David Posted September 5, 2017 Share Posted September 5, 2017 McDonald’s workers went on strike, they want an end to zero hour contracts by the end of the year and £10 per hour. They have already started work phasing out the zero hour contracts before this strike. Since April 2016 they have had 3 pay rises with their wages up 15%. Thoughts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uttoxram75 Posted September 5, 2017 Share Posted September 5, 2017 Fair play to them. Anyone who has the courage to stand up, stick together, and fight for a better deal deserves respect. The fact that McD's have already started to listen is solely due to the determination of the workers to do summat instead of just moaning about it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boycie Posted September 6, 2017 Share Posted September 6, 2017 Gerkin Hell! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wolfie Posted September 6, 2017 Share Posted September 6, 2017 Why strike about scrapping zero hours contracts when the company was doing it anyway - and 86% of their workforce chose to stay on them?. There's other stuff going on here & it's poor McManagament to let it get this far, to be honest. Getting a bit fed up of the portrayal of flexible contracts as always evil. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gaspode Posted September 6, 2017 Share Posted September 6, 2017 36 minutes ago, Wolfie said: ......Getting a bit fed up of the portrayal of flexible contracts as always evil. Absolutely - some companies have certainly exploited them (and their staff) in an unfair way, but they work really well for others. My wife has a zero hours contract which gives her the flexibility to work when she chooses (i.e. if the employer rings up and asks her to work, she has the option to say no if she has other commitments) - not sure how she or the employer would manage if they were banned - would they have to commit to pay her even if they didn't need her? and if not, what would happen if they needed additional cover at very short notice? I'm afraid certain politicians have adopted this as an easy target to win votes without having any comprehension of how the real working world works.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uttoxram75 Posted September 6, 2017 Share Posted September 6, 2017 7 minutes ago, Gaspode said: Absolutely - some companies have certainly exploited them (and their staff) in an unfair way, but they work really well for others. My wife has a zero hours contract which gives her the flexibility to work when she chooses (i.e. if the employer rings up and asks her to work, she has the option to say no if she has other commitments) - not sure how she or the employer would manage if they were banned - would they have to commit to pay her even if they didn't need her? and if not, what would happen if they needed additional cover at very short notice? I'm afraid certain politicians have adopted this as an easy target to win votes without having any comprehension of how the real working world works.... Your wife is lucky Gaspode, many do not have the option to say no, no matter how short notice is given. Labour rights generally are worth fighting for, if not for you personally, then for the people who have little choice in whether to take a zero hour contract and also to let the corporate world know that modern slavery is not acceptable, because if they could, they would! The only thing that stops them is people being prepared to fight, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gaspode Posted September 6, 2017 Share Posted September 6, 2017 6 minutes ago, uttoxram75 said: Your wife is lucky Gaspode, many do not have the option to say no, no matter how short notice is given. Labour rights generally are worth fighting for, if not for you personally, then for the people who have little choice in whether to take a zero hour contract and also to let the corporate world know that modern slavery is not acceptable, because if they could, they would! The only thing that stops them is people being prepared to fight, Please read what I said again - zero hour contracts work for SOME people and are awful for others - unfortunately, there are too many people who choose to see the world in black and white without understanding the implications of a blanket ban which will simply not work for a lot of people or organisations. I'm not suggesting that workers rights aren't worth fighting for, simply that the current trend of painting zero hours contracts as always bad shows a level of naivety as to how they can be a useful alternative in some circumstances..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WhiteHorseRam Posted September 6, 2017 Share Posted September 6, 2017 Zero hour contracts are fine if it's along the line of being on somebody's 'books', and it is all very casual. Being called in as 19 yr old to wait tables at wedding receptions during your summer holidays, bit of evening box packing, humping and dumping for a landscape gardener, that kind of thing. Basically legal cash in hand. It all becomes wrong when some ****** is making people do 40 hrs plus every week, binning them for going to the loo once too often or having the nerve to have a sick day. Especially in areas of the UK where there are not many jobs. I guess it's the difference between 'casual' and 'breadwinner'. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Posted September 6, 2017 Author Share Posted September 6, 2017 My opinion may not be a popular one but say I go for a job and I'm told it's a zero hour contract and £8.50 an hour, when I hand over my bank details and ask when do I start how can I complain a year down the line I'm not getting paid enough or the contract hours don't suit? If you haven't had a pay rise in say 5 years I can understand wanting more money but that's where I would discuss it with the manager, if they were unable to offer me anything I would look to move on. Easier said that done maybe with the lack of jobs, but you wouldn't let it get to 5 years without a pay rise, you would give yourself that cushion of time to find a new job that pays what you think you can earn. If not, is it possible your expectations are a little unrealistic? McDonald's pay above the national minimum wage already.... Quote McDonald’s says all its hourly pay rates are above the national living wage. For under-18s this is £5.42, for 18- to 20-year-olds it is £6.84, for 21- to 24-year-olds the rate is £8.13 and for over-25s it is £8.31. https://www.theguardian.com/business/2017/sep/04/mcdonalds-workers-strike-cambridge-crayford I'm not against striking over things like working conditions but not pay, especially when you are already getting above the minimum wage for a job that doesn't require a great level of intelligence, not saying they don't work hard, sure they do but it's not going to be a highly paid position. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wolfie Posted September 6, 2017 Share Posted September 6, 2017 1 hour ago, Gaspode said: Please read what I said again - zero hour contracts work for SOME people and are awful for others - unfortunately, there are too many people who choose to see the world in black and white without understanding the implications of a blanket ban which will simply not work for a lot of people or organisations. I'm not suggesting that workers rights aren't worth fighting for, simply that the current trend of painting zero hours contracts as always bad shows a level of naivety as to how they can be a useful alternative in some circumstances..... Completely Agree 2 hours ago, uttoxram75 said: Your wife is lucky Gaspode, many do not have the option to say no, no matter how short notice is given. Labour rights generally are worth fighting for, if not for you personally, then for the people who have little choice in whether to take a zero hour contract and also to let the corporate world know that modern slavery is not acceptable, because if they could, they would! The only thing that stops them is people being prepared to fight, What about the rights of the 86% who want to keep the zero-hours contracts?. Should they be forced into signing a fixed contract they don't want to because somebody has righteously deemed that they must be modern slaves and protected because workers are always downtrodden by evil bosses?. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ronnieronalde Posted September 6, 2017 Share Posted September 6, 2017 I'm someone who believes companies should do more to look after their staff, I don't believe in zero hour contracts. I think it's a p-take but.... here's a suggestion for you McDonalds workers across the UK. Start getting the drive through order right when it's 3 things and I might put my (considerable) weight behind your campaign. How hard can it be to order a chicken sandwich meal, Fanta without ice and a cheeseburger and they STILL keep getting the bugger wrong. FFS, take some pride in your job (whatever job it is you're doing by the way) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uttoxram75 Posted September 6, 2017 Share Posted September 6, 2017 25 minutes ago, Wolfie said: Completely Agree What about the rights of the 86% who want to keep the zero-hours contracts?. Should they be forced into signing a fixed contract they don't want to because somebody has righteously deemed that they must be modern slaves and protected because workers are always downtrodden by evil bosses?. I'm sure if 86% of McD's workers want zero hour contracts the company would not be in the process of phasing them out? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boycie Posted September 6, 2017 Share Posted September 6, 2017 2 hours ago, David said: My opinion may not be a popular one but say I go for a job and I'm told it's a zero hour contract and £8.50 an hour, when I hand over my bank details and ask when do I start how can I complain a year down the line I'm not getting paid enough or the contract hours don't suit? If you haven't had a pay rise in say 5 years I can understand wanting more money but that's where I would discuss it with the manager, if they were unable to offer me anything I would look to move on. Easier said that done maybe with the lack of jobs, but you wouldn't let it get to 5 years without a pay rise, you would give yourself that cushion of time to find a new job that pays what you think you can earn. If not, is it possible your expectations are a little unrealistic? McDonald's pay above the national minimum wage already.... https://www.theguardian.com/business/2017/sep/04/mcdonalds-workers-strike-cambridge-crayford I'm not against striking over things like working conditions but not pay, especially when you are already getting above the minimum wage for a job that doesn't require a great level of intelligence, not saying they don't work hard, sure they do but it's not going to be a highly paid position. Daveo works zero hours all the time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angry Ram Posted September 6, 2017 Share Posted September 6, 2017 21 hours ago, David said: McDonald’s workers went on strike, they want an end to zero hour contracts by the end of the year and £10 per hour. They have already started work phasing out the zero hour contracts before this strike. Since April 2016 they have had 3 pay rises with their wages up 15%. Thoughts? Blimey the lefties will be all over this thread.. Oh the injustice blah, blah, blah.. I can't read on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Posted September 6, 2017 Author Share Posted September 6, 2017 1 minute ago, Angry Ram said: Blimey the lefties will be all over this thread.. Oh the injustice blah, blah, blah.. I can't read on. Not sure you quite realise the pressures that these workers are under, did he want a gherkin or not? Least the Unions have a heart! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richinspain Posted September 6, 2017 Share Posted September 6, 2017 1 hour ago, David said: Not sure you quite realise the pressures that these workers are under, did he want a gherkin or not? Least the Onions have a heart! FTFY Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gaspode Posted September 7, 2017 Share Posted September 7, 2017 12 hours ago, David said: .......did he want a gherkin or not?.... Hang on a minute - are you saying that you can ask for them to leave the gherkins out? - all those years of trying to pick them out of the melted cheese.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RamNut Posted September 7, 2017 Share Posted September 7, 2017 Not been in a mcdonalds since 1979? Derby lost at arsenal and Alan Biley was playing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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