So how would you do it instead?
Tanker drivers strike rant
- Thread starter knip
- Start date
So how would you do it instead?
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No, they are holding ONE fuel company and 10% of stations to ransom.
It's the idiotic, thick and stupid members of the public that are causing the rest of the problems.
UK drivers usualy have to stay nights out, as their driving hours will not permit them to get back to base.
They are also forced to stop periodicly, limited to 56MPH, and usualy do more then 1 drop per day.
Their are in their cabs for upwards of days, not 1/2 a day.
They can't just get up from their desk to go get a cofee or loo when feel like it, they must sleep, eat and work in the same place.
Granted its not slave labour, but they are asking for a basic of 36K for a 48hour week, justified when you look at the hourly pay.
48hrs for say a qualified JIB sparky on contract would make it close to 42K pro rata, or just over 36K employed.
And remember this is arguably the top end of their (drivers) profession.
Soldato
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TBH it's not just 'a truck'... it's a truck full of very explosive fuel! Oh, and also try living in a truck in the summer, or even try living in one in summer in northern Italy!
Some common sense at the end.
TBH if the media didn't bother reporting this story hardly anyone would notice the strike. A few stations will run out but theirs plenty more available.
Associate
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they are objecting to how much they get paid when there are people out there (like myself) doing much more worthwhile jobs for a lot less money.
The problem we have here - is use of the words 'worth' and 'worthwhile'
You appreciate that some people 'deserve' to be paid more than others i am sure, you're not suggesting that typists and doctors should all be on the same wage - but how are you going to define their personal 'worth'?
Does a banker deserve to make more in a day than a teacher does in a month?
Yes the teacher is doing a caring, responsible job in bringing up our young society - but if the bankers didn't exist, how would the teachers pay be sorted, how would she get a mortgage, how would she know where to invest her hard earned cash in order to make it best work for her?
Are we going to have a scale of moral worth, economic worth, social worth...
I think it wold be VERY difficult to ever make something like this 'fair' - but in the grand scheme of things, everyone gets to 'choose' their career, AND everyone has the chance / right to take action in order to improve their pay / working conditions.
Wether i agree of disagree with the strike is of no matter, what i do know is that i would not like the job of rearranging the economy in order to make pay 'fair' (even though i'm sure it would pay LOADS
)
Soldato
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it is purely irresponsible media reaction that is causing the shortages, the vast majority of stations carry enough fuel underground to cover the strike period, if normal buying patterns are sustained,
media reporting creates a surge in demand and stations run out.
media reporting creates a surge in demand and stations run out.
As the old say goes, life is not fair. Think of these failing Equity based companies that are collapsing yet the CEO gets a nice pay out even though people are struggling to get back half of what they put in.
We live in an economy, the world has its own economy, paying people based on their economic worth is the way society functions. It could be argued that although you arent getting the same pay, they aren't getting the same satisfaction in the job that you do. Quality vs Quantity and unfortunately there seems to be no happy medium.
In all honesty if you didn't enjoy the job, it is more that likely you would have left by now. At least you can go home and remind yourself of the happiness you've put into some ones life that arguable the tankers cant go home with.
Edit: More importantly, I don't think any one in the thread disagrees with you in principle. It's just the other point is argued to counter balance it.
We live in an economy, the world has its own economy, paying people based on their economic worth is the way society functions. It could be argued that although you arent getting the same pay, they aren't getting the same satisfaction in the job that you do. Quality vs Quantity and unfortunately there seems to be no happy medium.
In all honesty if you didn't enjoy the job, it is more that likely you would have left by now. At least you can go home and remind yourself of the happiness you've put into some ones life that arguable the tankers cant go home with.
Edit: More importantly, I don't think any one in the thread disagrees with you in principle. It's just the other point is argued to counter balance it.
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The problem we have here - is use of the words 'worth' and 'worthwhile'
You appreciate that some people 'deserve' to be paid more than others i am sure, you're not suggesting that typists and doctors should all be on the same wage - but how are you going to define their personal 'worth'?
Does a banker deserve to make more in a day than a teacher does in a month?
Yes the teacher is doing a caring, responsible job in bringing up our young society - but if the bankers didn't exist, how would the teachers pay be sorted, how would she get a mortgage, how would she know where to invest her hard earned cash in order to make it best work for her?
Are we going to have a scale of moral worth, economic worth, social worth...
I think it wold be VERY difficult to ever make something like this 'fair' - but in the grand scheme of things, everyone gets to 'choose' their career, AND everyone has the chance / right to take action in order to improve their pay / working conditions.
Wether i agree of disagree with the strike is of no matter, what i do know is that i would not like the job of rearranging the economy in order to make pay 'fair' (even though i'm sure it would pay LOADS
Absolutly spot on.
Knip I don't think anyone was jumping down your throat at all, just people with differening opinions to yours.
I can see things from your point of view. At 16 I joined the Royal Navy, I wanted to be in the forces since I was 5 years old. I wanted to join either the Royal Navy, British Army or Royal Marines, but due to the squaddies and marines deployed to Northern Ireland my mother wouldn't give her concent for me to join those two services, so I went in the RN. Servicemen for the most part don't do it for the money, they do a host of different reasons, and it is one of the most important job anyone could do. Whats the price for getting blown up in Iraq or the price for the guys who didn't come back from the Falklands? The gov't would be royaly screwed if the guys in Iraq and Afghanistan decided they weren't getting paid enough and decided that we're not sailing, or going on patrol until we get paid more that a local authority I.T bod, but it's not going to happen and they will continue to get paid and treated like ****.
A lot of people think pfffffft 36k to sit on your backside and drive a tanker?
Well if you think that get your class I and class II licenses, then do all the qualifications to cary hazardous chemicals, then get your health and safety qualifications etc and do it yourself instead of sitting on a pc/laptop and moaning about it. No one is forceing you to do the job your doing at present so if your not happy about the money get paid how about getting up off your backsides and train to be a tanker driver??
They work on "average" (It can be more of course) 48 hour weeks. Most people work 37 hour weeks, the 36k they earn is the rough equivalent of someone working a 37 hour week earning 26k a year.
Not a lot of money for driving a 30,000 litre bomb on wheels, not much fun when you have idiotic drivers on the motorway throwing lit fags out their vehicles aimed in your direction
Well if you think that get your class I and class II licenses, then do all the qualifications to cary hazardous chemicals, then get your health and safety qualifications etc and do it yourself instead of sitting on a pc/laptop and moaning about it. No one is forceing you to do the job your doing at present so if your not happy about the money get paid how about getting up off your backsides and train to be a tanker driver??
They work on "average" (It can be more of course) 48 hour weeks. Most people work 37 hour weeks, the 36k they earn is the rough equivalent of someone working a 37 hour week earning 26k a year.
Not a lot of money for driving a 30,000 litre bomb on wheels, not much fun when you have idiotic drivers on the motorway throwing lit fags out their vehicles aimed in your direction
Associate
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A lot of people think pfffffft 36k to sit on your backside and drive a tanker?
Well if you think that get your class I and class II licenses, then do all the qualifications to cary hazardous chemicals, then get your health and safety qualifications etc and do it yourself instead of sitting on a pc/laptop and moaning about it. No one is forceing you to do the job your doing at present so if your not happy about the money get paid how about getting up off your backsides and train to be a tanker driver??
They work on "average" (It can be more of course) 48 hour weeks. Most people work 37 hour weeks, the 36k they earn is the rough equivalent of someone working a 37 hour week earning 26k a year.
Not a lot of money for driving a 30,000 litre bomb on wheels, not much fun when you have idiotic drivers on the motorway throwing lit fags out their vehicles aimed in your direction
To put it in perspective doctors will start on about 60% of a tanker drivers salary and do a harder and arguably more important job. Then free accomodation was taken away given an effective 5k pay cut. Where is the sympathy for the medical students and doctors graduating this year?
Personally, i think the truck drivers can go get a better job if they think their skills are *that* valuable. That isn't socialism, that is capitalism. Striking and blocking ports to try to artificially increase the salary for what is largely a low skill job is not right.
*edit* In addition they will make truck drivers hours look pathetic in comparison and involve working nights and weekends on shift.
Agreed, and good point.
Doc's do get a bum deal to start with, but when they finaly get to GP is when they take it easy and can start to earn it back.
I would also say that the medical proffesions as a whole, the pay scales seem a mess (unless your a manager).
doctors seem to do well once they're fully qualified and there's always the private sector.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7454149.stm
Way to help things, BBC. It says in the article that only a handful have actually run out
Way to help things, BBC. It says in the article that only a handful have actually run out
GPs most certainly do not take it easy.