on the face of it this certainly seems an example of jobsworthyness but I guess it is also a result of a fear of HASAW legislation as well as probably fear of the company adding other tasks to the jobrole. These days so much is down to "intelligent labour planning" (time and motion to us oldies) systems with so many tasks being allocated x amount of time that even the closing of blinds may be seen as a kind of start of a "slippery slope" if not agreed to and accounted for within the jobrole. As for the discussion around trade unions tthemselves , I recently became a shopsteward at work. I too remember the 70s and the grave problems the Unions caused/ "closed shops" etc and I totally agree that their power then needed to be curtailed. At the end of the day its the companies that create the jobs for their workers and most companies biggest cost centre is its wage bill but at the same time, most companies biggest asset is its workforce. The simple truth is that they need each other. The problems come when finances get tight and then unions can become vital in protecting empolyees , ensuring that they are dealt with fairly and legally. There is quite a bit of apathy out there still re joining unions but that is really because so many people simply take forgranted today all those rights that unions fought so hard for over the years. Do people honestly think that the majority of employers would give them the pay and benefits they currently have unless they had to? A senior manager once told me that a union was like the companies conscience, maybe thats not too bad a description.
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Topic: How unions give themselves a bad name (Read 1408 times)