cheers

Don't get me wrong I'm all for the considerations that are given to the employees in Europe and it would be nice if it would trickle down to North America.

From what I'm reading on this side is that Europe needs American help on this European Financial crisis and just like Greece America may tell them they will have to make some sacrifices in order to get help. Two different issues I know. Obama has said that we have to help Europe because they are an important trading partner for the US.

Cheers

cheers

Narrrrr...you don't remember or you 'wearnt' born then

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hampshire-18559505

Cheers

Englishmum

And Boots is no longer registered in Nottingham, England. They registered the business in the corporate tax haven of Zug, central Switzerland, four years ago and pay no tax to the UK Customs & Revenue (incidentally where my spouse is on an expat posting and where I live part-time):

http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2...boots-chemists

http://www.zug-tourismus.ch/en/welcome.cfm?

Incidentally, Target stores in the US sell a small range of Boots cosmetics, skincare and toiletries. I wonder if this will cease and that Walgreens will sell a range of Boots products instead? (I always use Boots moisturisers )

J.JsOH

Agreed, this additional give away is nuts and can only harm businesses by having to provide more for the workers for less work. Consequence is prices go up and we all pay.

Much of the UK populace seems to think their employers or the Government has endless pots of money they can keep shelling out from.

There is too much Give me, Give me in my opinion.

Now the London bus drivers are threatening strike during the Olympics unless they get a bonus.

The country is great, the work compensation ethic of many is shameful.

jasper123

cheers ----- with respect cause Ive known you for a while and over the years you have had a lot of good posts,
But having said that my friend ----- I dont know what your thinking, but Ive just read your last few posts and you really sound like an average brain washed American who tunes into O'rilely and Hannity was that his name? and all the other phonies on Fox news.
You really do believe all that crap you are fed by the Media over there dont you, do you honestly think that America is the answer to the worlds problems? America will never have any say in how laws are changed over in Europe, of course if Obama throws in a few hundred Billion pounds then Im sure Germany can certainly use it to go towards bailing out Greece and later Italy, Spain, Portugal and Ireland, I mean every little helps right,
But you can be rest assured that if Obama does decide to put a little money in the kitty ----- it will not be from the kindness of his heart ----- but it will be only because he will have little choice, because if the E.U. collapses then so does the U.S. in fact the whole world would experience a depression so big and so hopeless that it would make the 1929 -35 great depression look like a mild bleep. cheers if America helps the E.U. crisis with putting in a lot of there money, then they will only be doing it to try and save there own Ass!!!
China will be putting in a lot more then the U.S. well they can afford it cant they, cause they are much richer then America,

Beedubya

Just popping in to say that the last company I worked for here, CH Robinson is an American company, a pretty big one at that. We got the same holiday and sick pay conditions as any other British company.

http://www.chrobinson.com/en/us/Abou...om/Fact-Sheet/

Englishmum

All overseas companies operating in the UK have to offer their employees (to the best of my knowledge) at least 20 days of annual leave plus in England and Wales, 8 days of public/bank holidays.

Here in the US I began a job with British Airways approx 5 or 6 years ago. I was hoping that the annual leave would be the same as in the UK. No such luck.....for new employees it is 10 days per year for the first five years

I was also informed (as a local management decision) that they don't want employees to travel overseas on the same day that they are working at the airport...and if one has travelled out of the US, to be back in the country the day before returning to work (They want to ensure that you are around in case of problems so that they can call you in at short notice or to do extra hours if you are already at work....one guy was stuck in transit in Dubai when a flight was cancelled, so they then demanded that all employees be back in the US before their return date from annual leave).

I realised that there wasn't much use in hoping to make use of the discounted travel benefits if one doesn't get time off to even fly anywhere and I'd never get to see my family in the UK...so I quit.

PS. I've learned that in the past year, British Airways has got rid of their staff at a number of US airports and brought in contract staff with an agency instead. Virgin Atlantic did this a few years ago. The contract staff (eg. with Swiss Port) get even fewer remuneration and benefits compared to employees working directly for the airline.

vikingsail

Ahhh the American way... and some fools and trolls actually think the Americans do things better!! Admittedly this seems to be a case of British business taking advantage of US rules in their own backyard. That's why US practices and influence in the workplace should be called out for the servitude and slavery they really are.

J.JsOH

The drink fountain cup system wouldn't work nowadays, cup and chain would soon be stolen for scrap metal purpose, or just for the heck of it.

On the subject of theft, charity shops in UK are becoming a popular shop-lifting target because the staff are general older and volunteers and not able to detect or challenge thieves.

sallysimmons

Shoplifting is just as bad in America, you just don't hear about it on the news there because the America media is dedicated to promoting the idea that everything in America is peachy and better than anywhere else in the world. Reality be damned. (I don't say this just randomly - I used to work for a major British retailer who opened stores in the US and Canada so I know the numbers.).

For some reason the British media loves to create scare stories and half the population believes them (Case in point, my FIL told me the other day that there's a new craze for stealing some car engine part - can't remember the name of it - and he wanted us to put our car in the garage to prevent it from happening to us. NEWS FLASH: THERE'S NO CRAZE! IT'S JUST A MEDIA FABRICATION BASED ON ONE OR TWO INCIDENTS!!)

Sorry for the rant but really ... I have met lots of people since I've been back, young and old, and found nothing but kindness and politeness. Yes there are thieves and hooligans but there are in America too. Depending on where you live, you might not run into them but it doesn't make them any less real.

Gabgoeshome

Totally agree Sally.

As a side, I have been really impressed with the charity shops here....all clean ,clothes all washed and arranged in sizes and colours!

I spent 15 pounds on 4 fantastic quality items, a brand new shirt too!

J.JsOH

But don't be deceived into thinking UK is any better than America when it comes to crime, just as there are nice people in every country too.

The theft of catalytic converters from cars is well documented in UK and in USA.
http://www.sbd.co.uk/uknews/post/Cat...y-Thieves.aspx
Just because it is reported in the UK newspapers doesn't mean it is merely a hyped-up scare story based on a couple of incidents.

Bevm

The US has so much gun crime that mere shoplifting doesn't get reported unless a) it's a celebrity, or b) it escalates to violence.

Think about it, apparently here we're supposed to be shocked and horrified that a few sad people nick 3 quid teapots from charity shops.

Bev

Derrygal

Yes - that's exactly right. The shoplifting incidents are usually only reported in the "Police blotter" section of the local newspapers. There is so much other violence, gun crimes, murders on a daily basis that lesser crimes like shoplifting barely get a mention. Personally, if I had my choice, I would prefer to live in a country where shoplifting makes the television news, than the one I am currently living in, where people get their brains blown out on a daily basis. Unfortunately, for some of us, it isn't easy moving back, due to children/grandchildren here, housing prices that have fallen so much we would lose too much money and the general state of the economy.

J.JsOH

...and this is the "Move Back to UK Forum" so no surprise that members here regard the UK in the best of light.