NEWS FROM THE CELTIC LEAGUE
The old ways are the best! One of the first effective general workers trade unions around the start of the twentieth century was the IWW (International Workers of the World) it specialised in representing workers who were low paid and exploited. You know like a lot of workers in the Isle of Man!
The IWW found that one of the most effective weapons was the ‘strike on the job’ where you stayed at work but wound done your performance to frustrate or disrupt the employees output. The beauty of this was you still got paid and, provided you did it subtly enough, there was nothing the employer could do. Remember as well these were in the days before employment law and industrial tribunals so if the employer did kick-off and you were out on your ear you had no recourse.
Today is a little different despite the fact that employment law in the IOM is loaded against the employee and the apparatus to enforce is employer friendly it does exist and should always be used.
It would be nice to say to employees in MAKE SURE YOU JOIN A UNION. However my experience as a trade union official was a lot of ‘the pond life’ that passes for employers on the Island harass and intimidated their staff against Union membership.
In areas such as retail, hospitality, the licensing trade (where they make your hours up as they go along) and some general workers the minimum wage is the norm.
It is a pittance and despite all the guff from Industry Minister Laurence Skelly about ‘dignity at work’ and the wonderful rise in the rate to a ‘staggering £7’ it is still derisory and nowhere near enough to live on.
Laurence Skelly actually is perpetuating a system that gives you the ‘dignity’ to be exploited!
Individually, if you are on the minimum wage, you may not be able much about it. However what you can do is try and ensure that you do the very least you can for it.
IT’S A MINUMUM WAGE MAKE SURE YOU DO MINIMUM WORK!
BERNARD MOFFATT
Issued by: The Celtic News
21/11/15
THE CELTIC LEAGUE INFORMATION SERVICE
The Celtic League established in 1961 has branches in the six Celtic Countries. It promotes cooperation between the countries and campaigns on a range of political, cultural and environmental matters. It highlights human rights abuse, military activity and socio-economic issues