CompuServe Messages

I've had some personal experience with those 2 issues, and I completely disagree about who has the advantage, at least when compared to other major industrialized nations. Here's a prime example. My wife was clearly (in our opinion) fired unfairly a couple of years ago, and we had no reasonable recourse. After 10 years of loyal service to a company and the receipt of a glowing review, it was necessary to shut down her department. Fine, no problem. They gave her an OK, but lesser job in another department (also fine) but it soon became clear she was superfluous to requirements (department losing money), and they fabricated a case against her to support her firing. They gave her a bad performance review, and 30 days to improve. She became sick during the 30 days and was at home intending to return to work, but they sent her a letter saying she'd been fired anyway. This is actually illegal, but employers do it anyway because you'd have to file a civil action to enforce it. What they should have done is layed her off and given her a fair severance pay deal (say 1 weeks pay per year of service). I guess they decided it would be cheaper to trump up a case against her and dump her unceremoniously. I think this is unfair but the labour board doesn't handle cases like that, they handle simple pay disputes (we asked). We would have had to hire a lawyer to pursue the case and it would have been years. What's the point of ever feeling loyal to a company if you are treated like that? She loved that company and performed above and beyond what would have been expected of anybody. Also the labour board has very little power and its decisions are far from binding, they can be appealed ad infinitum, in higher courts. In England there are industrial tribunes which arbitrate the disputes and their decision is binding. Unions are practically non-existent in small corporations here, so nothing for you to worry about there. Finally, severance pay for layed-off workers not required here, but mandatory in most EEC countries. The big issue for employers which I do think is bad and where employers have a valid gripe, is the out of control workers compensation insurance situation. I understand your perspective as an employer, but you'd have a lot more rules, regulations and responsibilities than you do now if you had the same operation in Western Europe <g>. I would go as far as saying that, although you may not like the way things are, you are probably under less regulation than any employer of any other major, industrialized nation. I like being a contractor because nobody expects anything other than the contract work to be performed in the agreed manner. No loyalty is expected, no brown-nosing to the boss, no resentment if you are passed-over for a promotion, etc, etc. I would feel and have felt totally stifled in that kind of environment, in any country.