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IBM Offers to Send Laid-Off Staff to Other Countries
TheAmit writes to tell us that many recently laid off IBM employees have been offered jobs if they will only move somewhere it is cheap to employ them. IBM's new Project Match program offers some financial assistance for moving and immigration help for visas. "However, the move has not gone well with the IBM staff union. Slamming the offer, a union spokesperson said that not only were jobs being shipped overseas, but Big Blue was trying to export the people for peanuts too. He added that at a time of rising unemployment IBM should be looking to keep both the work and the workers in the United States. "
This is the FREE MARKET doing what it does best.
And that means what? I think relatively few people value economic systems more than they value economic sucess. If strict adherence to free market is going to get us into a depression (which it won't, but bear with me) then to hell with free markets comrade. The only reason to be in favor of free markets is because you think it will make more money for everyone/you. And of course you wouldn't be such a capitalist if it was your job on the line.
Let the great minds in HR and upper management that thought of this go over there (at prevailing local wages) and take a year to set things up. No pay differential, no hazard pay, etc. and let them try to pay for their mortgage and kids education back here in the U.S.
If this is such a "great opportunity" they should lead the way by example.
For those people getting laid off, this is probably the worst insult possible: we want you but at 3rd-world wages.
I suggest those people proposing this immediately get their pay adjusted to 3rd-world wage rates here in the U.S. and see how it feels.
I guess IBM now stands for "Idiots, Bozos, and Morons"
Truly Pathetic!
Supreme Granter of Doctor of Obviology Letters ("A FIRM Command of the Obvious")
They are not "taking jobs"; this is a process of reassigning people to jobs where they are worth the salary they want. It's harsh, but the fact is that if someone in Eastern Europe can do the job for $2000 a month, that is what the job is worth. If you force those jobs to stay in the US at $5000 a month, who pays for this? Either the USD get devalued, or through the force of law you rob the customers of IBM of $3000 a month. Get a grip. Don't you see where this would end? What's so special about IBM workers? Why not block every lost job, and ban every foreign import? Why should T-shirts cost $5 and shoes $70? That's way too cheap, damn foreign labor. Make them in the US, ban the imports and pay $25 for a T-shirt and $200 for shoes. That will fix everything. Of course that's too bad for poor families, but let's fix that with price controls. Or subsidises. Gosh, why didn't anyone think of this before? Anyway, where is Eastern Europe?