Dickensian bubble world

Friday 6th November 2009, 3:00PM GMT.

From David Warr.
AS the owner of a local business I resent hugely the comments expressed in your paper by Mr Corbel that the Jersey Chamber of Commerce is ‘demanding that staff go back to work the day after Christmas’.

Despite being a member of the Chamber, I have received no such demand and incidentally will be closing my business alongside a number of other locally owned businesses on the Saturday in question.

Mr Corbel would also do well to read the 1951, 1952 and 2009 laws which clearly outline the rules for both public and bank holidays, but of course these weren’t around in the Dickensian world that Mr Corbel so vividly describes.

Interestingly enough the internet wasn’t around in 1843, the year in which Scrooge was written. It’s estimated that 5.24 million people will log on to shop over the internet on Christmas Day alone. That’s more than the total number of people who’ll go to Church on the same day, and incidentally it’s estimated that they’ll spend around £104 million.

The internet trades 24/7 regardless of ‘official’ bank holidays or, for that matter, any bank holidays at all; the very internet that no doubt many of Mr Corbel’s members use over the weekend when, inconveniently, local shops are closed. The ‘cheap’ internet which erodes local jobs, the very jobs Mr Corbel wants to protect.

Let Mr Corbel be thankful for what we do have, highly restrictive Sunday trading laws; laws that have long been lost in the UK to the detriment of local communities and quality family time; laws on minimum wages; employment contracts that protect the rights of workers.

Given his knowledge of history Mr Corbel will no doubt remember the story of King Canute, who, upon learning that his flattering courtiers claimed he was ‘so great, he could command the tides of the sea to go back’, had his throne carried to the seashore and sat on it as the tide came in, commanding the waves to advance no further. The point being that he was a realist and knew his own limitations.

Jersey’s business owners are not some ‘grasping, scraping and clutching’ group of individuals; they too are realists living in a highly competitive global world – a world in which the rights of millions of workers are trampled on to provide cheap goods for, yes, even us here in Jersey.

If Mr Corbel wants to be taken seriously by the business community, he should fight the battles that protect our community, the ones that ensure we have a strong economy that provides jobs for all; a fair wage for a fair day’s work. If instead he continues to live in some Dickensian bubble world he’ll be doing his members and the community a great disservice. Canute’s tide stops for no one.

1
Claire Stephens

November 7, 2009 at 3:26 pm

I still think there are a lot of firms over here who simply aren’t fit to employ staff. The antediluvian manner in which they treat their employees is backed up by employment legislation which is more at home in the 1950′s let alone the 21st century.

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2
Adrian

November 7, 2009 at 5:45 pm

Jersey business owners are not in business to look after their employees. They are in business for profit. They will make use of people any way they can, it is business after all, is it not?

I think I know why Jersey is so backward as regards employment legislation, it is because those running the show want it like this. What other reason can there be? Workers would much prefer EU conditions of employment but this would cost business owners and hit their profit margins.

Claire you are spot on some should be given a taste of their own medicine and then they would see what it is like to be used by others.

I like the comment “a fair wage for a fair day’s work” if only it were true. Does anyone think £6.20 an hour is a fair wage over here?

From what I have seen and been told by others I wouldn’t work for many of these dinosaurs. I agree that workers rights are being trampled on around the world and it is spreading to the west via globalisation. How long before the workers loose what they have fought for since WW2? Not long if things carry on going down hill as they are, as far as I am concerned.

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3
joker

November 9, 2009 at 2:22 pm

Adrian

You argument holds no logic. If business exploited people in the heinous way you believe then there would be no business because no one would work for the business. Staff are a businesses key asset and most business will ignore that at their own peril.

Secondly, you mention that most workers would prefer EU legislation. I agree we are slow off the blocks and there’s room for improvement but the situation can’t be that bad seeing as that a large proportion of the service and retail industry here is made up by workers from the EU!

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4
Adrian

November 10, 2009 at 1:12 pm

Only one hole in your argument joker. People are forced to work they have no option, unless they are rich. If people could choose whether to work or not, would they do so? Secondly would they work for the types I mentioned above? I think you know the answer to that.

Slow off the blocks? Diabolical would be more like it in my book. As per EU citizens coming to work here. Maybe it is because they can earn more here, even on minimum wage, than back home? No doubt most will go back home when they can get a decent wage in their home land.

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5
joker

November 10, 2009 at 4:50 pm

Oh Adrian,

Not everyone hates their job like you obviously do, or holds contempt for the rich like you do. People need to have self worth and all levels of employment can provide that. Most don’t expect food handed to them on a plate. For that reason work is an accepted practice of society which most people choose to do.

The alternative is to each be allocated a plot of land and work it (I believe that’s your idea of utopia) and that’s a far harder line of work for a much lower standard of living than what the majority currently have – growing sprouts does not pay for welfare. The current system encourages people to strive for better rather than rot on their patch and repeat as last year. Anyone who hates their work has the choice to go back to school/college and study for something they will find more interesting. Migrants come to Jersey of their free will for economic reasons. They’re also free to leave at any time.

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6
Jean Poole

November 10, 2009 at 5:02 pm

There are 900+ people trying to find work, so it’s a bad employer’s dreamworld at the moment.

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7
Adrian

November 10, 2009 at 6:23 pm

joker let me put it this way.

If you won the lottery and had enough money to do what you wanted in life would you work? I bet most would take the “get a life option”, maybe you disagree?

It isn’t about hating work it is pointing out the obvious there are better things to do with one’s life.

As per the rich I’m all for them as long as they pay their fair share. The more they earn the more they should put back. Simple really. However the opposite seems to hold true.

I view this system as a con because most never get anywhere, they are peddled the dream of work hard and you will suceed. In reality this is a pipe dream for most.

Most migrants are economic therefore they move for the money pure and simple. Why else pull up your roots and go somewhere else where you may not be wanted by the locals who may view you as an economic threat to their standard of living?

Jean a valid point. It is becoming a case of work for little reward or chose to starve not really a choice is it?

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8
joker

November 11, 2009 at 1:57 pm

Well Adrian I guess it depends on your outlook of life. We make our own choices and there are plenty of rags to riches stories (through hard work and not guessing at some random numbers) and even more rags to middle earners to prove it does happen. If you choose to be a defeatist then that’s up to you. I appreciate there’s more to life than work but I also wouldn’t want to have my food and welfare handed to me on a plate either. It’s called compromise.

If I won the lottery yes I’d like to do all things I cannot afford to do now. But then after a while I’d probably feel empty and would quench that through voluntary work, just like a lot of well off people do.

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9
Adrian

November 11, 2009 at 4:44 pm

joker I am a realist and see things as they are, not how they are spun by others.

Reality dictates most won’t amount to much. Thats why there are very few rich people in comparison to the masses.

Welfare is meant to be there to help those in need not to be used and abused. However due to ineffectual controls this often happens. This is not the fault of those in need but it is down to an ineffectual government who won’t tackle this thorney issue properly. Maybe you would prefer a return to the good old days of people starving to death? Would you view this as weeding out those who weren’t up to much?

If you look at it in the cold light of day most are forced to do something they don’t want to be doing. This is economic slavery as far as I am concerned. Then they may have to contend with a bad boss as well. I suppose this is what you would call compromise.

So I see even you wouldn’t go back to the day job preferring to do as the rich do and pick and choose how you spend your time.

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