I used to work with a lad whose wife was one of the admin staff for LCC Refuse Dept. Apparently they kicked off big style if they'd not cleared their rounds by 2:00pm and on their merry way home.

I've not had a bonus this year and also a pay freeze (which in relative terms is a pay cut although my income hasn't physically been cut), but in this economic climate I thank myself lucky to be going to work at all.

My company made 30 redundancies in the last 12 months.

The last thing that I would do would be to rock the boat.

Take the cut and thank God that you've got a job

Citizen John eh?

I lost all respect for the binmen when they refused to empty my€ wheelie bin due to it being overfull (the lid was ajar by approx 1"icon_wink.gif.

The reason it was full is becasue they hadn't collected it the week before!!!

Therefore my opinion is this, pay them 12k/year and give them a performance pay related kicker with KPI's in place to minimise sickness, improve collection efficiency and generally get some accountability in place.

Are these the same pay cuts that have been in the pipeline for the last three years?

I dont get how it works but.

Is this Leeds City Council that want bin men to take a pay cut the same council that have spent £6m on Leeds Uniteds training ground?

INVESTED, the word is INVESTED.

I'm of an age when I can vividly remember the miners strikes. A harsh lesson was learned.

You mean the council have bought a prime piece of development land that they have contracted client for the rental for the forseeable future - seems like good business to me!!!

I'll have anoter one of the Pork Pies, I say, I'll have another one of those Pork Pies.

My firm has made 50 people redundant this year we have had a pay freeze - effectively a pay cut - you expect us to be sympathetic to bunch of individuals that through their own actions have brought about their own downfall - you are serious deluded

Its a pity the unions didn't encourage their members to actually attend work and meet their contractual hours - £9hr for unskilled labour that says to me that it had a limited lifespan once the recession hit and the fact the union and its members didn't see it coming shows both in their true light.

Not many sales jobs exist without them. We take lower salaries with the payback that if we secure revenue we'll be rewarded.




My income is reduced by significantly more than that proportionately and absolutely [iand [/i with immediate effect. There's no 3 year moratorium here.




Correct. Had it been a unionised business and the union & workforce opposed the changes the company would have folded and I'd have been jobless.




Yes. We were in arrears for two months and will be again next month.

The bin men have a 3 year moratorium before they'd be facing any arrears and even then that would be if they chose not to find alternatative employment in the intervening 3 years.




150 odd.



Actually, they took 12.5%, and as shareholders probably lose a good deal more than that.

The issues are that overall revenues are down due to the recession; clients are paying more slowly and the bank has cut the company overdraft. All big impacts on cash flow.

and



My company has paid below inflation rises for the past 5 years, implemented a pay freeze this year, is closing our DB pension scheme and trying to make 1200 out of 6000 staff redundant.

Fortunately I'm not one of the 6000 in-scope for redundancy but you can bet your bottom dollar that I will be doing the best I can as a Union member and a member of our works Consultative Forum to fight all of these and if that means I go on strike then so be it.

Puig's company seems to be genuine in its problems but many companies, mine included, appear to be crying wolf when they don't have a real problem.

Trade Unions are there for a reason, like any insurance policy and I am certainly glad I am a member of one otherwise I'd be on every time.
At least with a Union there's some chance of standing up against bullying bosses.
Thatcher tried to destroy Unions but didn't quite manage it. If you want a return to pre-Union days then be my guest but they're not for me.

It appears to me with many SMEs it's a very fine balance between crying wolf and going under. Poor cash flow can often be a hand to mouth situation at the best of times. Payroll can wipe a bank account out in an instant, then you have loads of other considerations; VAT, PAYEE etc. If your cash flow projection is cut by, say 40% over night (the figure Tescos made all their construction related suppliers make recently) do you hold tight and hope, or think about the greater good? Surely reacting quickly may possibly save more jobs in the long run, rather than lumbering along hoping for the best?

My company has reduced it rates to remain competitive in the current market where we complete in a global market economy. As a result they've passed these savings directly onto us i.e. salaries etc. It's to be expected since we are the company's biggest cost (and revenue earner - skills based industry).

Personally I'm not as cynical to assume a company would make cuts for convenience/feathering their nest even if they appear as though they're not in strife.

With regards to the bin men; I suspect it might be a culture issue that is common-place with non-commercial enterprises, like the civil service, where it clearly is considered acceptable to take 30 days sick per year, and get as much out of the system as you can. These benefits are not available to me, and even if they were I doubt I'd use them to these extents. I have some pride and think it would reflect badly on me.

Is it possible that if there wasn't a general p*ss take culture in the first place their whole pay structure may have been left alone?

I'm afraid they lost any sympathy I may have had by taking strike action.

I think you'll find the heavily unionised factories are the ones companies are looking to close - their inability to live in the real world regarding working practices leaves them vulnerable in times when downsizing is required. Unite is the prevalent union in my industry and their militant stance in the past is really coming home to roost. My own firm have closed two sites and downsized in three others - unsurprisingly the two closed were almost 100% unionised.

What is very sad to see is the impotent union trying to do a deal with management when the threat of job losses is reality - it is a pity they were less willing to work with management with the times were perceived to be better