Thursday 29 January 2009

IS THE RECESSION BEING USED AS AN EXCUSE?

I can understand Cummins having to reduce staff by 30 early redundancy/jobs lost from a staff of almost 600 at its site on Manston Industrial Park, as demand for generators slows. We should breathe a sigh of relief that this is only 5% of its workforce there and is less job shedding than caused by Woolies going in our three town centres.

What does amaze me though, is the news today that London Underground and a water company (was it Southern Water?) are also shedding hundreds of jobs. Are there already less travellers using the Underground?

As far as Water Companies are concerned, we are all a captive market and unless we are on meters, we pay for water through rates and fixed charges. If we become the 'great unwashed' and use less water, it does not impact on their income; so why the job shedding then?

Could it be that the present 'recession' is an ideal time to lean down the water business to increase profits and job losses slipped into the general news of doom and gloom will go un-noticed?

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