On Mon, 15 Aug 2016 10:14:37 +0200, Robin9
wrote:


'Recliner[_3_ Wrote:
;157509']Robin9 wrote:-

Michael R N Dolbear;157505 Wrote: -
"Robin9" wrote
-
poor pay and conditions really means.-
-
Perhaps they do know what low pay and poor working-
conditions are! They want to make sure they're not inflicted
on them.
-
Union bashers should never overlook the central truth-
that when we had strong unions in this country, working
people did not have to let themselves be exploited.

Really ?

What historical years have you in mind "when we had strong unions in
this
country" ?


I take it that during those years if anyone was exploited it was their
own
fault ?

Blame the victim indeed.

--
Robin9-

Between 1945 and 1979 the UK economy grew and, because
in those days we did not have banana republic politicians like
Thatcher, Blair and Osborne, the resulting prosperity was not
reserved for a few anti-social fat cats. We also had fairly
full employment, and in London anyone could get a job. No-one
leaving school faced the prospect of not finding a job.

During this period we had strong trade unions, some of whom
frequently went on strike or "worked to rule." Then, as now,
there was enormous media hostility towards the trade union
movement.

In the three decades after World War 2, anyone with any initiative
could avoid exploitation. It might be, for people in Scotland or
Northern Ireland, that moving to London or the Home Counties
was necessary, but the opportunity to avoid rapacious, predatory
employers was available to normal working people.-

I think you have a rather rosy view of a pretty miserable period. There
was
plenty of boom and bust in that period. Since 1980, the economy has
been
better managed.
QUOTE]

Certainly we had boom and bust in those years - we
called it stop/go then - but we didn't have zero hours
contracts and we didn't have a large sub-section of the
economy based entirely on the employer being able to
exploit vulnerable people who have no alternative work
opportunities.

There are plenty of alternative work opportunities. The UK has one of
the lowest unemployment rates in Europe, if not the world:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unempl...on_2010M09.svg

The unemployment rate is higher than in the 1950-1970 period, but
that's partly because of the postwar recovery:

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...since_1881.svg


This has nothing to do with a rosy view of the past. It has
everything to do with looking at the facts and thinking
rationally about them. You say it was a miserable period.
Paraphrasing a speech Edward Heath made to the Tory
Conference when he was Leader of the Opposition: it was
not a miserable period for the millions of people who bought
their own home; it wasn't a miserable period for people who
had grown up in slums but who now had a modern council flat.
It wasn't a miserable period for people who had central heating,
television sets, washing machines, refrigerators and holidays
abroad, all of which their parents had never had.

Are you forgetting the three-day week, power cuts, the Winter of
Discontent, British Leyland, the closure of most of the shipyards...