Sad for the workers

[daf]

Race you to the bottom. Last one on the slave ship, turn out the lights.

RIP Bob Crow

 

[Dave1970]

zero hours contracts, privatisations, increasing in work poverty etc I'd have said unions were more relevant now than they have been in years.

Bob Crowe's job wasn't to be liked, it was to represent his members. When you look at the pay & conditions his members get compared to a lot of other people in jobs requiring similar skill levels he did a hell of a good job.
Given the level of power and influence of those representing the wealthy maybe we could do with a few more Bob's to even things up a bit?
RIP

 

[Jeltz]

I was listening to a program about him on R4 the day before he died, there are many things about the man I didn't like or agree with but its undoubted he worked hard on behalf of his members and was a larger than life character.

There is a quote from Blade Runner which is quite appropriate.

The light that burns twice as bright burns half as long.

52 is no age and I feel for his friends and family.

 

[calumscott]

I sort of respect Crowe, pity he didn't live in the real world

Expecting to maintain his members wages, public service wages, in a shrinking economy was not realistic.

I work in manufacturing, for now. We are unionised and I doubt the business will survive the next 5 years, so rather than accept a slightly lower standard of living the union members will end up unemployed, along with the rest of us.

Those of you who believe unions are a good thing and that without them we'd still be living in the conditions present in the 1700s should look up Quaker Employers, a far more influential group (in the overall scheme of things) than any union has ever been in this country.

I've been a union rep, I believe, fervently, in an employee's rights to fair employment, I no longer believe unions will deliver that. I've seen the steel works die, I've seen the coal mines die, I've seen the British car industry crumble, I'm watching the industry I work in die. While none of those deaths are entirely due to union pressure, more co-operation from the unions would have helped them survive.

If you want a good union model look to Germany, don't get me wrong they have their union idiots, but far fewer of them, and they don't get to senior levels.

RIP Bob Crowe, a man of, misplaced, but hugely strong principles

I'd vote for you...

 

[Chippy_Tea]

zero hours contracts, privatisations, increasing in work poverty etc I'd have said unions were more relevant now than they have been in years.

Bob Crowe's job wasn't to be liked, it was to represent his members. When you look at the pay & conditions his members get compared to a lot of other people in jobs requiring similar skill levels he did a hell of a good job.
Given the level of power and influence of those representing the wealthy maybe we could do with a few more Bob's to even things up a bit?
RIP

Spot on Dave.

 

[calumscott]

zero hours contracts, privatisations, increasing in work poverty etc I'd have said unions were more relevant now than they have been in years.

One of those is a real issue.

 

[Pjam]

Before his union work Bob Crow worked on the track maintenance side. He was really proud of London Underground and rightly so. The reason Mike Brown (head of LU) could get along with Bob was because, he knew, in the end Bob wanted what was best for the railway.
He never wanted to damage LU in any way and saw the workers as a great asset to the Co.

Boris Johnson on the other hand is a politician, out for himself. Two years ago Boris banged in hand on the table and stated there would be no ticket office closures, a year later he repeated the claim.