Is Your Job Recession Proof?

Sidney · February 12, 2009, 11:22pm

Could one of the Paddy Power employees here post up a spread market for the Vbookie on the number of people unemployed in Ireland by the end of 2009? I suggest setting the spread at 500,000.

Would also like to see a market set up on which month the country will go bankrupt in. I’ll go for May 2010. Just in time for the World Cup.

HBV · February 13, 2009, 8:26am

[quote=“artfoley”]look high ball if you’re going to start shooting people for this mess I suggest that you start with bentie ahem, the boards of all banks, property developers etc.

if you can manage to get yourself away from the idea that all civl servantsare on megabucks and note that the CPSU represent the members that are between 15,000 to 35,000 then you might be able to see why we are balloting on strike action. with the pension levy in it will put most of those members in the position that they would be better off on the dole[/quote]

and what would shooting bertie do for the economy?

anyway, the country cannot afford the wage bill at present and they will be less able to afford it next year and the year after.
The logical answer to this and one that every private enterprise would go with is to reduce the wage bill by reducing staff that were needed and funded by the property boom but are no longer needed at present due to the downturn.
This will not happen, fair enough we cant afford to add them to the dole que either, but something must give and if its not jobs then it must be pay.
If you manage to get yourself away from the idea that all private sector workers became millionaires in the last 10 years and accept that the majority of private sector workers are in the <50k bracket and fearful for their jobs and that most have taken pay cuts already which is a lot more than a contribution to a pension fund, then you would find it very hard to vote for action.
The employees here took 10% in January, no questions take or leave and there wasn’t a rumble from 40 staff.
They are grateful to have somewhere to go in the mornings and a wage at the end of the week.
This country is fucked unless we get costs down, our minimum wage is second highest in europe which renders us a no go area for international business investment, but the unions are digging their heels in and want the NWA paid out. Will the CS who will vote for action agree with their esb bills rocketing in the same month the esb paid their staff increases under the NWA?
Im no economist but thats not going to sort things.

Mairegangaire · February 13, 2009, 9:36am

An Dubh Fada

Can I just say that Nobody’s job is recession proof.

Having lived thru one, weathered the wobble in 03 to arrive at this one already set (professional and privately) I think I am qualified.

Nobody’s job or lifestyle will be untouched by what we are about to see, endure and witness. This is going to be catastrophic. I’m going to title it An Dubh Fada.

In the 80’s we had nothing anyway, no luxuries, no hope and no ambition; so there was nothing to lose. This time, homes and contents, cars and second cars, kids partys and designer playrooms; holidays and holiday homes; all the benefits of cheap credit will litter our culture and our landscape.

Free University fees, opnline credit, and a skills shortage have left us with a generation of gutless, spoilt and overly ambitious light weights who think the normal mode of transport is either a taxi or a car; but unfortunately they are also those that will suffer the most.

The Unions will be next in line; there will be no more stikes, work-to-rules or disputes. Shop Stewards will soon discover that people do want to work and want to do right by their employers; No more “das not my job” or “dot forget t’a take yer sick.” The pay of Union Leaders will soon be discovered by their members to be as unearned and repulsive as the bankers.

Buy Irish, stay local and for those PS Clerical Workers that just might be reading this; keep yer traps shut, earn yer keep and deliver more than expected.

Gaillimharais · February 24, 2009, 12:22pm

Just been told here this morning that 18 of us are going to be let go by the end of the day!!

Not good.

Watch_The_Break · February 24, 2009, 12:23pm