TELECOM Digest OnLine - Sorted: Re: Channel Islands: Union Sour Over Milk

Re: Channel Islands: Union Sour Over Milk

Mark Crispin (mrc@cac.washington.edu)
Fri, 4 May 2007 06:42:30 -0700

I don't know why some union's pathetic effort to keep one of the last
vestiges of PTT going is worthy of TELECOM. Most of the rest of the
world said goodbye-and-good-riddance to their PTTs two decades ago.
But anyway ...

On Thu, 3 May 2007, Nigel Allen wrote:

> The union had made a request to buy three month's worth of advertising
> space on Jersey Dairy milk cartons as part of the union's campaign to
> stop the privatisation of Jersey Telecom. But Jersey Dairy have said
> that the sale of Jersey Telecom is political and they do not want to
> be seen to be endorsing either side in the debate.

As the kids say, "Well, duh!" If Jersey Dairy has a policy of no
political advertising, they definitely would not want to touch any
union campaign.

> Unite national officer, Peter Skyte said: "Our union is very
> disappointed over Jersey Dairy's decision. We believe the people of
> Jersey should know about the negative affects that will result from
> the sale of Jersey Telecom."

Such as lower costs, better service, and more service offerings. PTTs
were infamous for blocking new technology and featherbedding. Of
course, the latter is what the union wants to preserve.

> Unite believes that the sale of JT would be very damaging for the
> island. JT currently hands over GBP 13m is taxes and dividends to
> Jersey every year. This reliable and guaranteed income would disappear
> if JT is sold to a telecoms multinational.

Jersey may be small, but it is difficult to believe that the
equivalent of US $26M would be particularly significant. It's also
questionable how tax revenues would be affected; if anything, a
private company would probably pay considerably more in taxes.

> The union also believes that if JT is privatised it will open the
> floodgates to other States' assets being sold off.

This is what it is all about: loss of cushy union sinecures. I
wouldn't be at all surprised to hear that they still have switchboard
operators ...

> "If a privatisation agenda is pushed through it will change the very
> fabric of Jersey and will result in huge job loses. The Jersey's
> economy is small and workers who lose their jobs will not be able to
> travel to find work," said Peter Skyte.

Open admission that it's all about sinecures for union workers who
have not kept their skill set up to modern technology.

In any case, the rest of the world really doesn't care what the people
of a dinky island decide to do about their PTT. If they want to pay
more to preserve a 1940s telecom, that's their business and not ours.

Similarly, we don't care about the whines from said dinky island's
union. It just makes them look ridiculous.

> CONTACT INFORMATION
> Mike Budd
> + 44 7958 624502
> or
> Amicus Press Office
> Liane Groves
> + 44 7793 661 657

Hmm. Both of these are UK mobile phone numbers, not landlines. For
all anyone knows, they could be prepaid SIMs, and since UK prepaid
phones can roam internationally the phone could be in Nigeria.

-- Mark --

http://panda.com/mrc
Democracy is two wolves and a sheep deciding what to eat for lunch.
Liberty is a well-armed sheep contesting the vote.

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