The General Chat Thread (2016-2022)

Status
Not open for further replies.
Duck59 said:
Time, I think, to dump our energy supplier. British Gas are behaving appallingly - they are "firing and rehiring" their engineers, offering them worse contracts. The money is the same, but they are increasing their hours from 37 to 40 per week.

We signed a petition against this and also wrote a letter to the Chief Executive. We received a reply, informing us that we "were mistaken" in saying that this represented a pay cut.

Hang on, let's have some very basic arithmetic. If I work 37 hours for (say) £500, that's £13.51 an hour. If I'm working 40 hours for the same amount, then it's £12.50 an hour. Exactly where in this is there "no pay cut"?

This is immoral scumbaggery. Time to find someone with at least a vague sense of ethics.
Click to expand...

40 hours a week is a basic work week here. That is reasonable, to me. Two weeks of paid vacation is pretty standard here, too. I know some yurripean companies give you a lot more vacation time than that.

When I worked in the corporate world here, I would sometimes have to work 60 hour weeks -- flat salary, no overtime pay. But, I worked for pretty reasonable people, so I got some "off the books" time off when things were slower. I always did the same for the people who worked under me. If they needed a half day off for a medical appointment or to go to a kid's drama in school, they were supposed to tell the personel department, and not get paid for those hours. My policy was "tell me and your coworkers what you are doing, and take the time off. My policy was, "get your work done, and we are good." Keeping me and their co-workers informed was also essential, so we could pick up the slack.

CD
 
caseydog said:
40 hours a week is a basic work week here. That is reasonable, to me. Two weeks of paid vacation is pretty standard here, too. I know some yurripean companies give you a lot more vacation time than that.

When I worked in the corporate world here, I would sometimes have to work 60 hour weeks -- flat salary, no overtime pay. But, I worked for pretty reasonable people, so I got some "off the books" time off when things were slower. I always did the same for the people who worked under me. If they needed a half day off for a medical appointment or to go to a kid's drama in school, they were supposed to tell the personel department, and not get paid for those hours. My policy was "tell me and your coworkers what you are doing, and take the time off. My policy was, "get your work done, and we are good." Keeping me and their co-workers informed was also essential, so we could pick up the slack.

CD
Click to expand...

When I moved to Asia my deal was normal salary plus an allowance of $60.00/day for meals and drink (it wasn't enough) plus the hotel, laundry, car hire, fuel and additional reasonable expenses would be covered by the parent company. After a couple of years the parent company decided to amend the deal and incorporate the daily allowance into my salary (which was good for my pension) so I was required to sign a new contract. I prepared a suggested contract which stipulated the standard holidays in my existing contract, i.e. 6 weeks per year but plus 3 return airfares, Asia to UK, per year. At that time there was a new "personnel manager" in the group who took umbrage at my suggested 6 weeks. His argument was that in the UK the six weeks included Good Friday, Easter Monday, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Years Eve and New years Day and only included weekdays (not Saturday and Sundays) - so my entitlement should be 6 x 5 days less the 7 public holidays = 23 days. As Malaysia (where I was based) had 15 public holiday days per year I rewrote the relevant clause to read 23 days plus local public holidays and this was accepted.
 
Lullabelle said:
We received a gift today.

View attachment 60279
Click to expand...

We tried a couple of the cheeses last night, the red one is cheddar Red Leicester with Habanero chilli and peppers, hot and it gave me hiccups but really tasty, the green is cheddar with roasted garlic and herbs, very garlicky and very tasty. Both are too strong for a cheeseboard but go very nicely with red wine.
 
I think the issue is not the work conditions, but that the employer is changing them into something more unfavorable to employees. If you were hired to work a 37 hour week, you expect to work a 37 hour week. Being fired, then re-hired under less favorable conditions is pretty ugly behavior on the part of the employer, especially in current times where the economy is tight.

Most countries in Europe have legislation that protects employees from being abused by employers, as employers are perceived to have more power in the labor market. There's still a lot of shady stuff going on, at least here in Portugal. The more common one is illegally hiring temporary workers. Our labor law clearly defines in which situations can a temporary worker be hired as the law favor permanent work contracts which are more benefic to the employee, but it's fairly easy for companies to manipulate circumstances and pretend they're hiring someone to do a temp job when they're really filling a permanent position. And then there's the really cringe stuff. Yesterday a co-worker was telling of a place where she worked before, where a colleague with learning disabilities was convinced to sign some resignation papers that left him with no compensation and no access to unemployment benefits. Labor laws are meant to prevent this kind of abuse.
 
Yorky said:
When I moved to Asia my deal was normal salary plus an allowance of $60.00/day for meals and drink (it wasn't enough) plus the hotel, laundry, car hire, fuel and additional reasonable expenses would be covered by the parent company. After a couple of years the parent company decided to amend the deal and incorporate the daily allowance into my salary (which was good for my pension) so I was required to sign a new contract. I prepared a suggested contract which stipulated the standard holidays in my existing contract, i.e. 6 weeks per year but plus 3 return airfares, Asia to UK, per year. At that time there was a new "personnel manager" in the group who took umbrage at my suggested 6 weeks. His argument was that in the UK the six weeks included Good Friday, Easter Monday, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Years Eve and New years Day and only included weekdays (not Saturday and Sundays) - so my entitlement should be 6 x 5 days less the 7 public holidays = 23 days. As Malaysia (where I was based) had 15 public holiday days per year I rewrote the relevant clause to read 23 days plus local public holidays and this was accepted.
Click to expand...
Now that I am self employed, every day somebody wants me to work is a work day. Pre-Covid, seven days a week, okay. My days off are when I get them. Not always a bad thing. I've been in NYC twice on July forth, and got to see the spectacular fireworks. I was in Chicago once on my birthday, and the owner of the car I was photographing took we out for some phenomenal Italian food -- the bill was easily 300 bucks.

I have my fair share of WTF days, but I get paid the same, and the days where I shoot a multi million dollar car, and the owner says, take it for a drive, make up for it. It doesn't happen every time, but some owners can sense that I know cars, and give me the keys. I have one owner I work for a lot, that picks me up at the airport, lets me stay at one of his mansions, and feeds me excellent food -- and let's me dive all of his half-million dollar, impeccably restored Porsches.

CD
 
Lullabelle said:
We tried a couple of the cheeses last night, the red one is cheddar Red Leicester with Habanero chilli and peppers, hot and it gave me hiccups but really tasty, the green is cheddar with roasted garlic and herbs, very garlicky and very tasty. Both are too strong for a cheeseboard but go very nicely with red wine.
Click to expand...

Red Leicester is very hard to get here. I've heard a lot about it, and would like to taste it. I just have to find it -- and hope I can afford it.

CD
 
caseydog said:
Red Leicester is very hard to get here. I've heard a lot about it, and would like to taste it. I just have to find it -- and hope I can afford it.

CD
Click to expand...

Red Leicestershire used to be available here at a very reasonable price. It's vanished from my supplier's list for the last 4 years.
 
caseydog said:
I went to Minneapolis one time... in January. I left thinking these people are crazy. Who would want to live here. I can't speak, because my lips are frozen. I walk across the street, and wonder if I still have feet.

CD
Click to expand...
We lived there eight years. Most winters were fairly brutal, but you adapt. 30-inch snowfalls...followed by another 30-inch snowfall weren't uncommon, and windchills in the -30F range weren't unusual, either.

That said, there's a lot going on up there in Winter - they don't let the weather stop them. I admire that.

We did have a couple of winters with little/no snow...several folks (with more money than sense) had snow trucked in from elsewhere (or manufactured) so they could have snow in their yards!
caseydog said:
Red Leicester is very hard to get here. I've heard a lot about it, and would like to taste it. I just have to find it -- and hope I can afford it.

CD
Click to expand...
I've found it at ALDI before.
 
caseydog said:
Red Leicester is very hard to get here. I've heard a lot about it, and would like to taste it. I just have to find it -- and hope I can afford it.

CD
Click to expand...
Yorky said:
Red Leicestershire used to be available here at a very reasonable price. It's vanished from my supplier's list for the last 4 years.
Click to expand...
TastyReuben said:
We lived there eight years. Most winters were fairly brutal, but you adapt. 30-inch snowfalls...followed by another 30-inch snowfall weren't uncommon, and windchills in the -30F range weren't unusual, either.

That said, there's a lot going on up there in Winter - they don't let the weather stop them. I admire that.

We did have a couple of winters with little/no snow...several folks (with more money than sense) had snow trucked in from elsewhere (or manufactured) so they could have snow in their yards!

I've found it at ALDI before.
Click to expand...

Traditional Red Leicester from a supermarket is pretty bland and rubbery, however cheese makers are improving the recipe and selling it at a higher price but the quality is there so worth the few extra pennies.
 
Duck59 said:
the original implication of the phrase was that it meant something very small and trivial, but somehow became a synonym for "very good"
Click to expand...
How extraordinary! Such a change! I like hearing how it is perceived in real life...the paper said it meant 'excellent' which is several levels stronger than 'very good'...
60371


Will certainly not be a bore and ask you for every phrase, but the 'full of beans' is a nice one, and food related, as is this forum...my new favourite...thank you!
60371

Did I just insert the photo twice?Sorry...
 
Timenspace said:
Will certainly not be a bore and ask you for every phrase, but the 'full of beans' is a nice one, and food related, as is this forum...my new favourite...thank you!
Click to expand...
A slightly more earthy version of "full of beans" is "full of pi$$and vinegar," and usually denotes someone who isn't just energetic, but sort of a jerk about it as well, like they're always in a hurry about everything and obnoxious in their manner.

Timenspace said:
Cheese right?
Click to expand...
Yes, he was asking about Red Leicester cheese.
 
TastyReuben said:
A slightly more earthy version of "full of beans" is "full of pi$$and vinegar," and usually denotes someone who isn't just energetic, but sort of a jerk about it as well, like they're always in a hurry about everything and obnoxious in their manner.
Click to expand...
Oh is it really? Wow, that is so important to know. I mean of course I'd suspect pi## and vinegar is not a positive description....good to ahve it loud and clear. And how about the 'full of beans' is it also more negative?
I could immediately imagine myself speaking to someone in front of a London museum, 10 years from now in the future, and proudly say of the tourist guide, e.g. 'he is so full of beans' with a nice smile, and the locals would think how rude of me...:laugh: It is slippery to use in fact, if one is not absolutely sure how to use it...
Of course the voicing says a lot too...

Thank you! Have not heard or read of Red Leicester cheese before...
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top Bottom