Thread: FORD SHUT DOWN OF MANUFACTURING IN AUSTRALIA

Originally Posted by Pickles2

It's got NOTHING to do with the yanks....NOTHING.
Think about our COSTS...COSTS of manufacturing...Holden GM said last week.....65% (SIXTY FIVE PER CENT) of manufacturing costs of manufacturing the Commodore was WAGES....that is the problem....they're too high....unless people regognize that....we will continue to go......downhill.
Ya want some examples...tradies making $160K P.A. (desalination plant)PLUS living away from home allowance...etc etc etc....and there's HEAPS more examples.
Building site...a guy opens the gates in the morning, cleans the toilets during the day, shuts the gates at night....$100K P.A.....and the last example was a few years ago.....then of course ya've got 18 day months, water on site..can't work....ah it's over 32C..can't work, parental leave, baby bonus, MASSIVE 1st home buyer's scheme...ra ra ra ra....who's gonna pay?......and ya wonder why we can't compete?
Cheers, Pickles.

What line of work are you in? or did before retirenment?

Originally Posted by Eevo

quote If the protectionist route is followed, newer, more efficient industries will have less scope to expand, and overall output and economic welfare will suffer. end-quote.

that routes working really well at the moment, whats it take for the penny to drop?

Hello sparksdisco.
I worked in a Bank for 39 years before I retired. Nothing special, just middle management....no big income or anything like that...just a worker, and I was a Union Member for the whole time.
Talking about wages/costs etc, being an ex-Banker, I'm used to people having a go at me about "Huge Bank Profits"etc etc......but they're not "Huge" really...it's just that the banks are very large organizations, so their "Profit" is, in number/dollar terms, are also large, but their return on equity is the same as any other successful business.
However, one aspect of Banks that I do find obscene, is the "Salary" of the C.E.O's...NO-ONE is worth $15M P/A.
Cheers, Pickles.

The trouble with this thread is that everyone is correct in what they are saying. Costs ARE too high, protectionism can lead to problems, losing manufacturing capability could lead to disaster. I can't see an easy solution to a very complex problem. Take away workers rights and benefits? Not likely, but it's happening by proxy anyway. We are using worker ants in places like China to replace our own workers who cost too much. A mate is getting a computer programming job done for his business. It's 28 days work full on and will cost him $800 all up in China. It would nearly cost him $800 a day here. Nothing will stabilise until we are all earning comparable wages and benefits. Another thing, this super for retirement thing doesn't seem logical. We can't have a very significant portion of the population sitting on a beach earning investment income. Someone has to be doing the work. Investment income is an illusion if there aren't a heap of worker ants slaving away to support it.

Originally Posted by Pickles2

It's got NOTHING to do with the yanks....NOTHING.
Think about our COSTS...COSTS of manufacturing...Holden GM said last week.....65% (SIXTY FIVE PER CENT) of manufacturing costs of manufacturing the Commodore was WAGES....that is the problem....they're too high....unless people regognize that....we will continue to go......downhill.
Ya want some examples...tradies making $160K P.A. (desalination plant)PLUS living away from home allowance...etc etc etc....and there's HEAPS more examples.
Building site...a guy opens the gates in the morning, cleans the toilets during the day, shuts the gates at night....$100K P.A.....and the last example was a few years ago.....then of course ya've got 18 day months, water on site..can't work....ah it's over 32C..can't work, parental leave, baby bonus, MASSIVE 1st home buyer's scheme...ra ra ra ra....who's gonna pay?......and ya wonder why we can't compete?
Cheers, Pickles.

Well i think im a good judge with first hand experience on the matter after being made redundant (voluntary)by one of these American owned companys after 19 years service .
The writing is on the wall The yanks dont like our ability to design engineer and manufacture

Originally Posted by rangieman

Well i think im a good judge with first hand experience on the matter after being made redundant (voluntary)by one of these American owned companys after 19 years service .
The writing is on the wall The yanks dont like our ability to design engineer and manufacture

That is NOT good mate, & I am sorry to hear it. The same sort of thing happened whilst I was in the Bank to some of my long standing friends & Co-Workers...luckily, I "survived".
But really, I reckon, if you look at what's happening in Aus, I don't think it's the Yanks who are the problem.....all of our "industry" has gone to the likes of China, South Korea, Taiwan, & now Thailand & India are entering the picture. It's not good at all, and I do not have the answers, but Mikehzz makes some very good points
Cheers, Pickles.

Originally Posted by Pickles2

However, one aspect of Banks that I do find obscene, is the "Salary" of the C.E.O's...NO-ONE is worth $15M P/A.
Cheers, Pickles.

and that is only the start of it.

the proportion of profits going to middle and upper management has grown unchecked and out of all proportion to the rest to the point that it makes it nonviable to keep manufacturing here.

shareholders only seem to be waking up to it now

it isnt just the unions that have been greedy.

Originally Posted by incisor

and that is only the start of it.

the proportion of profits going to middle and upper management has grown unchecked and out of all proportion to the rest to the point that it makes it nonviable to keep manufacturing here.

shareholders only seem to be waking up to it now

it isnt just the unions that have been greedy.

I would have to disagree with that.....having worked in a bank, for so long, I started in 1961, I know a fair bit (a bit more than I know about Landrovers!) about Bank "salaries' & the like. Salaries of "rank & file" are similar to what is available in other areas of the finance sector, manufacturing companies etc, and it is not the salaries of the higher ranked (CEO, Senior Managers etc) that comprise most of the wages cost....it is the tens of thousands of "ordinary workers", like I was.
Shareholders?....Not too many of them would be unhappy....the Dividend yield of Bank Shares are amongst the best!
Cheers, Pickles.