The US guys get some sort of healthcare package which I imagine is worth a fair amount.
Employees for the same company in other European branches get even more leave entitlement than the UK staff.
All of this got me wondering about the working practices culture in different countries, the perception of work-life balance in different countries and whether there is any evidenced conclusions about worker productivity in these different worker environments.
I am a Union Steward for a large grocery chain. Recently I had the experience of being on the negotiating committee with about 20 others and the leaders of our labor union. The result was that we secured one of the best grocery contracts in the United States---without a strike. We did push the corporations a bit---they were not about to budge otherwise.
I got a firsthand look at how negotiations are done, and learned a lot about strategy at bargaining meetings. The result in my neck of the woods was that the 2 year old Walmart Grocery Store down the road has now closed, giving my store a 10% increase in business.
We have paid vacations, a raise for all employees---larger wage increases for lesser paid employees and smaller raises for us at the top of the scale. We top out at $18.30 hourly and it seems morale has improved.
Overall I consider it a blessing.
Chance as a real force is a myth. It has no basis in reality and no place in scientific inquiry. For science and philosophy to continue to advance in knowledge, chance must be demythologized once and for all. —RC Sproul
"A lie can travel half way around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes." —Mark Twain
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