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Original poster

A superb article: Ordinary workers should be protected from the evil influence of public sector unions

105 replies

longfingernails · 13/12/2010 22:02

Bravo, Tim Pawlenty!

He has written an excellent comment piece in today's Wall Street Journal.

online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703766704576009350303578410.html

Pawlenty is a bit of what we used to call a "wet" Conservative - think Ken Clarke - the Americans have the more perjorative term RINO - Republican in Name Only. But this article is spot-on.

Public sector unions should be made illegal. As the article so deftly explains, public sector unions are deeply exploitative.

OP posts:
Prinnie · 13/12/2010 22:35

There is so much HR legislation around now that workers are well protected and there is never a need to be a member of a TU. They cause more unemployment than they save.

claig · 13/12/2010 22:29

No, employers have more power than individual employees. That's why employees band together in unions so that they can negotiate collectively, which makes the employer take their demands more seriously.

saggarmakersbottomknocker · 13/12/2010 22:28

Blimey you spout some bollocks lfn.

If you really believe that public sector workers don't need union protection you need your bumps feeling frankly.

Original poster
longfingernails · 13/12/2010 22:24

Why can't they defend them individually?

A good worker will have more clout in defending their privileges than a bad one.

At the moment, because of the unions, there is no meritocracy in the public sector (except, perhaps, for a few elite professionals like doctors).

It is too difficult to sack bad workers in the public sector because of the unions. It is too difficult to reward good workers with pay rises and promotions in the public sector because of the unions. Our taxes are too high, because (in part) of public sector unions. Our children get taught by bad teachers, with no recourse, because of public sector unions. People with no pension have to pay for the gold-plated final salary pensions of diversity officers, five-a-day co-ordinators, and all manner of other useless public sector non-jobs.

The only reason to join a union is over matters of health and safety which can have life-threatening consequences. Unions should never be able to bargain over pay and conditions - that is a matter for individuals.

Let's stop our public services wallowing in mediocrity.

OP posts:
claig · 13/12/2010 22:12

Disagree. All workers should have the right to join unions. How else will they be protected from discrimination, harassment and bullying? Also they need to defend their current terms and conditions.

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