Petrol attendants to strike

Ever since that first major strike, the one that lasted a few WEEKS, people feel like the easy way to get more moola is to cripple the industry for a few days and things will fall into their lap.

Sorry, this time they can strike, resign, whatever, it'll give us a chance to learn how to use a pump and check tyre pressure ourselves.:o :D
 
Which first major strike?

The health workers' strike earlier this year?
Security guards last year?
Gold miners in 1921?

I have no problem with people's right to strike if they feel they're not being given a fair deal. I just don't think that petrol attendants fulfill an essential role that we will struggle to do without.
 
chiskop said:
Which first major strike?

The health workers' strike earlier this year?
Security guards last year?
Gold miners in 1921?

I have no problem with people's right to strike if they feel they're not being given a fair deal. I just don't think that petrol attendants fulfill an essential role that we will struggle to do without.
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Health workers..
 
bwana said:
I dont see a Maggie Thatcher here in SA - do you?
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Unfortunately not, that was what I had in mind though, she effectively broke the back of the unions by holding out. Logically if they continue to give in to the striker's demands they'll keep striking.
 
That's the beauty of going to get petrol with a 40+y/o car. those attendants sometimes argue with each other over who gets to fill her up. lol
Always gawking over it
 
Syndyre said:
Unfortunately not, that was what I had in mind though, she effectively broke the back of the unions by holding out. Logically if they continue to give in to the striker's demands they'll keep striking.
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That was a long cold winter :o
 
Eish, the battle for minimum wage wage.

It is the right thing to do, but it hurts us the consumers.
 
sox63 said:
Eish, the battle for minimum wage wage.

It is the right thing to do, but it hurts us the consumers.
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Is it the right thing to do? In almost all cases the unions fight for 1 or 2 or maybe three percent. Strikers are not paid for the days they're on strike, unless they use up some of their leave. In these instances, fighting for one or 2 percent is entirely negated when they effectively lose an entire day's pay. So even though the unions may achieve a "moral victory", the workers suffer the consequences of overall loss of earnings.
 
BobbyMac said:
Is it the right thing to do? In almost all cases the unions fight for 1 or 2 or maybe three percent. Strikers are not paid for the days they're on strike, unless they use up some of their leave. In these instances, fighting for one or 2 percent is entirely negated when they effectively lose an entire day's pay. So even though the unions may achieve a "moral victory", the workers suffer the consequences of overall loss of earnings.
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Not only that but the reality is the more expensive you make labour in this country the more people will automate, move manufacturing to the Far East etc, especially with the low productivity here.
 
I heard a rumour but haven't been able to find any follow up confirmations / articles that VW was considering moving manufacture of Golf/Jetta range back to the motherland, and Ford was hoping to move Focus manufacture to Ozz. Could be a pre-emptive move before the motor unions' turn comes around?
 
McSack said:
I heard a rumour but haven't been able to find any follow up confirmations / articles that VW was considering moving manufacture of Golf/Jetta range back to the motherland, and Ford was hoping to move Focus manufacture to Ozz. Could be a pre-emptive move before the motor unions' turn comes around?
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Wouldn't surprise me, I presume you don't mean the Citi Golf though? Nobody else would want to make that. :o:eek:
 
McSack said:
I heard a rumour but haven't been able to find any follow up confirmations / articles that VW was considering moving manufacture of Golf/Jetta range back to the motherland, and Ford was hoping to move Focus manufacture to Ozz. Could be a pre-emptive move before the motor unions' turn comes around?
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Ford Focus: confirmed
VW (Golf, Jetta): nothing concrete yet but very possible
 
The company promised to introduce a new model to the Wolfsburg plant in exchange for an agreement by employees to work longer hours without additional pay.

Bringing the right-hand drive Golf to the German plant would mean an extra 40 000 to 45 000 vehicles a year. This will save 1 100 jobs faced with the axe because of improved productivity and changes related to the introduction of a new Golf model in late 2008.
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Now that's how you negotiate with unions!! :cool:

Deutsche Uber Alles
 
Syndyre said:
Unfortunately not, that was what I had in mind though, she effectively broke the back of the unions by holding out. Logically if they continue to give in to the striker's demands they'll keep striking.
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I think it had more to do with the union making some fundamental mistakes and failing to follow the rules set down for organising a strike. That gave Thatcher a chance to take them on.
 
bwana said:
Cheaper pump prices?
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Doubt it very much.
In the greater scheme of things that cost is insignificant when considering the volatility of the fuel price in the world today.
Costs of distributing are covered in the retail margin (including labour) but you will see this is a very small margin indeed.
The negative effects as a result of unemployment must surely far outweigh a couple of cents premium at a pump anyway.

Look at the RAF if you want to save some cash at the pump, or at Sasol and the governments failure to implement windfall taxes on them whilst pegging their fuel price against those produced from crude imports.
http://www.ifleet.co.za/images/pdf/literature/FuelPrices_SouthAfrica_calculated_1116589733064.pdf
 
noxibox said:
I think it had more to do with the union making some fundamental mistakes and failing to follow the rules set down for organising a strike. That gave Thatcher a chance to take them on.
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That probably helped, but ultimately there's no law forcing you to give in to strikers. If you can hold out longer than they can you've effectively won.
 
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