Monday, Feb 16, 2009
It's A Mini Mis-Adventure
BBC: Sacked Mini workers express anger
** One word, harsh. **
The economic crisis had not escaped the attention of workers at BMW's Mini factory in Cowley, Oxford; they knew times were tough and their jobs were under threat.
But what they did not expect as they turned up as usual for work on Monday was to be sacked with just an hour's notice. Several of the 850 who lost their jobs have told the BBC of their anger, confusion and despair.
Silvia Fernandes worked at the plant for four years; she says she feels betrayed by the suddenness of the news.
She told the BBC: "In this meeting they told us we'd all been sacked because of the credit crunch. But actually we already knew some of us would have to go, that was a fact of course because of the crisis - but what we never expected from BMW was knowing one hour before [our shift].
10 Comments
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1. 51ck-6-51x said...
I'm not a supporter of unions, but unless they were all temporary workers (it does not appear so) or the company had already gone into receivership, isn't this against the worker's rights?
2. 51ck-6-51x said...
A slightly different perspective from The Oxford Mail
"Agency Staff"
"One weeks notice"..."pay for the coming weekend"
3. P. Riddy said...
But Mini sales were up. So we see that Corporate monopolies, financed by fractional reserve banking, consume profitable arms to stop rot elsewhere. Its the same with global governance. We see Germany being TOLD by the IMF to buy failed Irish govt bonds.
4. Ramakrishna said...
Thats really a tough decision by the management of BMW...but we can not held them responsible coz i can understand the pain they might have gone through before announcing it
5. goweresque said...
They were all the agency staff who were canned. Looks like the unions looked after their own members (understandably) and let the agency staff go hang. Ah, the brotherhood of organised labour!
6. Crunchy said...
Overseas workers are screwing this countrys right to steady employment.
Has anyone else noticed that you can hardly get an average job without going through an agent?
It maybe ok to have a flexible employment base but mortgages don't work in the same way.
7. little professor said...
Agency staff get paid more per hour, in return they have less job security, no pension and no rights to sick pay/notice. They knew what the deal was.
8. Jeff60607 said...
I am a big fan of mini. But from my point of view, their prices are too high. As a graduate student, I would love to buy it but cannot afford. In the current economic environment, I think they need to cut price more to increase sale. In the mean time, I just came across an interesting website on the current economic downturn and employment: http://www.recessioninfocenter.com
9. Crunchy said...
7. little professor said- They knew what the deal was.
crunchy-Some people have little choice of employment as this cancer is growing and options are decreasing in this crap country.
10. Dbc Reed said...
When it is no longer possible to maKe loads on your house, people are going to get much more tenacious about their jobs.
The deal was: you get a crap job but your house will go up in value,convenient for all the major political parties because
it is dead easy to set up steady house price inflation.Without house price inflation the parties are going to have to circulate money via the wage system which is just too much like hard work for modern politicians. Something they and the top civil servants have no experience of.