IBM Europe Workers Strike

csimoes writes "IBM employees in Europe are on strike today. This is in response to the 10,000-13,000 job cuts that IBM is planning, most of them in Europe. Strikers will be wearing black and blue to signify their struggle. Here is their main union web site. Now I can't say I'm big union guy, but they do make some interesting points on their site. Such as: "IBM is a wealthy and successful company. Its first quarter profit for 2005 was $1.4 billion, and $9 billion for the whole of 2004. It increased the dividend to its shareholders, recently bought back $5 billion in IBM stock, and acquired 19 companies in 2004." The union also questions if other cost cutting mechanisms could achieve the same effect without cutting so may jobs."

Comments

US company / Euopean strike

[winkydink]

When will the Europeans figure out that their polite, silent walkouts, singing songs, sitting down in the corridors, etc... are viewed with a certain amount of amusement by US companies who are used to associating the word strike with picket lines?

IBM is going to do what's right for IBM. (western) European workers are very highly paid, work on average about 35 hours per week, get 5-7 weeks of paid vacation, and phenomenal benefits (most state supplied, but paid for through employer subsidies).

IBM can get the same work done cheaper China/India/etc. What's their incentive for paying more for the same result?

Re:Europeans go on strike

[jqcoffey]

Hey, don't knock it just 'cause you ain't got it.

The fact is, the Europeans are living the "American Dream." I, for one, am tired of us Americans whining about it, when instead we can do something about it.

We lost our own "Dream" when we started electing politicians who pray to the God of Capitalism.

Re:Hardworking Propagandists

[KrackHouse]

Wow. Wow... You need to understand that America is the richest country in the world because of capitalism. Our poor people have cars and fridges because of the innovation of the greedy. This really isn't a very complicated concept to grasp so why don't people get it? Our taxes are low but 20% of a trillion is more than 70% of a billion. I guess I'm being harsh, I was a Deomocrat for a while except that whole preponderance of evidence thing finally got to me.