Microsoft protest organizer returns to code The engineering contractor protesting against Microsoft's 10 per cent pay cut has accepted terms to return to work. Phil Palios has blogged he's accepted the amended contract with his employer Volt following meetings with the company. In a lengthy post, Palios said that he'd realized he can continue working at Microsoft as a …
Only 23 - he's barely out of short pants. Not that being young will stop M$ from getting pissed off with him, and probably "blacklisting" him in some way so that his contract doesn't get renewed in the future...
We had similar examples of economic naivity by most of the under-25s at my company - including the classic line "I won't get made redundant, I'm too pretty". 3 weeks later, she was out of the building, P45 in hand, along with several other under-25s who "totally didn't see it coming"...
In times like this, it's generally best NOT to give your employer reasons to want to get rid of you (including being a shit-stirring let's-form-a-union type) - head below the parapet and all that - I'm all for people resisting their employers taking the piss, but a 10% pay cut on contract rates in the current climate isn't really taking the piss, it's realistic...
Presumably the economy is going to degrade to eighties levels of misery and pain. The only consolation will be watching the horror and pain of the under 25's who have foolishly assumed that the easy life was reality. Here's some advice from an oldster: Tesco value beans are every bit as good as the brand names and the best time to sign on is 11AM.
Maybe that is why Kepler was launched... All those thieving scummy contractors can be put on the next interstellar transport.....
Enterprises have value & values. Enterprises' value & values' change. Workers in an enterprise have value. That value changes. Workers in an enterprise have a price. That price can change as well. Welcome to capitalism - the surviving economic reality. Sometimes it can be a real bitch!
There's little doubt here that he was paid a visit.
An IT contractor, by definition, is not a stupid fellow, and why should he suddenly perform a u-turn after beginning such a strong protest?
I very much doubt that he woke up, had a coffee, and suddenly 'saw the light'; most likely a reminder of what mortality means.
Welcome to the dictatorship dave!
I've never understood what makes people feel that they should "protest" what they don't like. What was his argument - that he deserved to be making a certain amount of money by virtue of the fact that's what he was getting yesterday? Is there some human right that says our wages can go up but not down?
I remember the nineties, at least. Redundant twice - and accountancy was a "safe" profession!
Employers wanting to save the most will cut the older workers (usually higher earners), those with a bit of a conscience will cut the youngsters (less chance of families, mortgages, etc). No-one is immune. Except certain civil servants and undertakers, perhaps.
Paris, 'cos I bet she'd yield to persuasion.
Ah I remember it well, invincible and nothing could stop you! A short, sharp slap upside your head with the reality stick, usually does the trick though! "You've only just started and if you like it here, sit down and shut-up, else you'll find yourself down at Burger World swapping shifts with Beavis and Butthead until you retire!"
The permie young ones and those less than 18 months service get chopped first, because the redundancy payments are going to be a lot less than the old timer who's done 15 years and would cost the entire month's pay run to get rid of!
Shelf the people will take voluntary and a cheaper payoff ( read: minimum that company policy will allow! ).
Then we offer the usual "10%-or-get-out" deal to the contractors.
Then when it gets too bad and ready to turn out the lights, divvy up what's left and pay everyone else off, if there is anything left of course!
"No one gets out of here alive!"
"being a shit-stirring let's-form-a-union type).... ......a 10% pay cut on contract rates in the current climate isn't really taking the piss, it's realistic..."
"I've never understood what makes people feel that they should "protest" what they don't like"
Statements that could only be made by people who clearly know fuck all about the history of organised labour.
Ironic that Sunday was international women's day - look up the origins of that oh children of the benign capitalist age and tell me that protesting is pointless and that all union organisers are just shit stirrers.
or maybe you should come out of you comfy complacent comas and consider that profitable companies with millions in accumulated profits who pay their CEO more than most countries president/premier/prime ministers have no reason to slash wages except a desire to keep their profit margins high and their shareholders in caviar.
The workers who CREATE all that profit deserve more.
The whole reason microsoft has adopted the contract worker model is to justify paying peanuts to hundreds of workers forever stuck as "temps" despite being responsible for microsofts
profits.
Mines the one with "Ragged Trouser Philanthropists" in the pocket
The poor huddled masses of the proletariat are the wage slaves though, not the freelance contractors. As a contractor myself, I don't think forming a union against your clients is a good career move. It's just not that kind of worker-employer relationship. If you don't like the rates, go elsewhere. Despite the crisis, there are plenty of ways to make a living other than by doing cushy consulting gigs at companies far too large to know the real value of money. Sheesh, kids these days.
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