Work hard lads

[happy daze john in oz]

Here in Oz today the richest woman, iron ore billionaire, made a statement.
"Stop whinging about how badly off you are, get out of the pub and do a hard days work, if you want to get rich work hard and stop complaining"
The government have taken it as an insult to the workers, but the fact is working hard, provided you can find work, will pay very good dividends.
At the same time we have the builders union here in Melbourne almost getting to the riot stage about conditions on one particular work site opperated by the best and fairest building company in the nation.
Then the headlines in the paper, these workers get 69 days off per year along with all public holiday which amount to 11.
That amounts to 16 weeks per year, the average worker gets 4.
So working hard may make you rich, but being a member of the bulders union will sure get you a lot of time off.

[Doc Vernon]

I know that i stand up for what she says,as many (not all) Aussies have this habit of wanting to rush off as soon as they can and into the nearest Pub,see it every day here,i Drive to the Station daily to pick Irene up,and you want to see the ammont of Workers with Work Trucks parking and running in to get that first Beer in!
Its quite OK to have a Pint at the end of the day i know,but hell man to see the way some of these Guys gulp down Schooners is just short of madness!
No wonder there are so many drink drivers around!
Yes they really need to stop all this Boozing at the rate they do!
Its bad for them,and its damn well dangerous to everyone else!
I know this is actually about the ones that dont work,but the ones that do,can decrease their intake too!

"Stop whinging about how badly off you are, get out of the pub and do a hard days work, if you want to get rich work hard and stop complaining"

[j.sabourn]

Ref. the maritime world in Oz. I worked for 11 years in same. In my total time at sea they were the best conditions I have seen. Wish I had been out here 50 years ago. The skies the limit if you want to work. I was called back during my leave periods for other jobs and had no compunction on doing so. It was all extra money. Many refused to do so why I dont know. In 21 years may have been in a pub half a dozen times when home on leave as couldnt see the point when you could buy a case of beer for a quarter of the price. Mind when away if there was a pub handy I was there. The maritime union had a tight grip on the Industry until a few years ago, and if you could live with that there was no problem. I agree with the mining magnate, I wish I was even 20 years younger I would be right back. Hardship what hardship, well paying jobs and a good standard of living. I know there are a lot of low paid workers but the opportunitys are there for the taking a bit of hard work never hurt us when we were younger. Cheers John Sabourn

[Gulliver]

The drinking culture amongst working people in Japan always used to intrigue me .In ports like Osaka,Nagoya and Yokohama,by the time we shore goers got downtown at about 7.30 pm,we would meet hordes of city businessmen after they’d just finished work in the office.We all know how hardworking those Japanese are,and that applied to free time too.. It was sometimes a struggle to get past all those boisterous, be-suited,bespectacled businessmen having ‘drinkies’ at the end of the day,especially those from the financial institutions who were celebrating a good day.
In the office you’d probably never hear a word from them,the usual picture of Japanese respectability and deference to the boss and loyalty to the Company

But you’d think otherwise if you saw them out-of-hours,and after they’d had their fill of saki,.but more usually whisky-especially the premium gaijin brands like Chivas Regal (other brands are available(,which were hellishly expensive in Japan. We ‘poor’ British seamen would never dream of paying those prices.,so it just shows you that Japanese wages are very good indeed.We stuck to Kirin or Sapporo beer,even that in the 70’s being the equivalent of about £2 per pint.

Later on,we’d see them tipsily weaving their way down to the train stations clutching their briefcases, and grinning “Ah So-Velly Solly.Good Night!."if they accidentally bumped into you
Off to their respectable little wives and respectable little children in their respectable little houses in their respectable little suburbs.. Home at 10pm.
-“ Was A Velly Hard day in the Mitsubishi Corporation Offices today dear.”
“Ah So,hubby?”.Never mind.I make you nice flesh noodles,washed down with saki,then velly nice geisha-style massage for you. You just lie back,no worry.Think about lovely million yen bonus you get next month! “

I used to watch them at the weekends when they’d come down to the harbour to fish. For them,relaxation it is not. It may be thought of as a relaxing pastime for us,but for them it was all about competing with the next fisherman sat further along the quay.Cries of triumph or dismay (“Banzai” etc ),according to their fortune.would render the otherwise calm Sunday morning peacefulness..


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[Louis the Amigo]

Hi Shipmates, years ago the U.K. was like that As soon you had your wages down the nearest pub/club you run ? but only the single men could afford to do it? The Heavy industrys the steel-workers and dockers and seaman in Cardiff, Kept pubs and clubs in profit for years but not anymore they have gone so has the local pubs/clubs and many jobs in the service sector have allso departed !!! The jobs that replace the well payed jobs in heavy industry dont pay enough to be able to go out on town on the drink, the cost of alcoholic drinks are now very expensive , beyond many young peoples wages so the pubs /clubs are still closeing down every week.Sales of beer in pubs are only a small part of the major brewers business the off lincence trade iwhere the big money is today. Without hard work from her many workers The Aussies richest woman would not have any income from her Iron ore unless she can do all the work herself? did she have it given to her from her dad or husband? All rich people want you to work harder, for less pay so they can make more money.

[Roger Dyer]

Hi Shipmates,

In support of the comments made by Louis, perhaps, it should be remembered that the woman making this public condemnation of the Australian worker was not a person who had amassed her great wealth, solely, by virtue of her own endeavour. It is true, she does have an eye for business, but we should not lose sight of the fact that she was the eventual recipient of much of the fortune left by her father, Lang Hancock, who, when he died, was arguably Australia's richest man. When making her controversial remarks she also thought that the minimum working wage for Australians should be reduced as well as taxes (taxes !!! -well she would, wouldn't she ?). Personally, I think she has the hide of an elephant and should have thought more carefully before revealing her lack of sensitivity by making such crass remarks. For those of you who may be unaware, this woman has recently been involved in a public stoush with three of her four children, apparently denying them the same level of privelege from which she, herself, was beneficiary (incidentally, a public stoush she unsuccessfully took legal action to suppress from the media).

Although there may be some merit in what she has said, in saying it, she has confirmed for many, the long held view that a vast chasm exists between the lives of the supremely wealthy as opposed to the many others who understand the true meaning of the word, toil. I do not forget there are notable exceptions, such as Bill Gates and other true philanthropists who believe in sharing their wealth amongst the less fortunate of this world. I feel sure that Ms.Rinehart, too, has made charitable gestures from time to time, but I tend to the view that, like so many of her kind, it is not the money that is most important, but what that money can bring - Power !!!

Whilst not denying her the right to make her views public, I wonder how this woman, with her legion of advisers, could have been so lacking in judgement.

........................Roger

[happy daze john in oz]

Interesting comments Roger, but let me tell you a bit more. Talk back radio in Melbourne last night the question was saked was she right with her comments. 15 callers 13 for 2 against! But as to the dispute on the building site here in Melbourne. At 0300 hours the police secured the site to allow those who wanted to work to go in. A few of the protesters were interviewd by a reporter about it. The commenst,
" we will be here today and we will be here again on Tuesday'
'why not Saturday, Sunday or Monday' asked the reporter
'we do not work weekends and Monday is our RDO'.
Despite the courts ruling the blockade illegal the union continues with the blockade.

[Tony Morcom]

Sadly it appears to be the case that the amount of bulls*** these people come out with seems to be directly relational to the size of silver spoon they were born with in the mouths. Over the years it has been noticeable that the same often applies to politicians.

[Roger Dyer]

Hi John,

My friend, I have no disagreement at all with you or anyone else who sees the union action in Melbourne for what it really is, a form of industrial extortion. I firmly believe that, in recent years, actions such as this are responsible for the continuing decline in union support, not only amongst the public at large,but also amongst the very people they claim to represent. It seems ironic that, for so many, unionism is becoming a dirty word, especially at a time when a need for solidarity may soon be called upon. I don't say that lightly, but it does seem to me that so many of the conglomerates and large companies in today's world are intent on screwing the little man (small business) and the working public any which way they can. That said, I do not condone what has gone on in Melbourne. For unions to continue to survive, they have to find an alternative to cracking a nut with a sledge-hammer. They need to get wiser.

My criticism of Gina Rinehart was not only for what she said, but for the
arrogance in her total disregard for the emotive response she would evoke from the Australian public. Quite honestly, John, I dont believe a mini- poll on talk-back radio necessarily echoes the sentiments of the general public, but as usual I could be wrong.

One final question, mate, do you honestly believe that the problems in Oz can be solved simply by reducing the minimum wage of those on 'struggle street' and lowering taxes ?

.................Roger

[Neville Roberts]

Talking about drinking, in New York City the business men had a three martini lunch ,wich could consist of a couple of martini,s then a pint of bass with lunch, then finish up with a rusty nail or stinger , and that was most of them others would drink more and go back too the office , after work they would be back for more before getting the train home to the missus waitingwith a pitcher of more martini,s .if you were drunk and driving the cops would escort you home that wasin the 60,s how things have changed . an italian cop got me one time on Paddies night a 3 in the morning , and off to jail I went .