[ Outline ] · Standard · Linear+ Holidays, Where do you go...?

[sweetnsexy]

Following on from the comments in '...Never...'.....I have noticed that many US based members have never left their own shores? Just curious....most europeans have visited other countries - in the last five years I have been to Belgium, Italy (twice) Spain (5 times), Switzerland (every year), France (4 x a year), Canary Islands, USA (twice).

It is clear that many US members have never ventured outside your borders - this may be because you are young and broke, or because you can find your vacation needs within your own borders. Obviously the US is a big country with extremes of weather etc....but where do you go on holiday, and why? And what stops you leaving the US?

[Fleck]

sucks for you guys! Im going to be a teacher, so every summer off! yeah teachers get shitty pay, but if you only worked 3/4 of the year youd be ok with it!

I cant wait to go on vacations!! I think im going to Italy first...

[Isaac_Putin]

For all of you non-Americans, don't rest on your laurels too long.

With globalization, there is tremendous natural and unnatural pressures to even the playing field in terms of labor markets, pay and benefits. That means, over the long run, less vacation time, etc. for countries that have historically had a lot of it.

Unnatural pressures would be some of the labor laws that have been enacted as the EU emerged. In order to joing the EU, countries have had to change certain labor laws to allow uniformity between countries.

Natural pressures, in my view, include what is going on in France right now. In order to encourage businesses to higher more youths and minorities, the government there is pushing legislation that will allow employers to lay off/terminate an employ for any reason in their first year or two. Employers say this will encourage them to higher more young workers and reduce the high unemployment levels of youths and immigrants. However, for those in France used to protected jobs, this is a shock to the system. For this reason, right now in France, there are demonstrations, bordering on riots against this. In the United States, this type of employer-employee relationship is a big yawn.

So, just don't get too comfortable.....

[summoner]

So, just don't get too comfortable.....

I think that it´s terrible what they are doing in France right now....Se had a strike here because our professional drivers (trucks, bus etc.) think that firms are using too much people that has only a appointed time deal...the strike lasted about a week and then they made a good deal I hope that next strike that we have is about nurses pay, we don´t get enough money for our work (even busdriver is earning more money than a nurse!)

I think that our goverment don´t have guts to cut our vacation the whole country would be just a one big strike

[Isaac_Putin]

I think that our goverment don´t have guts to cut our vacation the whole country would be just a one big strike

I understand what you are saying, Summoner. Pure capitalism can be de-humanizing and lead to worsening working conditions.

However, with globalization what you have is the ability of companies -- particularly, transnational companies -- to move operations and manufacturing to areas with lower costs. This has happened a lot in the United States with manufacturing. Manufacturing jobs have moved to Mexico, China, and a zillion other places. A lot of high-tech jobs (software engineering, call centers) have moved to places like India.

Nursing, and other similar jobs, is relatively protected from something like this because you can't do it remotely. It's in person. But then, people import nurses from third-world countries, where the people would jump at the chance to earn pay that we don't think is very good.

I may be wrong, but when Britain had its most protections for employees, it also had the highest unemployment rate.

[diane26]

I understand what you are saying, Summoner.  Pure capitalism can be de-humanizing and lead to worsening working conditions.

However, with globalization what you have is the ability of companies -- particularly, transnational companies -- to move operations and manufacturing to areas with lower costs.  This has happened a lot in the United States with manufacturing.  Manufacturing jobs have moved to Mexico, China, and a zillion other places.  A lot of high-tech jobs (software engineering, call centers) have moved to places like India.

Nursing, and other similar jobs, is relatively protected from something like this because you can't do it remotely.  It's in person.  But then, people import nurses from third-world countries, where the people would jump at the chance to earn pay that we don't think is very good.

I may be wrong, but when Britain had its most protections for employees, it also had the highest unemployment rate.

Stop scaring me OB