It’s far to easy to blame the Unions or even Maggie Thatcher for the demise of British industry,
A bankrupt country after 2 World Wars, and the loss of an Empire, but not the williness to accept our new position in the World.
Complancy from both Managers and workers that people would buy British goods, just because they are British, and a snearing dissregard of better goods from emerging Countries, meant a lack of investment in new technology and restrictive working practices.
A load of Poor Government decisions, from both sides, didn’t help either.
Then of course more recently multi national companies finding it cheaper to move production to poorer Countries, who therefore have lower wage costs. And this isn’t a union thing it’s purely free market economics and it’s not just a problem that has affected the UK, it happened to all “developed” (want a better term) countries.
The fact is Unions or not we can’t do high volume, low cost production as effectivly as China, India etc unless we have thier levels of pay and conditions.
If we are to manufactuer goods, then it has to be high quality, high value and we can do that, We are very good at low volume high quality engineering, having worked in Motorsport I amazed at how many small specialised engineering firms there are who have a World wide reputation for high quality inotative products. But they are mostly small companies very few employees and succesfull so you don’t get to hear about them.
Hopefully not but who knows although having said that the picture quality is noticeably better than the main Japanes competitors and just being built in Belgium from Jap bits probably would’nt do that .But if I want to replace it now I don’t even think that the choice between a European made tele and a Chinese/Japanes one is there now anyway.That’s the so called free market in action.
The components in you telly probably weren’t even made in Japan, more likely, China, Korea, Malaysia, or somewhere else in South East Asia.
I agree, Muckles. There is a company near where I used to live that makes all the parts for a certain extremely well known, American rifle. They send all these parts to the manufacturer in the US and they assemble them and sell them as American made. The man who machines the receivers is a friend of mine, and he explained that they would be unlikely to sell a single unit if it were known they were made in the UK, and the funny thing is that these rifles are banned in the UK…
As for curryfarts first, second… forty eighth… car. Well whoopee doo… You could afford a Jag. Personally, I am perfectly satisfied with the size of my bits and need nothing to make them feel bigger. Your choice of cars displays a pretentiousness and general ego problem, but we kind of knew that. Just so you know, the Honda ACCORD, and the Triumph ACCLAIM…
Yes, older british cars were sound. The Dolomite Sprint was fabulous. The Mini was a great car. The Rover P6 was awesome… But the Acclaim was junk, the Metro was crap and the Rover 2 series was just an Acclaim under a different grille. And the car maker strikes were largely responsible for the demise of the industry because the costs had to be cut somewhere and it was the end product where it had to be done because the workers would call a strike if a lightbulb blew in the toilet.
It is a pity, too. If the unions had not tried their best to destroy industry then there would be a place for them today, and now that the transport industry is suffering so badly, they may have been able to help. Instead, they concern themselves with recruitment and publicity and are toothless tigers.
bobthedog:
As for curryfarts first, second… forty eighth… car. Well whoopee doo… You could afford a Jag. Personally, I am perfectly satisfied with the size of my bits and need nothing to make them feel bigger.
So you never had a Range Rover with big wheels then Rob■■?
bobthedog:
Bollix. Even Dyson, the man who swore he wouldn’t leave Wiltshire, finally got ■■■■■■ at british workers who demanded more than he could provide and left.
Didn’t he move his manufacturing to malaysia because there was more profit to be made there?
It wasn’t done because of workers wanting more money… it was because of him (and his shareholders) wanting more money, Ie over £100 million profit 2 years after the move.
As far as I can tell, he moved because it was too expensive to manufacture in the UK. I guess it depends on your point of view really.
Not griping, Del, just stating my point of view. I have an intense dislike for unions because they do not do as promised. There are places here where you cannot go with a truck unless you are a card carrying member. Simply put, I don`t go there.
del949:
Now then Mick lad, don’t let the facts get in the way of a good gripe!
Everything I read about Dyson moving production to Asia was to do with cost and the fact that many of the components were already being sourced in Asia and he had to compete in a global market.
Moving production to Malaysia, where Dyson Appliances already produces two of its four vacuum cleaner models, or possibly to China, would shave about 30 per cent from production costs, Mr Dyson said.
"We need an enormous amount of cash to invest in new technology, to launch into new markets and to launch more products faster.
"Most of our suppliers are also in the Far East. And our markets are there too. We’re the best-selling vacuum cleaner in Australia and New Zealand.
“We are doing well in Japan and we are about to open in America. It makes more sense for us to produce in the Far East.”
Unions are a waste of time Just do ya job and keep ya wages comin in nobody will care if you end up on the dole,theres always someone willin to take your place
bobthedog:
Bollix. Even Dyson, the man who swore he wouldn’t leave Wiltshire, finally got ■■■■■■ at british workers who demanded more than he could provide and left.
Didn’t he move his manufacturing to malaysia because there was more profit to be made there?
It wasn’t done because of workers wanting more money… it was because of him (and his shareholders) wanting more money, Ie over £100 million profit 2 years after the move.
As far as I can remember Dyson wanted to buy the old Stothert and Pitt factory in Bath and set up a youth programme there, along with a design centre but the council said no because they preferred overpriced accomodation instead…
At around the same time, Dyson also wanted to build a new factory and extend his existing place in Malmesbury but the council said no because of traffic and schools…
Upshot was Dyson said no and went abroad. Who can really blame him?
I used to do quite a few loads into British car manufacturing plants (Ford and GM) only once was I asked for a union card, I was about to tell the bloke I never had one and he just said ‘Yeah, I know, it’s in your other jacket’ and walked off. Other than that I’ve never come across any union ‘interference’
I did encounter some in Belgium once, I was loading racking and it was unbelievable, there was a huge gang of ‘workers’ doing the job of one man, two at most. There was a crane operator at floor level, with a spotter, two blokes attaching the slings, a crane operator inside the trailer (a stripped out tilt) another spotter and two more taking the slings off, it took a whole day (8am to 3pm) to load and even with all those people they still managed to make a balls up and put the wrong stuff on, they then wanted me to wait until the next day to get it swapped over as they were finished for the day, at that point I did my nut and a bloke from the office came out and lifted a bundle off with a fork lift, we had to wait until the workers had all gone home to do this or there would’ve been repercussions from the union, it has to be the most unproductive place I’ve ever been
Dyson interview I heard was he went to far east because it was closer to his new markets over there .I dont like them Sebo miles better.This knock british stuff on here is not correct loads that I have read is wives tales and myths.I have owned 2 VW,s pair of them were rubbish,had loads of fords, an E type jag that I sold for more thanI paid after 4 years owning it,get your rose gegs off stand back and have a good look .
Mark Erlite:
Would Union negotiated salary of £37000 per year change anybody’s thinking
Wouldn’t change my thinking, I’ll break that this year without any union involvement.
What hours would you work for that Cof per week,days worked and what start and finish times
Various, no set start and finish times, I mostly please my self in that regard as long as the work gets done. Mostly 5 day weeks, occasionally 6 but again my choice, and sometimes 4 day weeks, paid for 5. Or even 3 days this week, Tuesday to Thursday but paid for 5. Point is I am happy with the hours, days, times or I wouldn’t be doing it.
.But if I want to replace it now I don’t even think that the choice between a European made tele and a Chinese/Japanes one is there now anyway.That’s the so called free market in action. 
