A few years ago, just before christmas I got a job as a driver for a computer company. This company was called Specialist Computer Centre and describes itself as Europe's largest independent IT company. Their chairman is a fellow called Sir Peter Rigby.
I thought I'd tell you a little bit about how they do business. After a few days I was given a contract to sign, it included an authorisation to deduct ten pounds per week from my wages for the accountancy costs of deducting income tax and National Insurance. These deductions are obligatory . Under the PAYE system the employer has to deduct the tax at source neither the employer nor employee get any choice in the matter. I know of no other company that charges it's employees this kind of money in this way. Ten pounds a week was a sizeable portion of my income and I didn't feel that I owed this money to Specialist Computer Centre, I wouldn't sign.
I soon learnt about how this company did business with it's employees. Their Birmingham office phoned me and sacked me whilst I was driving round the motorway. It turned out that I was employed by the Birmingham office who called themselves Specialist Computer Recruitment (or something like that) who in turn work for their only client Specialist Computer Centre. This meant that I was always at arms length and the people I met I never actually worked for; and the people I worked for I never actually met. But that is beside the point.
When they came to pay me they still made the deduction of ten pounds for accountancy fees, by then I had left. Eventually they repaid that money. I took it up with Citizen's Advice Bureau who described it as 'sharp practice', but said nothing could be done because I hadn't been there long enough to accrue any employment rights.
There are plenty of lousy employers out there, I nominate Sir Peter Rigby for a Scrooge and sharp practice medal. Yeeeeuuurgh
Food Glorious Food
Just a thought. Boston University is among others in offering a Masters Degree in Gastronomy - The art of fine dining. Food of course is very important but should the act of getting it down your gob be the subject of academic endeavour? I am unlikely to be invited to any gastronomic events when I point out that every day over 13000 children die of hunger.*
*World Hunger Education Service
*World Hunger Education Service
My Oil Depletion Strategy
I've just googled probably the three most important words in the language right now and got just eight results. Every government has one, every corporation will have one, and you can be damn sure every oil company has had one for a very long time, but nobody is talking about it , least not on the web.
Those words are 'oil depletion strategy' , what is it and why does it have to be kept secret? Well it does what it says on the tin - it's a strategy for when oil is depleted and less plentiful than it is right now. That is inevitable. Oil and oil derived products (that's anything made of plastic for a start) will become hugely expensive and industry which relies on oil (that's all industry) will suffer. The main reason for keeping the strategy secret so far as I can see is not to alarm the public. The inevitability of oil depletion is kept as a vague notion of pessimists. Its the old bury your head in the sand technique - don't let on you have a strategy 'cos then you're admitting there's a problem.
Well in the interests of kicking off the debate I've decided to be the first to publish my own oil depletion strategy. I don't have a nation or a multi-national to manage just have a small cottage with an overgrown garden .
1. Be aware of the problem - the film "oil smoke and mirrors" is a good start .
2. Cut down on energy use much as possible, tick.
3. Ride a bike, tick.
4. That's all I can think of right now, but keep thinking 'cos the oil price can only go up. That is based on the immutable laws of supply and demand , the very mantra of capitalism. So if a capitalist says to me we will never run out of oil I say 'liar liar pants on fire!'
Well you heard it here first, everyone's gonna need one and this may not be the best but it's the first publicly available oil depletion strategy. What's yours gonna be?
Those words are 'oil depletion strategy' , what is it and why does it have to be kept secret? Well it does what it says on the tin - it's a strategy for when oil is depleted and less plentiful than it is right now. That is inevitable. Oil and oil derived products (that's anything made of plastic for a start) will become hugely expensive and industry which relies on oil (that's all industry) will suffer. The main reason for keeping the strategy secret so far as I can see is not to alarm the public. The inevitability of oil depletion is kept as a vague notion of pessimists. Its the old bury your head in the sand technique - don't let on you have a strategy 'cos then you're admitting there's a problem.
Well in the interests of kicking off the debate I've decided to be the first to publish my own oil depletion strategy. I don't have a nation or a multi-national to manage just have a small cottage with an overgrown garden .
1. Be aware of the problem - the film "oil smoke and mirrors" is a good start .
2. Cut down on energy use much as possible, tick.
3. Ride a bike, tick.
4. That's all I can think of right now, but keep thinking 'cos the oil price can only go up. That is based on the immutable laws of supply and demand , the very mantra of capitalism. So if a capitalist says to me we will never run out of oil I say 'liar liar pants on fire!'
Well you heard it here first, everyone's gonna need one and this may not be the best but it's the first publicly available oil depletion strategy. What's yours gonna be?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)