General Election: Who the hell am I going to vote for???

Sad, but very interesting to read this page today. The workplace is so complex these days - with so many twists, turns and contradictions, fear of being sued/sacked/ downgraded that it's no wonder is has ceased to function honestly.
It would be churlish of me to end with the contrite phrase " well , I'm glad I'm retired and no longer up against all this"
but - it's the bloomin' troof,
I couldn't last a week in that environment . But, I look forward to my Thursday as a Volunteer in the Fund Raising section of our local Hospice. I do whatever I'm asked as it's always within my capacity because I'm given good training and I always get a "byebye Jenny and thanks for all you've done for us today " when I leave. Never got that when employed - just the ££££ at the end of the month.
Not worth a lot - my 2 pennorth but I felt I wanted to chuck it in the pot anyway,
Jenny

 

You're not alone "M". My other half is eighteen months away from retirement and has been unemployed for the best part of three years through redundancy. He's applied for hundreds of jobs, in fact probably close to a thousand now (in finance mainly) and many don't even acknowledge his existence. He has been ordered and yes I mean ordered to attend various employment re-start programmes by our government office, under threat that his JSA will be stopped if he doesn't. It's demeaning then to be told by these people that it's too late for him, he's too close to retirement.....as if he doesn't know that!

Most employers do not want to take on anyone over the age of forty now, so what chance does anyone stand beyond that age of gaining employment. Also, what's the point of raising the retirement age again, does the government really want to pay out more money to the older unemployed who should be drawing their pensions (another joke) anyway! There may be laws against ageism but I'd like to meet anyone that's managed to prove that point by suing and winning a case. There are to many ways to turn somebody down and get round the issue of being ageist!

 

Given some recent posts, I'm glad I've managed (more by luck than judgement) to stay in the aircraft industry. I had a 6 year break some time ago, but overall I've been at the same factory for 34 years now. I'll be 60 next month, and I would imagine that I'll see my time out there. Even if I don't, it won't be a great loss as I am probably in the position to get by if I had too. As someone who is reaching 'that' age, I suppose what I'm looking for is stability in the economy, no turmoil.

 

Freddy, it's good to hear that some like yourself have still got job security, it's a rare thing nowadays.

 

Yeah, that's why I count myself lucky. It's not highly paid, but not bad considering the minimum wage that some have to get by with. Aunt Sally works in care, and hasn't had a pay rise in 4 years, but at least she still has a job, something we're both grateful for. I wouldn't want to be a 'youngster' setting out on life now, given job opportunities and house prices.

 

Aren't we all. But the economy still has some recovering to do first.

Job security is less likely now than it was five years ago. They have cut employee protection in law and believe that big (as in corporate) employers are the be all and end all. Part time employment and zero hours contracts are becoming more and more common. Large scale computerisation in both administrative and production roles is seeing valuable skill sets disappear. Sadly I am not sure if there is an answer to all this any more (beyond the abolition of zero hours contracts and better employee protection which should be priorities).

I agree. But the only solution to the housing crisis that I can see is rather unpalatable I suspect and against all the principles of not tipping the apple cart over. And that solution doesn't mean to stop immigration - we need their numbers to prop up the pension system.

 

@"M" Again you really made me laugh with this, I LOVE your sense of humour, thank you for starting my day with a good laugh!!!

 

Everyone would have job security and a decent wage if there wasnt 300000 people coming into the country every year taking jobs and putting pressure on the rental market and health care.
Why is it European countries such as Sweden, Norway, Switzerland, Holland, Belgium can pay their workers higher wages and still compete unlike Britain.
The Aussies pay double to what you can earn here and yet they still manage to flourish.

 

You do make some good points.... I now manage the company I sold back in 2007.. We have tried hard to enroll young men (or women) into the building trade. They just don't want this heavy work anymore or so it seems. We offer a start wage of 10 quid an hour. We (due to my hatred of the government schemes like YTS and the Apprenticeship scheme) do not use any of the schemes that many companies do in order to get people working for nowt.
There is a HUGE gap in skilled tradesmen in construction . In a few years time it will be very hard to get a proper time served man who really knows what the flaming heck he or she is doing. And no I'm not counting those who learn a trade in six weeks on those old fast track schemes. Ere do you get the impression I hate schemes ??

So do we or have we employed anyone from the EU ? .... Well yes but only if we cannot enroll local people. This is simply because we prefer to be able to understand each other and why train someone who is likely to go back to their country of origin ? We have just one Polish chap now a laborer called Eric. Fair dos hes a proper grafter and will never refuse to do anything asked. But he is away home soon as quite simply put he doesn't really like it here.
Eric is paid exactly the same rate as any of the other laborers .

I must emphasize I am in no way prejudice in any way towards people from abroad. I just question how the infrastructure can cope ? I mean lets be honest it just cant.

We seem to have a this urgent need for housing ? All around us here in the midlands houses are being thrown up like billy O and being built in ridiculous places like on green belt or on the edges of wee villages. Some villages are now small towns or being swallowed up by towns nearby.. Where do all these people come from ? Whose the steering behind all this demand for houses ? Who gets a feather in their caps when at the end of a term in power they can brag how many houses have been built ? Oh wait a minute I've just answered my own question .

But back on topic I doubt if I will vote. No way can I vote for the clowns who are in power just now and tell so many lies its unbelievable ! No other party is any better or have any credibility so it looks like a no show from me .

 

Look at their rates of taxation and you have your answer.
Also have you ever spent any money in Sweden or Norway - costs are eye-watering

Sadly the Australian economy is struggling. Over reliance on mining for exports at a time when commodities prices are falling is making the situation worse coupled to the fall in the value of the Aussie dollar. My stepson who is moving out there had a job lined up but this has now gone due to "challenging market circumstances".

 

Ditto. As a courtesy to our apprentice we send him to college on day release - this is not for him to learn anything (as all they seem to cover is H&S and stuff so basic that it is insulting) but so that at least he will have some recognized qualifications (worthless though they are IMO) at the end of his time. He is bored witless at college and seems to have an ever changing number of lecturers.

 

I'm not going to vote either. They are still going to lie and steal (yes I remember the expenses debacle) and cover the most abysmal things up that the rest of us should know about. I can't bring myself to participate in any of it - count me out.

 

When I went to college many years ago we saw it as a day to mess around.. OK we learnt some things but absolutely nothing the helped us in the work place. It was just a box ticking exercise.

H&S ? Mad a as a box of frogs that lot is. We recently has to send each and every one of our men on a course. It was a days course of emmence importance.

They were taught how to cross the road.

I wish I was joking but the bill would take the smile of anyone's faces.

There is NO substitute for learning working along a really experienced person. Anyone who believes otherwise is kidding them selves ..

 

To those of you planning not to vote at all, can I encourage you to think about spoiling your vote instead? I don't know anybody who likes the current system, or is fully behind any one party. This thread pretty much highlights we need change and if we "the ordinary people" don't make our voices heard in some way, we will all be moaning about the same things in 10-20 years time.