To think it was a tactful way of saying ‘working class?’

[BoothsDelivery]

I went to a school in the middle of 2 deprived council estates.

In one of our classes, we were taught a bit about trade unions. Teacher asked us if we had a parent who was in a trade union. When we all looked blank as if he’d just asked had we been to the moon - he asked in a louder voice :

Well, come on, this is a part of the city where people have working jobs. Is anyone’s parent in a trade union?

looking back, do you think he used the phrase ‘working jobs’ because it sounds more tactful than saying “this is a working class area?”

He used the term 'working jobs' ?

I don’t think so because lots of unions represent more traditionally middle class professions. Doctors have a union for example.

TBF my kid would look blank if asked that and I’m in a “middle class” job.

I’ve heard “working job” to mean “manual job” before

Aren’t all jobs ‘working jobs’?

But, nothing wrong in what they said - are you suggesting it was offensive or similar?

Well was it an area where a lot of people had jobs that were likely to covered by prominent trade unions? It sounds quite reasonable to me, I can’t see anything negative about it (unless you have a negative opinion of trade unions or jobs that have a high percentage of members such as teachers, transport workers etc.)?

I can’t believe you’re still thinking about this comment after all these years, unless you’ve just left school!

I'd have said no, he meant manual jobs.

Yes he absolutely did

True

I don’t feel it was offensive at all just curious how others would interpret it

All jobs are working surely?
If anyone knows what a none working job is please can you let me know , I'd like to apply !

In response to your first sentence / I don’t know

If I'd known before retirement that there were such things as non-working jobs, I'd have done my best to get one.

Getting paid a wage for not working? Hell yeah!

I would have asked him to clarify what 'working jobs' meant. That would have confused me more!

Areas with high levels of social deprivation are highly unlikely to have unionised jobs, unless it was 1984 and Nottingham, or something.

I think he meant working class area or manual jobs, which are more likely to have employees that are part of trade unions.

But I do think a lot of MNetters are doing that wide eyed ‘really? Non working job? How amusing.’

It’s easy to know what he meant from the context. I don’t think it was offensive but I also don’t think it was likely to be particularly accurate.

I think he probably meant manual labourers, factory work etc.

How long ago did he say this?

I’d assume he meant working in the same way that Starmer means it. Lower paid and probably manual labour.

Surely 'working jobs' is a tautology? As opposed to a 'doing as you please with no responsibilities' job? Odd expression he used! But I don't think he meant it as a substitute for WC. As PPs say, there are well established unions for roles such as medicine and teaching

1992

Could he have meant it was an area of high employment when he said 'people have working jobs?'

How about if you work you are working class 🤣

Jeez. That was a LONG time ago. I know because I was at uni then, & I'm old. Why on Earth are you still thinking about this? Some of the stuff teachers said and did when I was at school was wild compared today's teaching world (I teach & we can't fart without being held accountable). It was an expression from the time probably. Why are you overthinking this now?

If you asked my kids if I was in a trade union none of them would any the wiser. I'm not but I can be if I want

1992 being prior to the Blair years where suddenly everybody was supposed to aspire to being “middle class”, I doubt the teacher had any intention of trying to be tactful, and used “working” as a synonym for blue collar or manual. Being working class and having a blue collar job isn’t something that requires tact, is it? Particularly not in an area where the vast majority of people are in the same circumstances and have no pretensions or inferiority complex about what they do.