CatmanV2
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Our fully laden cost for techs in Bulgaria was about 30% of the UK rate. It's not just wages it's reduced cost of living and property, rents etc etc etc
KL the difference was even starker
C
P&O Debacle
- Thread starter Lozzer
- Start date
Our fully laden cost for techs in Bulgaria was about 30% of the UK rate. It's not just wages it's reduced cost of living and property, rents etc etc etc
KL the difference was even starker
C
Swedish Paul
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Remember working for HSBC in London. Christmas party. The global head of IT somehow singled me out. Came over, spoke about how he fired so many people. I happened to comment how he should be so proud of himself outsourcing to India where they produced the same **** but for half the price. He tried to fire me, but I was quite important at the time. The glares he gave me when waiting for the lift at Canary Wharf. With me smiling at waving at him. I left a month or two later.
Thatch
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Notwithstanding the blatant disregard for its own employees, it's the utter contempt for paying customers (akin to Ryanair) that I fine baffling.
How any manager who works in the service industry thinks they can sustain their business while treating customers like this will soon be out of a job themselves.
How any manager who works in the service industry thinks they can sustain their business while treating customers like this will soon be out of a job themselves.
Devonboy
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They live in the ship .....food,board,laundry, etc all free plus no tax or ni and they will come from poor countries .....not right, but we will learn that after the first accident I suspect
Phil the Brit
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Got to question the safety on board those ships when staff have been given 10 days training!
CatmanV2
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One might also want to question if they've genuinely had only 10 days training.
C
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Regardless, I'd want to use a ferry run by a company that doesn't treat its employees with derision.
CatmanV2
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Swedish Paul
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I was looking at using the Hull-Holland crossing this summer but they wanted near 1000 pounds for a return trip. Outrageous. We will be going via the Chunnel now.
UlstermanAbroad
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Until 'they' build our bridge across the North Channel, we are condemned to using ferries.
Just before Covid, I took my first ferry crossing, Belfast - Cairnryan in about ten years.
I wandered around the ship to see if much had changed and nothing had. It was like time
had stood still, across a decade. Decor and design was the same. Food was the same. (awful)
The only substantive thing that had changed, was since the demise of the catamaran,
the journey was back to a couple of hours and change. The same journey time for the
past half century.
In half that period, China by contrast, has built 24,000 miles of high speed rail, which is set to
double by 2040.
Just before Covid, I took my first ferry crossing, Belfast - Cairnryan in about ten years.
I wandered around the ship to see if much had changed and nothing had. It was like time
had stood still, across a decade. Decor and design was the same. Food was the same. (awful)
The only substantive thing that had changed, was since the demise of the catamaran,
the journey was back to a couple of hours and change. The same journey time for the
past half century.
In half that period, China by contrast, has built 24,000 miles of high speed rail, which is set to
double by 2040.
RodTungsten
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Same experience crossing from Larne a while ago plus P&O moved departure forward by an hour without notice - arrived just as the linkspan was lifting. Miss the catamaran and watching the navigation behind the bridge at night.
davy83
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However China has a GDP of 17.5 Trillion USD to our >2 billion, and we are building HS2 (I think?) so its really just working with what you have.
I took a boat to Bilbao a few years back. They warned us of problems with the rudder of the ship I was booked to take. Eventually, we left and it was ok. But the return was altered to include a change of sailing times at first, with landing in Portsmouth, not Southampton.
So accommodation was useless for a stop over on landing back i the UK with no refund available.... Then they emailed us to say the returm sailing was cancelled. I was in northern Spain..Would i like to make my way to the north coast of france and they MIGHT be able to get us on a boat from there..! I obviouslt had to book a channel tunnel slot in the event they couldnt accommodate a return sailing...They did, letting us know some 14 hours before the chunnel crossing...Talk about shower of sh1t !
Recompense for added fuel and hostelry was less than satisfactory. I swore Id never use them again.... Easier said than done if there is no competition to speak of. And this kind of practice isnt conducive to viable competition really, is it ?
So accommodation was useless for a stop over on landing back i the UK with no refund available.... Then they emailed us to say the returm sailing was cancelled. I was in northern Spain..Would i like to make my way to the north coast of france and they MIGHT be able to get us on a boat from there..! I obviouslt had to book a channel tunnel slot in the event they couldnt accommodate a return sailing...They did, letting us know some 14 hours before the chunnel crossing...Talk about shower of sh1t !
Recompense for added fuel and hostelry was less than satisfactory. I swore Id never use them again.... Easier said than done if there is no competition to speak of. And this kind of practice isnt conducive to viable competition really, is it ?
UlstermanAbroad
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Yeh, I knew as soon as I typed that, that I was leaving myself very open to criticism
Our GDP last year was $2.7 trillion. I have no experience in the NHS or civil service, but lots of experience
working with the latter and it rarely impressed. Every time I tried to reach certain senior civil servants on behalf
of the company I worked for, they were either off sick, on leave, on a course or if I was very lucky, they'd return my call at some point.
So, if I make the wild assumption that wastage in the wider civil service and NHS, is on a par with the MoD and Home Office. Which, I acknowledge is quite a stretch. I would say that if we were able to make even 10% savings annually,
I suspect that the sum involved would upgrade much of our infrastructure.
And then I woke up from a deep sleep and absently wondered what, if anything, I'd been dreaming about.
safrane
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The reason the Civil Service, NHS, Home office etc is seen to be so poor is the constant interference from the Government and Ministers who change and move almost on a yearly basis in some functions. On top of this policy is at the will/whim of the newspapers and public opinion.
Many a time I have worked on major changes to national policy only to have it unwound by the next minister with years worth of work throw away.
If you ran a private business in the same way it would be wound up in a year or so.
Many a time I have worked on major changes to national policy only to have it unwound by the next minister with years worth of work throw away.
If you ran a private business in the same way it would be wound up in a year or so.
It is a recipe for wasted time, money and directionless leadership. Buying votes despite the complete lack of pertinence to actual governance...Populism.
The Chinese must be wondering what democracy is good for..? Look at the fiasco that was Trump's covid response......democracy appears farcical; at best, ineffectual.?
The great people of the UK are allergic to the idea of coalition govt. There is no time or money to waste vacilating between left vs right vs the middle vs armegeddon...
Agree on the things we can, and it makes sense to then refrain from diismantling everything the outgoing tenure sought to install beacasue that gets your particular shade of vote....... Its all about power for these clowns..Not govt ! And Jo Public loves it...sticking it to the man cos they think their vote will show 'em..!
RodTungsten
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Ha - so true! Hired to help implement the ID card ( which is in effect what our driving licence is) only to destroy all kit and papers following the election. Moved on to installing IP phones and running testing - much more satisfying.
davy83
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Although if I had the choice i would keep the wasted efforts rather than have China's political dictatorship, even if they do get new trains.Yeh, I knew as soon as I typed that, that I was leaving myself very open to criticism
Our GDP last year was $2.7 trillion. I have no experience in the NHS or civil service, but lots of experience
working with the latter and it rarely impressed. Every time I tried to reach certain senior civil servants on behalf
of the company I worked for, they were either off sick, on leave, on a course or if I was very lucky, they'd return my call at some point.
So, if I make the wild assumption that wastage in the wider civil service and NHS, is on a par with the MoD and Home Office. Which, I acknowledge is quite a stretch. I would say that if we were able to make even 10% savings annually,
I suspect that the sum involved would upgrade much of our infrastructure.
And then I woke up from a deep sleep and absently wondered what, if anything, I'd been dreaming about.
UlstermanAbroad
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I completely agree with all of the points made above.
Our whole political system is rotten, from top to bottom.
There must be better democratic models to learn from.
I've increasingly felt that the place to start is term limits.
But, how often do turkeys vote for Christmas.
Our whole political system is rotten, from top to bottom.
There must be better democratic models to learn from.
I've increasingly felt that the place to start is term limits.
But, how often do turkeys vote for Christmas.