Bosses – ‘Don’t act like Scrooge’
Monday 2nd November 2009, 2:56PM GMT.
Union leader Nick Corbel
BUSINESS leaders have been compared to fictional miser Ebenezer Scrooge over their opposition to workers getting time off over Christmas.
Union leader Nick Corbel has borrowed from Charles Dickens in criticising the Chamber of Commerce, who he says are ‘squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping and clutching’ for demanding that staff go back to work the day after Christmas.
The Unite official has called on the States to back Deputy Shona Pitman’s proposal to guarantee Saturday 26 December as a public holiday, due for debate tomorrow.
The States have already agreed to make the following Monday a holiday to make up for the usual Boxing Day break – and the Chamber of Commerce had supported that decision.
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Quite right to. They have already got away with taking Liberation Day from many of the workers.
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Nothing fictional about old Ebeneezer.
That describes half the tight butted Jersey famillies who think they can take there legacys with them into the next life!!
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It wont make any difference, we have been asked to “volunteer” to work the 26th and then we are open as normal. For most of the people where I work xmas week will consist of 1 day – xmas day!!!
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The biggest humbug of all is Nick Corbel.
It is he who, with all his grandstanding and posturing, will not realise that money is short, the whole world is in recession, and pay increases are unaffordable at the moment.
Yes, here in Jersey, too.
He would do well to make a tactical retreat until battle conditions improve.
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Fred I would tell them were to go! It is Christmas time after all. Christmas is often the time for getting the flu. They can’t do anything if you are ill.
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“Adrian – Fred I would tell them were to go! It is Christmas time after all. Christmas is often the time for getting the flu. They can’t do anything if you are ill”.
Ah Adrian’s world, where everything is fair, there’s no recession and no chance that you would be sacked for being difficult, a socialists paradise. Back here on earth, I’m in the same position having been “asked to work” wanting to keep my job, feed my kids, keep a roof over my head, ( you know little things like that ) I happily said yes, just watch those who said no be the first out the door.
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I agree with you C Nile (comment 6)I hardly think faking illness as suggested by Adrian is a good idea in order to get a day off although I used to work with quite a few who did think that was acceptable.I cannot believe all the fuss over the Christmas break in Jersey-why wasn’t this all sorted out months ago?
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Its great for office workers, they get an extra day, staff where i work now have to go in to work early on the saturday to provide respite childcare.
Christmas is for children and they should be at home with siblings and parents.
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Another PR stunt from the Union off the back of a spurious demand for an extra days holiday. The fact is the UK, Guernsey and all those near us are happy with the existing arrangement. Jersey is the only place moaning about it. This is just another waste of tax payers money as the States waste their time debating it when more important issues are at stake.
Grumpy #8
Rather than moan about the conditions of office workers why not just get an office job?
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TAKE TAKE TAKE Thats all this guy knows…I am surprised he has’nt asked for the 29 30 and 31st off as well..one day he will wake up and realise Jersey is in a recession!!!!!
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It’s Jersey. The bosses don’t need any excuse to act as Scrooge.
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Magnolia Man 4.
“YES”, there’s a recession out there.
And “YES” we all have to bow our heads, get our shoulders to the grindstone and push that little bit harder…but we should NEVER EVER ask the unions to ‘RETREAT’, not even during the toughest times.
The ugly truth is: ‘Ask your employers for a mile and you get’ll an inch, ask them for nothing and they’ll start taking away your rights and cutting your pay’…and where people have asked for nothing that is exactly what is happening!
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Why on earth is anyone trotting out the recession? That has nothing to do with this scenario. One day will make no difference.
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well Leah I see you have no idea what Bank Holidats cost..the law says that if a person who does not work on a Saturday which is then granted to be a bank holiday are then entitled to other day off so your idea of another day means that all the bank staff that are whining about losing the saturday who have been noe monday would be entitled to yet another day…
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I am completely in agreement with born warrior (12)!
As for the bank holiday argument – Boxing day is the 26th of December not the 28th or any other day. What next? Move xmas day itself to suit office workers?!
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C.Nile employers and managers are always coming up with excuses not to pay the cost of living to their staff. If it wasn’t the recession it would be something else.
You might view someone standing up for their rights as being difficult I don’t. Regulations are there for a reason. Take the minimum wage, for example, do you honestly think employers would be paying £6.20 an hour if they could get away with £3 an hour?
It isn’t about being socialist it is about fairness and equity, or is it fine and dandy to use might to suppress the weak?
I myself would like to see the end of the need for unions but unfortunately we know what would happen if this did occur. I believe Scrooge would be back in fashion, as left alone things tend to go to the lowest common denominator.
As per bank holidays it is common practice to give a day in lieu when they fall on a rest day. This is not rocket science so why does Jersey make it so difficult?
Born Warrier I say ask for an inch and you will be expected to give a mile!
As far as I am concerned employers and managers are now coming up with more and more ingenous ways to get extra work out of their staff, whether it be continual assessments, quality circles, the plus one factor, the use of fancy words, posters espousing teamwork etc etc.
Why don’t they cut the **** and just say they want people to work harder? Maybe if they did their staff would expect a rise for this extra work? Better to disguise it under “teamwork” me thinks.
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Disheartened……why the attack on office workers???
Adrian, 16.
I totally agree. I work for a financial institution who have made a record profit this year and was barely affected by the credit crunch, in fact, they having been taking advantage of it and acquiring other businesses. Any pay rises/bonuses we receive are performance related and yet the bank has jumped on the bandwagon and frozen pay rises and bonuses…..ridiculous.
Who wins here? Obviously not the worker….just the shareholders and those who have awarded themselves their own pay rises/bonuses. They know no-one will complain because jobs are scarce, but they will be in for a shock when the employment market recovers……loyalty goes both ways and we will remember this!
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Leah
“Why on earth is anyone trotting out the recession? That has nothing to do with this scenario. One day will make no difference. ”
Actually it has everything to do with the recession. Firstly all those States workers who would normally work on a Saturday for normal wage will now have to be paid double time. That’s quite a few States workers. Secondly fixed costs of retailers do not disappear when the shop is closed and businesses struggling would have included that day in their forecast. Thirdly those who want to work to make ends meet will not be able to.
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