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Amazon’s UK FBA operations will be split from the EU

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Re: Amazon’s UK FBA operations will be split from the EU

#111
post #105

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Is it? The denial in Europe is currently that the flooding of the labor market with Eastern European workers has no consequences for the common man. Countries have been sold out to the stock markets for the last two decades. It is refreshing that the UK is the first to recognize this officially.

Britain before the virus had close to full employment. We had 3 or 4 unfilled positions for every person on unemployment benefit. Most people unemployed found jobs quickly. In mid 2019 there were only 327,000 Britons who had been unemployed for more than a year, but over 3.5 million foreign nationals working in the UK. The British jobs for British people argument is utter garbage. It’s so incredibly far from reality…

> Britain before the virus had close to full employment.

This is not a good line of argumentation. I'll refrain from using stronger terms so as not to violate the site guidelines.

Fact is: In many European countries the low wage "jobs" (many of them on exploitative hidden contractor terms) earn barely above social security level.

All of that while still supporting parasites like state TV losers with big pensions.

Of course you have "full employment" if most people earn a subsistence wage.

Re: Amazon’s UK FBA operations will be split from the EU

#112

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Many of the jobs Eastern Europeans were taking simply aren't being filled by UK workers. They consider themselves too good to pick fruit, clean toilets and care for sick people.

Would not the praised invisible hand take care of this? If toilet cleaners provide more value than stock brokers (they do), they should be paid more. There is also the fact that Eastern European construction workers in Germany do not follow German regulations, rip out Asbest without precautions etc., thus undercutting local builders.

No. Notably in picking seasonal food. The supermarkets don’t pay enough for the food. The picking companies don’t demand enough, plus they have some questionable or outright illegal employment practises. Most of all it’s hard work and Brits simply don’t last in the job.

Re: Amazon’s UK FBA operations will be split from the EU

#113
post #109
post #103

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Is this a problem due to the existence of Easter Europeans or a problem of Government not enforcing the regulations. Why don't you demand enforcement of regulations instead of wholesale ban of Eastern Europeans? Also, how do you feel about sending all non-complient workers to Eastern Europe or do you think that German non-complient workers should just get a fine?

Poor, desperate people who don't speak the local language are not exactly likely to turn whistleblower. We've seen this in the UK recently with the Covid-19 outbreaks on vegetable farms - which are (as Brexit opponents in the press repeatedly and smugly pointed out) almost entirely staffed by migrant workers from Eastern Europe to the point that when Covid shut down travel they had to charter special planes to fly th…

Why would workers(those who are accused of breaking the law) blow the whistle? Why do you expect that? How about solving the issue through inspectors and such? Is it normal for UK to have its criminals to report themselves? Is this where Eastern Europeans culturally fail?

Also, were the high Covid-19 counts in the UK due to these workers? If so, if these workers are so bad in hygiene why UK is much worse off than Eastern Europe?

Re: Amazon’s UK FBA operations will be split from the EU

#114
post #105

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Britain before the virus had close to full employment. We had 3 or 4 unfilled positions for every person on unemployment benefit. Most people unemployed found jobs quickly. In mid 2019 there were only 327,000 Britons who had been unemployed for more than a year, but over 3.5 million foreign nationals working in the UK. The British jobs for British people argument is utter garbage. It’s so incredibly far from reality…

> Britain before the virus had close to full employment. This is not a good line of argumentation. I'll refrain from using stronger terms so as not to violate the site guidelines. Fact is: In many European countries the low wage "jobs" (many of them on exploitative hidden contractor terms) earn barely above social security level. All of that while still supporting parasites like state TV losers with big pensions. Of…

What have jobs in European countries got to do with it? I was only taking about the UK economy and unemployment in Britain.

Re: Amazon’s UK FBA operations will be split from the EU

#115

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'd imagine it depends on how much attention the operators in this marketplace have been paying. If they've believed UK Government rhetoric about how Brexit will be a smooth process that will enhance the UK's trading opportunities, this may come as a surprise. There are (IMO) a reasonable number of UK citizens and businesses who haven't grasped the likely consequences of what's happening on 1/1/21

Oh yeah, and the current pandemic and its economic effects aren't helping the UK's brexit issues.

Indeed they are not. What I find a bit puzzling is that the UK Gov. absolutely had an easy escape hatch from the cliff edge of end of 2020, by saying "we've got to delay due to the pandemic" I don't think many people would have complained if they had.

Instead they explicitly rejected that opportunity and carried onwards...

Re: Amazon’s UK FBA operations will be split from the EU

#116
post #105

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Britain before the virus had close to full employment. We had 3 or 4 unfilled positions for every person on unemployment benefit. Most people unemployed found jobs quickly. In mid 2019 there were only 327,000 Britons who had been unemployed for more than a year, but over 3.5 million foreign nationals working in the UK. The British jobs for British people argument is utter garbage. It’s so incredibly far from reality…

> Britain before the virus had close to full employment. This is not a good line of argumentation. I'll refrain from using stronger terms so as not to violate the site guidelines. Fact is: In many European countries the low wage "jobs" (many of them on exploitative hidden contractor terms) earn barely above social security level. All of that while still supporting parasites like state TV losers with big pensions. Of…

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lump_of_labour_fallacy

Re: Amazon’s UK FBA operations will be split from the EU

#117

So stupid! The UK voted to keep Europeans from coming over here and taking our jobs and seducing our women with their sophisticated accents. There was nothing about blocking European goods and European fulfilment centres. Boris Johnson even assured us that it was going to be easy to get a "great deal" on free trade. This is not the Brexit we voted for!!

From back in 2017, "EU trade deal easiest in human history" https://www.bbc.com/news/av/uk-40667879/eu-trade-deal-easies...

Re: Amazon’s UK FBA operations will be split from the EU

#118

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In context of Brexit, the inevitable consequences of the UK's actions is quite often a "bombshell" to the UK. The denial is strong.

Is it? The denial in Europe is currently that the flooding of the labor market with Eastern European workers has no consequences for the common man. Countries have been sold out to the stock markets for the last two decades. It is refreshing that the UK is the first to recognize this officially.

1) Any analysis that tacitly assumes that the fundamental conflict is between "Europe" and "the common man" should be suspect immediately. It clearly has an agenda.

2) The UK government had at its disposal number of measures that could prevent or mitigate the impact of "Eastern European workers flooding the labor market" on "The Common man" (UK citizen edition thereof, only). Following the accession of Poland and other smaller states in 2004 they could have: raised minimum wage, increased social spending and outright limited the numbers coming from those countries for a time, as some other EU members did. (1) etc.

The UK government chose to do none of these, thus keeping their business backers happy, and were able to avoid blame for this decision, instead pointing at an "external enemy, i.e. "Europe". Of course, this fanned the flames of Xenophobia, and...

1) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Migrations_from_Poland_since_E...

Re: Amazon’s UK FBA operations will be split from the EU

#119

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Britain before the virus had close to full employment. This is not a good line of argumentation. I'll refrain from using stronger terms so as not to violate the site guidelines. Fact is: In many European countries the low wage "jobs" (many of them on exploitative hidden contractor terms) earn barely above social security level. All of that while still supporting parasites like state TV losers with big pensions. Of…

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lump_of_labour_fallacy

What is the purpose of this link? Should I post a counter link to Supply Side Jesus?

The fact that labor is not fixed has little to do with exploitative European "employment" practices.

In fact, if you have to drive down wages to support full employment, it would be an argument against that "fallacy".

Re: Amazon’s UK FBA operations will be split from the EU

#120
post #114

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Britain before the virus had close to full employment. This is not a good line of argumentation. I'll refrain from using stronger terms so as not to violate the site guidelines. Fact is: In many European countries the low wage "jobs" (many of them on exploitative hidden contractor terms) earn barely above social security level. All of that while still supporting parasites like state TV losers with big pensions. Of…

What have jobs in European countries got to do with it? I was only taking about the UK economy and unemployment in Britain.

So Britain does not have these practices. That is good to know.
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