Petrol sales drop

So we're going to protect the jobs of 65000 petrol attendants at the cost of over 8 million vehicle owners?

Playing with some figures :
Let's say the average distance driven per vehicle is 1000km/month and the fuel consumption is an average of 10l/100km.
That's 100 litres/month/vehicle.
Let's assume that deregulation of the fuel price would save us 50 cents per litre.
That would be R50 per vehicle per month.
With 8 million vehicles that would be R400 million.

Let's say each petrol attendant earns R2500 per month.
56000 x 2500 per month = R140 million

Someone please explain how protecting a small group benefits everyone else and builds a better economy for the rest of us?
Wouldn't the job creation caused by a stronger economy far out weight protecting the jobs of a small group?

Penny wise - pound foolish.
 
Well ,the money doesn't evaporate, it must be spent somewhere in the economy. Thus it stays in the economy...

Unless it goes overseas somehow, but I just don't see petrol pump attends doing that ;)
 
I'm not surprised, so many commuters are in lift clubs. It's a great idea you actually end up saving money on petrol and maintance.
 
supersunbird said:
Well ,the money doesn't evaporate, it must be spent somewhere in the economy. Thus it stays in the economy...

Unless it goes overseas somehow, but I just don't see petrol pump attends doing that ;)
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Not necessarily. Less petrol generally means less activity/production in the economy. Money doesn't evaporate, but production does. Same with electricity...the money not spent on the electricity bill (blackouts etc) does go elsewhere, but on the whole the economy takes a knock.;)
 
Paul_S said:
So we're going to protect the jobs of 65000 petrol attendants at the cost of over 8 million vehicle owners?

Playing with some figures :
Let's say the average distance driven per vehicle is 1000km/month and the fuel consumption is an average of 10l/100km.
That's 100 litres/month/vehicle.
Let's assume that deregulation of the fuel price would save us 50 cents per litre.
That would be R50 per vehicle per month.
With 8 million vehicles that would be R400 million.

Let's say each petrol attendant earns R2500 per month.
56000 x 2500 per month = R140 million

Someone please explain how protecting a small group benefits everyone else and builds a better economy for the rest of us?
Wouldn't the job creation caused by a stronger economy far out weight protecting the jobs of a small group?

Penny wise - pound foolish.
Click to expand...

It doesn't benefit anyone else but that's typical trade union logic, protect the minority at the expense of everyone else. Of course the petrol retailers don't want deregulation either, profits will inevitably drop if they're forced to compete. Its still better for the rest of us though.
 
Syndyre said:
It doesn't benefit anyone else but that's typical trade union logic, protect the minority at the expense of everyone else.
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Union members are workers. People who have jobs. Unions (and their leaders) are are only interested in looking after the interests of their dues paying workers. As it should be. But sometimes they pretend to be more than that.

Unions are not interested in the unemployed poor. They are not members of a union. Nor will they be organized into the "Unemployed Workers Union" because they have no money to pay dues.
 
Londo said:
Union members are workers. People who have jobs. Unions (and their leaders) are are only interested in looking after the interests of their dues paying workers. As it should be. But sometimes they pretend to be more than that.

Unions are not interested in the unemployed poor. They are not members of a union. Nor will they be organized into the "Unemployed Workers Union" because they have no money to pay dues.
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Exactly, yet unions act as if they've got everyone's best interests at heart. :rolleyes: Funny how when companies are involved monopolies, collusion and price fixing are seen as negatives but when it comes to labour they're encouraged. :confused:
 
I have to wonder whether there would be any competition or would petrol prices actually go up dramatically due to covert collusion.

Someone please explain how protecting a small group benefits everyone else and builds a better economy for the rest of us?
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Long-term it doesn't help, but it also won't benefit us dumping thousands more people into the market. The union is rightly expressing concern for their workers for whom they speak.

Wouldn't the job creation caused by a stronger economy far out weight protecting the jobs of a small group?
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Definitely, but no effort is being made to strengthen the economy. Instead the central bank is busy stabbing it to death.
 
Syndyre said:
Funny how when companies are involved monopolies, collusion and price fixing are seen as negatives but when it comes to labour they're encouraged. :confused:
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Completely different situations. Workers are individuals not big companies colluding with each other.
 
noxibox said:
Completely different situations. Workers are individuals not big companies colluding with each other.
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Yet if workers all operate as one through a union are they not colluding? Is labour as a factor of production really any different from any other input?
 
Syndyre said:
Yet if workers all operate as one through a union are they not colluding? Is labour as a factor of production really any different from any other input?
Click to expand...

Because corporations have even more power, especially if they collude, combine or monopolize, that the union/s at best can just match that power for the underpowered workers.
 
supersunbird said:
Because corporations have even more power, especially if they collude, combine or monopolize, that the union/s at best can just match that power for the underpowered workers.
Click to expand...

Maybe, unions can end up with a lot of power too. I just find unions often make things better for their members at the expense of everybody else, this seems very evident in SA.
 
Unions are a joke.

Some union wants to add our staff to their 'communication something or other' union but we're in security. They say because our staff sit in front of a camera and 'report' incidents we fall under 'communication'. Except our staff report an incident to a cop sitting behind them and he decides whether to 'comunicate' or not. But no turning around and saying a few words qualifies you to fall under this 'communication union it seems. I guess anybody who opens their mouth at work will qualify then :D.
 
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Paul_S said:
So we're going to protect the jobs of 65000 petrol attendants at the cost of over 8 million vehicle owners?
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Just another thinly-disguised communist/socialist way of further taxing the 'rich' to give to the poor. Unfortunately history has shown over and over that it doesn't work. It doesn't even really protect jobs, in fact the opposite is true. Take someone who spends, say, R800/month on petrol and is at the limit of their monthly budget. All these petrol price increases push them just over their limit, say to R1100/month. Now they need to cut something - oh hey, that maid that comes in once a week, well, she'll have to go, we'll just have to clean our own place.

Money should generally go to the people who are able to create the most jobs with it in order to improve the economy - and create real jobs.
 
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