Paystrike ‘smacks of greed’
WHAT do you do when you’re offered a 7% pay rise - more than twice the rate of inflation?
You refuse it, of course, and demand almost double the sum. So what if the company you’re working for happens to be in the middle of an economic crisis, struggling to maintain margins in the face of soaring fuel and raw materials costs?
The story goes like this. Hoyer UK and Suckling Transport - whose oil tanker drivers deliver fuel to Shell garages across the UK - said unions rejected a pay offer of around 7% which would have taken the drivers’ average salary to £41,500 by January 2009. But workers’ union Unite said this could only be achieved by working extensive overtime, and that the companies’ offer would have increased salaries from just under £32,000 to £36,000.
Upon hearing this, Teessiders could be forgiven a wry smile. According to ReThink Recruitment, the average salary in the North of England is an estimated £19,000 and many wouldn’t turn down £32,000, let alone £36,000. And they’d be frankly delighted by a 7% pay rise, since Tees bosses are generally offering basic settlements of around 3-4.5% - which is still at or above the rate of inflation.
The most striking aspect of the Shell situation is that the settlement was too generous in the first place. Can anyone imagine Alan Sugar handing out a 7% rise, even in an economic boom?
Employees who want more should be prepared to put in the hours to get it. I’m all in favour of incentive-based packages consisting of a competitive basic salary, generous commission on top and opportunities to work overtime.
Money-grabbers could, of course, turn their hand (or foot) to professional football. Cristiano Ronaldo’s right boot earns him a cool 15 grand every day, but that’s the only striker the British should tolerate.
Industrial action is not the way forward and serves only to showcase British workers’ penchant for petulance. Some employees believe they have only two options when negotiating remuneration packages: demand more and, if this doesn’t work, take strike action. Surely companies should redefine the terms of these options along the following lines: Take it or leave.
