Communist economy, has a Trade Union ever actually benefited it's workforce in the long term??? It just strikes me that the more you "hurt" your employer, they ultimately can only pass on that "Hurt" to their workforce?? If an employer is operating in a zone that is not sustainable, how can making them spend more money ever work????
Are you being serious?
Coal Miners!Good ol' Scargill, he's a bloody legend.
mp3manager said:
AlpineWhite said:
I've made my choices and gone on my path, which I'm happy with.
You've changed your tune then.Wasn't that long ago you were calling truckers like me
s, simply because I presumably earn more than you.Here's my passport to £40k. Full ADR - Core, Packages 2,3,4,5,6,8,9 & Tanks, (minus explosives and radioactives which isn't part of the normal course).
Edited by Wills2 on Sunday 9th January 21:30
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