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23rd January 2015, 09:42 AM
#1
Queen Victoria.
Some work carried out aboard QV in Hamburg it's just a pity that we do not have a yard capable of carrying out this work here.
Regards.
Jim.B.
Three Queens liner Queen Victoria sets sail ahead of her visit to Liverpool in May - Liverpool Echo
Last edited by Jim Brady; 23rd January 2015 at 09:45 AM.
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23rd January 2015, 10:07 AM
#2
Re: Queen Victoria.
Re #1.... Wasn't so long back they were building Pocket battleships to circumvent the tonnage restrictions imposed on them from the first world war. JS
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23rd January 2015, 12:19 PM
#3
Re: Queen Victoria.
Jim B
Despite no U.K. yard being able to carry out the work I bet there were a load of Brits amongst those contractors.
Some years ago I was flying home on leave and got into conversation with some fellow geordies on the flight. They worked as plumbers, carpenters, outfitters etc. for an outfit based in Southampton and had just finished working for a considerable period of time on Fred Olsens Boudica during its major overhaul and outfitting in that same yard as the Queen Victoria. They were telling me that the biggest number of craftmen on board were Brits with Poles and Turks during most of the manual labouring. Very few Germans employed below managerial kevel. I was actually in that yard for emergency hull repairs on a container ship {ex. Dart Atlantic, now razor blades} back in the 80's and the workforce then had a similar make up, even on a cargo ship there were U.K. welders working there, especially stainless and high tensile steel welders.
rgds
JA
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23rd January 2015, 12:50 PM
#4
Re: Queen Victoria.
That's what's sad about it John we have the expertise and the workforce here to carry out the work but we don't have the shipyard.The high wages of the UK workforce can't be blamed as I imagine the rate over there is higher than they would get in the UK.
Regards.
Jim.B.
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23rd January 2015, 01:43 PM
#5
Re: Queen Victoria.
on wages agree jim ...but they dont strike ........like our hospital workers .....firemen ......teachers ......ambulance workers.......and in times gone by..... old uncle tom cobbley and all regards cappy ps i remember the 3 day week and hope it will never happen again
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23rd January 2015, 01:49 PM
#6
Re: Queen Victoria.
Maybe the conditions over there there is no need to strike.!!!
Regards.
Jim.B.
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23rd January 2015, 02:14 PM
#7
Re: Queen Victoria.
aufwiedersein pet.......cappy
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23rd January 2015, 02:42 PM
#8
Re: Queen Victoria.
Was'nt that some kind of comedy TV show cappy.
Regards.
Jim.B.
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23rd January 2015, 02:50 PM
#9
Re: Queen Victoria.
best show on telly for quite a while ........some good laughs regards cappy
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23rd January 2015, 05:23 PM
#10
Re: Queen Victoria.
Jim
A number of years ago I was chatting with a ship repair manager from Camel Lairds and he told me a very interesting fact about wages and dry docking costs between the U.K. and Germany.
On all aspects of dry docking costs such as:
Dock hire
Time for dry dock
Shot blasting
Hull Preparation and painting
steel work renewal
et. etc.
He c could match the Germans on price, the only think he could not match them on was labour costs, their hourly rates were well below that of his Birkenhead yards rates. I was amazed at that but he went onto explain that the Federal Governments in Germany that had shipyards subsidised directly the labour rates by up to 20% and possibly even more. This was paid directly into the yards wages account in order to prevent it being diverted either into some ones pocket or diverted to subsidise other work.
The reasoning behind this subsidy was that if it kept the yards workforce in a job it was better then having to pay them the German equivalent of dole money, which is around 100% of their base wage. Better to subsidise the work force and keep them working in order that they still pay tax etc. and still have cash for new cars etc. etc. than have them lounging around on the dole. With them in work the majority of the subsidy is recovered in tax and vat on the goods that they are able to buy with their salary.
Apparently this is totally against EU rules but then when did Germany, France etc. ever abide by the rules if they did not suit them.
Can you ever see a U.K. government of any party having the nouse and balls to implement a similar system here, think pigs will fly before that ever happens.
rgds
JA
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