Scandalous.

Sorry folks, those not wishing to read a political rant should turn away now.


Many agency workers watching the way that other agency workers on the Mini production line at Cowley were sacked at an hours notice yesterday must have asked themselves if employers can really do that. Sadly, they can under British labour law and I am afraid that in current conditions we are likely to see a lot more of this type of activity. Its doubtful also that agency workers will be the only victims as conditions worsen.

Sadly, we are now beginnig to see the brutal realities of the situation we are in spelt out in living colour on the 24 hour news channels. Whilst the bankers whose mammoth cock ups caused this mess in the first place appear before House Of Commons committees, say sorry and head off into the sunsei with their golden handshakes, shop floor workers of all kinds are being bundled onto the dole qeues with indecent haste with hardly enough time to pocket their P45s. We now know who is going to pay the price for the mess the bankers and their political puppets have landed us with.

And its no good the union leaderships crying about the unfairness of it all. Had they spent more time fighting for the interests of their members rather than cosying up to Blair, Brown and the New Labour establishment perhaps some of the aspects of 'flexible' labour laws that they are now weeping about would have been removed. Perhaps, union members should be taking a look at some of their leaders who have had their noses embedded too deeply in the New Labour trough and be asking if its time that new and more representitive faces came to the fore.