When is a job not a job ?

[Louis the fly]

When we were at sea we knew exactly how much we would be paid per month , on deck we could boost this by working three hours overtime a day . We were directly employed by which ever shipping company we joined. The same principle applied to shore workers , they were employed by their firm or company and entitled to the all the rights of employment laws.
Todays Britain is a completely different place , many major employers do not actually employ anyone except for office and administration staff. All other workers must agree to be self employed without employment rights and protection. Examples of this are the taxi company Uber , Amazon delivery drivers and private postal and parcel companies.
Adding to this is the ever growing use of agencies and zero hour contracts. If an employer increases their workforce they will call an agency , not advertise for staff in the press or job centres. The agency is responsible for the staff not the employer , they can be hired and fired at will and must work as and when required. A majority of the agency staff will also be employed on zero hour contracts , not knowing from week to week how much they will earn or the hours they will work.
A government minister can rise each month in parliament and boast how employment figures are increasing but are these workers really employed ? A job should provide a regular income with safety and security for the worker and family.
Politicians and the elite reacted with amazement at the decision to leave the EU and the election of Trump , people are demanding change on both sides of the Atlantic and will vote in the hope of achieving it.

[Jim Brady]

The company I worked for employed a couple of thousand agents both men and woman,I used to buy the N.I. stamps each week,for my branch, and stamp their cards.During 1966 a note came down from H.O. to say that all the agents were to be made self employed.About two months after they became self employed the government brought out SET or Selective Employment Tax,the employer had to pay £1.5s.0d for a man and 12/6d per week for a woman that would've cost the company a few bob.From that time to this day I have often wondered were the company tipped off about this new tax or was it pure coincidence.I think that it was replaced by VAT in the 70's.
Regards.
Jim.B.

[Red Lead Ted]

Lou, I am sure we could both go back to the firms not only hear on Merseyside but the country over where workers had representation in the work place as bad as it was just like Merchant Seaman N.U.S. I agree these youngsters today who lets say arn,t the brightest button in the box like most 16 yr old,s who went off to the sea schools in our day. Have not only no future working zero hour contracts, But no job security and unfortunately its no fault of theirs. I wouldn't say any of us have let them down it obviously comes from the Thatcher years when when she was hell bent on destroying the unions. She never only destroyed them she is also responsible for the massive shortage in social or council housing after her big sell off which put many many tradesmen out of work hence the end of apprenticeships as we knew it. Most of the houses sold at giveaway prices are boarded up today once the buyers most of whom have retired or realized they couldn't afford to maintain them. A lot of what has been implemented by consecutive governments over the last 40+ years have done Joe Blogs no favors at all in fact we live in a world as you say of uncertainty with no hope for our youth, Our N.H.S. And a lot more but then who are we to talk we had the best of it all without a doubt, Sadly all gone now buddy never to return. Regards Terry.

[Keith Tindell]

Its costing the NHS thousands and thousands of pounds for nursing agency staff, surely in this modern world the NHS could operate its own nursing agency, employing nurses that are off duty, or those that dont wish to work on a regular basis, that could save a vast amount of money to use elsewhere. kt

[Jim Brady]

Now Keith that's to easy.
Regards.
Jim.B.

[Red Lead Ted]

Jim, I would love to turn back the clock to a time when i was swinging on a painting stage over the ships side and put the likes of Boris Johnson at the other end with me if i could find one big enough for his , No painting by numbers, As you say these idiots in government never manage to complete a dot to dot let alone joined up thinking Regards Terry.

[happy daze john in oz]

Similar problem here in Oz, but one of the reasons here is the employer on costs.
Each employer has to put aside 9.5% of salary into super, then there is payroll tax, work cover, provision for long service leave, after ten years you are entitles to 13 weeks paid leave, provision for leave loading, in some industries you get an additional 17.5% added to your leave money, provision for maternity leave and now paternity leave. Adds up to as much an additional 30% on top of wages.
Result, many companies now use contractors or go into an enterprize bargain where some of the extras such as leave loading are gone.
My brother, an electrician was an employee of a company, they gained a huge contract that included a lot of late night work. The employer could not afford the penalty rates for night work so offered all to become subbies for him. Most agreed as they need the jobs.

[Louis the fly]

We were the last generation to have full employment , homes for all to buy or rent , an NHS that was not forever in crisis. Our water , gas and electric companies in State control not in the hands of foreign big business to run for maximum profits . We are also the first generation to be better off than our children and grandchildren. The experiment of letting market forces prevail has clearly not worked but is still persisted with , meanwhile the gap between the have and the have nots grows ever wider. We are a very tolerant nation , too tolerant , but this cannot continue the government must work for all not just the privileged few.

Whenever the next is called vote for fairness , vote for change , vote for Labour.

[j.sabourn]

John correct me if I am wrong. What I have seen out here even in the maritime trade, big amounts in super, which they immediately proceed to spend like a man with 6 arms. They then go on to the government pension and handouts. So me tell me if I am wrong but isn't the super supposed to be part of their pension. When I retired I received a small pension from the MN no large cash amounts to go on round the world trips. Part of the fault lies with this payment if these facts are right, superannuation should be for living purpose not to go on jaunties as most do and then claim a full pension from the government. Unfortuanetly it is going to hurt people but the Super laws have to be changed to suit modern living conditions. The politicians can start with themselves they made the rules. JS

[cappy]

We were the last generation to have full employment , homes for all to buy or rent , an NHS that was not forever in crisis. Our water , gas and electric companies in State control not in the hands of foreign big business to run for maximum profits . We are also the first generation to be better off than our children and grandchildren. The experiment of letting market forces prevail has clearly not worked but is still persisted with , meanwhile the gap between the have and the have nots grows ever wider. We are a very tolerant nation , too tolerant , but this cannot continue the government must work for all not just the privileged few.

Whenever the next is called vote for fairness , vote for change , vote for Labour.

##if i can find anyone in the so called labour party who has ever done any labour in the true meaning of the word ......apart from having a degree in whinging ....i may be prepared to however unlikley it may seem listen to him ...the world owes me nothing .....my children certainly have a better standard of living at there age than i had at the same age ...i have no complaint about the NHS......but you certainly have my sympathy for living in the awful world that you appear to live in ......so sad but then in every part of our lives there are winners and losers......happily in this country there are more winners than losers ......but feel free to join the majority of losers .....go to russia......there is plenty of room there ......but sadly not the right to have a view.....why not give the country of your birth.....some credence instead of knocking it down ....ihave read your view now see my view....with thanks cappy