I agree with Alasdair Thompson

[jaffaonajappa]

No one said pay them a rate less than a man. If that were the case I'd be against that, the pay rate should be and is based on skill, not sex. Hours put in on the other hand...

Are you suggesting women should get more sick days because they're on the rag? Sure, but only if men get the same, I mean it's only fair....

-Indy

Hehehe. Ok, assuming you arent trolling.....
Yes. The crux of the argument, and the background to the new legislation, is based on Exactly that. Paying women the same per hour as men receive....
Whilst this is already a requirement of our laws (Human Rights Act - discrimination..), I understand the Stats are showing that 'for some reason' women are earning less (per hour etc).

The taking leave / sick leave / childcare leave can be treated seperately to a large extent, for a majority of jobs.

And yeah. Men should get leave too....if theyre on the rag and its Baaaaad.

[Hitcher]

What bothers me about this whole issue is that once again, rather than debate the content or merit of the opinion modern society seems rather to want to condemn the person for expressing it in the first place.

Whether you like it or not the issues that he has raised will at least affect some businesses perceptions of women's productivity and in some case those perceptions will be borne out.

What Alisdair Thompson said wasn't "factually correct". He has admitted that himself in what was supposed to be an apology for his stone age, misogynistic comments.

This man is supposed to be a 21st century industry leader, attuned to a group of people whose interests he is paid to advance. The Employers and Manufacturers Association isn't some sort of freemasons fraternity. Many of its members and employees of its members are women. They deserve better.

His lack of basic public relations skills should remove him from the shortlist for any senior management role. One wonders what attracted the board of the EMA to hire him in the first place. Arrogant pillocks only ever succeed when they are hired by other arrogant pillocks.

As well as significantly devaluing his own currency, Mr Thompson has also significantly diminished the credibility of the EMA -- it's a lobby group, for heaven's sake. His apology was too late and significantly weakened by his earlier lame attempts to defend his position.

If I was a member of the EMA, I would be asking hard questions about what value Mr Thompson adds to the role for which he is well paid to deliver. He clearly has attitude problems and lives in an alternate universe. If he had any self respect, he should resign. He doesn't and he won't. It remains to be seen as to whether his board sacks him.

[Ocean1]

I understand the Stats are showing that 'for some reason' women are earning less (per hour etc).

I'd be surprised if that wasn't the case. If I took a decade out from my career I expect my mean hourly rate would suffer too.

[Indiana_Jones]

It's not fair enough that we don't get the rag?

Good call lol. But if you were to give women more leave then you're basing discriminating against men, as they're not getting the same.

Hehehe. Ok, assuming you arent trolling.....
Yes. The crux of the argument, and the background to the new legislation, is based on Exactly that. Paying women the same per hour as men receive....
Whilst this is already a requirement of our laws (Human Rights Act - discrimination..), I understand the Stats are showing that 'for some reason' women are earning less (per hour etc).

The taking leave / sick leave / childcare leave can be treated seperately to a large extent, for a majority of jobs.

And yeah. Men should get leave too....if theyre on the rag and its Baaaaad.

No troll and I couldn't agree more, women should be paid the same per hour/salary as men for the same job (provided of course they at the same skill level, vice versa)

-Indy

[mashman]

yes they should be paid the same as men....


But..... ever go in to a busy bar/restaurant/cafe/shop staffed by several women ? And compare the situation to a bar staffed by men...? generally the women do anything but serve the customer and the men act as a team to get what is important done first.....

This hypothesis is completely annulled if the women are topless of course. (I don't frequent establishments where the male staff are topless so I cannot testify on that but I am sure Katman can)

There are attitudes out there that would disagree.

probably miserable because their male counterparts were paid more than them

Liverpudlian myth? In Liverpool, it is illegal for a woman to be topless except as a clerk in a tropical fish store.

[jazfender]

Good call lol. But if you were to give women more leave then you're basing discriminating against men, as they're not getting the same.

Nah. Disagree.

If men had a debilitating "sickness" as that idiot puts it and were not given the leave to accommodate it then yeah, it would be.

It's unjust to punish women for the cards they were dealt and to ignore the issues surrounding it.

[FJRider]

It's unjust to punish women for the cards they were dealt and to ignore the issues surrounding it.

So ... equal rights ... aren't equal then ... ???

[jaffaonajappa]

So ... equal rights ... aren't equal then ... ???

Upset that you get looked at funny if you ask a shop assistant if you can try on a Bra?
Equality -/- Equally. Different stuff for different things...

Anyway - wheres the chicks gone. They can jump in here...im tired of talking up for them. Some people just arent getting it.

[jazfender]

So ... equal rights ... aren't equal then ... ???

Of course they're not.

No sane person can tell me that a man and a woman are equal in all ways. There are similarities, there are differences but they are not the same. We're not even equal within our own genders!

"Equal rights" is the media's tag for it but essentially what we should be striving for is an understanding of everyone involved and meeting the demands of those people.

[jazfender]

Further to this, what is important is equal treatment.

Thus, a man should be given the capacity to share his issues or demands in the same way that a woman should.

Equality is understanding that there are differences and catering to them. Equality is not saying that one rule should apply to all.

[FJRider]

Upset that you get looked at funny if you ask a shop assistant if you can try on a Bra?
Equality -/- Equally. Different stuff for different things...

I've never asked ... so I didn't know ... but if you have ... I'll take your word for it ...

[rustyrobot]

A slightly obscure metaphor I have heard to illustrate 'equal rights' or 'equality' is that of disabled people and access to toilet facilities. To have equal access to the facilities, we need different things. There is a dude in a wheelchair at my work, to have the same ability to go to the toilet as me he needs a totally different facility (wider doors, handles, etc). We need different things to have an equal outcome. Equality is not sameness, it is about equal access and equal opportunity.

[Indiana_Jones]

Further to this, what is important is equal treatment.

Thus, a man should be given the capacity to share his issues or demands in the same way that a woman should.

Equality is understanding that there are differences and catering to them. Equality is not saying that one rule should apply to all.

Fair enough, you raise a valid point. Everyone has different issues from sex to health to religious beliefs.

Now what if an employer didn't want to hire someone as they'd have to cater to said 'issues', then they get told they can't do that. Hardly fair on the employer.

-Indy

[FJRider]

Of course they're not.

No sane person can tell me that a man and a woman are equal in all ways. There are similarities, there are differences but they are not the same. We're not even equal within our own genders!

So why is equal pay expected then ... ????

[jazfender]

Now what if an employer didn't want to hire someone as they'd have to cater to said 'issues', then they get told they can't do that. Hardly fair on the employer.

-Indy

I personally think that if there is a job listed that requires certain attributes to fulfil it, then the employer should be able to hire whoever the fuck he wants based on THAT criteria only.

No discrimination on sex, race, sexual orientation, just what is required to fulfil the role.

Therefore, if someone is unable to fulfil the requirements of the job due to said "issues", they should not get the job.