Dave Plowman (News) wrote:

No - most of it came down to just plain poor management. BMC/BL being the
prime example. They released what amounted to prototypes and expected the
public to do the final testing. Forget poor workmanship - they simply
weren't properly developed. And if they had major engineering flaws it
doesn't take too much imagination to assume that the production
engineering was poor too, so they couldn't be built properly within the
time allowed. And that is going to frustrate a decent worker and make
disputes likely. Those same workers produced decently made cars before and
after.


I can only agree with this. The Marina was unbelievably bad and was
followed by a string of even poorer models. I recently changed a door
handle on a 96 Rover and was appalled by the unbelievable stupidity of
the production engineering. The workforce manufactured the product in
spite of the apparent impossibility to do so.


Perhaps the majority of the workforce these days doesn't have experience
or indeed memories of the benefits of a good union. Many only 'know' about
them from the rubbish they read in the press. But things are changing. The
hours worked and the conditions of service for many in this country are
just plain ridiculous, and I can see a revolt coming. And this can only be
done by organising the workforce, now as before.

I'm afraid I cannot agree. The unions are dead, they just don't know
it. The long hours culture is a result of high taxation and low
productivity policies pursued by the treasury for most of the last
century. The only way to sustain the current high standard of living for
most people is to have a double income. The effect of both parties in
government over the past 18 years has been to destroy investment in new
techniques and to deter enterprise wherever possible. Indeed, it is
getting to more resemble Socialist Russia each day, so it's just a
matter of time before it collapses. The minimum wage acts( brought in
to increase tax take--do the sums) and excessive regulation and taxes
are slowly ensuring that low tech jobs are going offshore at an
increasing rate and that no sensible individual sets up a new
manufacturing business in the UK. History shows that the high tech jobs
follow the low tech ones and never come back. The tax take from income
tax is AIUI decreasing year on year, as high wage jobs are rapidly
decreasing in numbers.

You can't organise a workforce when they don't have jobs to pay for the
expenses of the Union bosses! Most of the unions I have experienced in
action have existed only for the benefit of the officials and not the
workforce.

The effect of the modern consume only economy is also apparent in the
US, where the private pension schemes are in an even bigger mess than
over here, however their taxation policies do encourage risk taking and
growth. If the companies being invested in by the insurance companies
can't make decent profits, then the workers pensions suffer.

Regards
Capitol