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Industrial Disputes in Ireland adding up

October 5th, 2009

As the Unions position their members for some cold nights outside it’s sure to be a tough time for businesses, workers and the government over the next few months.

Looking at the figures for the first half of this year however and compared to the previous years it seems that things are might not be as tough as the were in the 80’s and 90’s. It seems also that there are many people willing to strike but not for long. It is working out as just over an hour for each person in the first half of 2009. Compare that to 2008 where the average per worker was nearly 12 hours.

The second half of 2009, particularly the last few months, may help to level these figures out. Time will tell.

Jobs, ireland , , , , ,

Protest, protest, useless

February 21st, 2009

humour funny protest signs in Dublin about the economy in 2009

100,000+ have marched the streets of Dublin today in protest of the economy and the government’s handling of the situation so far. The protest was organized by Unions but I can’t help but feel that a savings of 100,000 * €20 (a month union fee) would be better spent on anything other than unions.

How about a protest by union members who have got nothing for their money except an almost hyper inflation over the past few years. A real protest would be to stop paying your union membership and join with others who actually care about jobs, the economy and this country. Join with them and figure out a way to make a real change. Clogging up the streets of Dublin on a mild Spring Saturday afternoon has about as much impact as a punch from Willie O’Dea’s granny.

Finance, Humour, Jobs, ireland , , , , , ,

Industrial inaction in Ireland

February 16th, 2009

As the country braces itself for a sustained period of economic contraction it is obvious that there is a tough time ahead for the majority of Irish people.

It is somewhat unsurprising that the public sector unions are digging their heels in already. Dublin Bus and Bus Eireann have voted in favour of industrial action. Teachers are also being balloted for industrial action and over the next few weeks we are set to see much disruption to the areas of society where disruption resonates most.

Industrial action by a public sector with guaranteed pensions and guaranteed jobs will clearly win no fans.

Yesterday TUI president Don Ryan said “Our members are prepared to take their fair share of the burden

This evening on Today FM general secretary of ASTI John White said that they were “willing to play their part in dealing with this recession

It seems that everyone wants to do their part, as long as it is deciding others should suffer.


This chart from our site shows just how industrial action has declined over the years. 2007 being the year when the least ever amount of hours were lost to industrial action. I think that record is safe for a while:

Finance, Jobs, ireland , , , , , , , ,

The Management at Ireland Inc

January 29th, 2009

Developing a culture of enthusiasm, a culture where strong values are put into practise from the bottom up & to have this culture infect the hearts and minds of everyone in Ireland is the key to building a successful country. This is a country in which everyone can win.

If you look at any successful business there are only a few key elements that drive that success. No matter how big an organisation it will always need a core from which leadership emanates. Leadership is not about fire fighting. It is not about doing the little day to day tasks. It is about developing the culture of a business. Bad leadership will lead to bad management and the effects will fizzle down through the ranks. In the end you will have a bad organisation. Good organisations, good businesses always have good leadership. There is never an exception.

Good leaders will often create good mission statements. This is not a statement of what they want; this is a statement of what the organisation wants. Much time will be spent creating the mission statement and everyone in the organisation will have a hand in developing it. In the end there will be a nucleus for the organisation which sets the values and goals. It gives balance, it sets a company ethos, it gives purpose for every member of that organisation because they will have created it and therefore they are committed to its success.

Merge these elements, a strong leadership core, a company mission statement and a workforce committed to the company ethos. Now you have the framework on which you can build a successful business. You have all the soldiers aligned and even in the darkest days your company is ok because you are in control. Everyone is together and everyone will push forward in one motion.

Juxtapose these structural ideas with that of any countries structure and you can see how easily they align and make sense. The US for a long time been the most powerful country in the world and it is worth taking note of the elements that give success to that country and also that which diminishes it. Strong leadership is such a major key to the success of that country and this has never been as obvious as now when we see new leadership providing new hope. The US constitution is their mission statement and it is a statement which every American is proud to commit to and work by. The populace are motivated by it and understand that it can provide the dream that each and every one has searched for.

Other countries have learned from America and are trying to create this structure or more importantly a structure that suits best and what the population want. We in Ireland need to have this. We need to run this country like a successful business. We need leaders who can lead and we need the population to want success for everyone. Perhaps we do have a strong leader, he has shown strong willingness to listen and understand what people want. He has yet to show strong vision. He has yet to make the people understand his ideas. This 2-way process whereby he understands the needs of the country and the country understand his and the governments needs as a leader is a journey yet to be completed.

In summary, we can succeed as a nation but we must clarify where we want to go. Our goals will be set to keep us on the right road. The engine in this is our government.

Jobs, ireland , , , , ,

“You take my life when you do take the means whereby I live”

January 10th, 2009

Every person is fully aware that in the past week there have been some very bad announcements when it comes to jobs but given that it is a new year January was always going to be a bad month. The big companies were always going to wait until after the holidays to make major announcements. The smaller companies, however, didn’t have the luxury and December saw 16,300 people going onto the live register topping off the highest single year rise on record. A 71% rise in unemployment in 2008.

In order to assess exactly where this country is in terms of unemployment it is worth looking at 2 charts. The first is the number of people on the live register:

The second is the unemployment rate:

Looking simply at the first chart it is clear to see that the amount of people on the dole is shooting up and within the next few weeks it will be at the highest point it has ever been.

Comfort will be taken from the second chart where we can see that as a percentage of the labour force the situation is nowhere near what it has been in the past few decades, at least yet.

Nothing more needs to be said other than keep an eye on these charts through the next few months. They will be the reason behind every other statistic, from house prices through retail sales figures.

Finance, Jobs, ireland , , , , , ,

It’s January 1st and we’re screwed already!

January 1st, 2009

When the government announced their budget, earlier than usual in October 2008, they predicted that we were in for some tough times. A levy here, a cutback there and a prediction that we would need to borrow €4.8 billion to run the country in 2009. Ouch!

The Agency that monitors this borrowing is the National Treasury Managment Agency and about 10 weeks after the budget was announced they have issued their end of year results. They have stated that the €4.8 billion will rise to €13 billion. As a result the national debt now stands at €50.7 billion.

The National Debt/GNP ratio increased from 23.3 per cent at end 2007 to 32.5 per cent at end 2008.

While Ireland’s national debt is still considered fairly stable and manageable the question remains how the government could make a prediction of €4.8 billion only for that figure to balloon so drastically in such a short space of time.

What other predictions and assumptions are they relying on? How will the inevitable gulf between prediction and actual fact impact the nation? Will they be able to sort out the banks? Will they be able to sink the public sector bloat boat? How will the Lisbon treaty be handled, again? How do they help small businesses who are struggling? Is our manufacturing and export sector doomed due to high costs and weakened pound/dollar? What about rising crime rates? What about…. everything?

It’s January 1st and we’re screwed already!

Finance, Jobs, ireland , , , , , ,

The donkey is dead

December 20th, 2008

House prices are continuing to fall as indicated by the latest ESRI/ permanent TSB House Price Index. The chart below illustrates just how much has fallen of the average house in Ireland since prices peaked in 2007.

Expectations of a return to a vibrant market are very hopeful. The property donkey is dead and if we compare our situation to other countries then we can expect a 40%-60% drop in prices. Dublin prices peaked in April ‘07 and have since seen a drop of 16.6%. With a stockpile of empty property, banks not willing to lend, people not willing to buy and a very uncertain future for the economy it is inevitable that property prices will continue to slide.

In the first 10 months of 2008 there were 43,513 property completions. The total for 2007 was 78,027. A signs of the times. 2009 is going to be a tough year for the sector and as a result the country that relied so heavily on it.

Finance, Jobs, Property, ireland , , , , ,

The game of risk

December 10th, 2008

Out of the 20 highest ever single-day percentage gains on the Dow Jones two have occured in 2008. The 5th largest percentage gain was on October 13 and the 6th was on October 28, with gains of 11.08 and 10.88 respectively. With the exception of a 10.15% gain in 1988 every other of the highest gains occurred during the great depression.

Out of the 20 highest intraday points swing (difference between day highest and lowest points throughout a day) 16 have occurred in 2008.
Over the past week or so in Ireland there have been plenty of job announcements
[jobs, jobs, jobs, jobs, jobs] but even more announcements of redundancies (no links needed).

The association between stock market fluctuations and job fluctuations is risk. Uncertainty in both areas means that some people will take a risk and some will not be willing to take any risks. Governments around the world are trying to sure up banks and industries so that confidence will return and the element of risk will be reduced.

So if you want to know when the recession is over then ask yourself if you would invest in a bank or take a mortgage out for a second home. If the risk is way too high then you’re probably still in a recession.

Finance, Jobs, ireland , , ,

Unemployments to create jobs!

December 5th, 2008

As unemployment continues to increase it has emerged that 115 public servants are to be moved to 48 different social welfare offices in order to speed up the administration process.
http://www.breakingnews.ie/text/ireland/mhidsncwsnoj/

Unemployment in the country has increased at dramatic rates since mid 2007. Chart below shows how the increase effects the live register:

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Beamish brewery to close

December 4th, 2008

http://www.rte.ie/news/2008/1204/beamish.html

RTE reports on the closure of the Beamish & Crawford brewery in Cork with the loss of 120 jobs.

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