Good news though nonetheless ?

Isn't it ?

The CEO of GSK was interviewed on the Today programme on Radio 4 this morning and he was asked about the redundancies. He said that it's all a normal part of business and is mainly in the administrative side of the company, but, overall, with the 1000 new jobs, GSK should see a net increase in staff.

Hardly a ringing endorsement is it? And it certainly isn't the 1000 net new jobs the idiot Osborne seemed to be shovelling this morning.

Indeed. However, if you bin off nearly as many jobs as you create then the net effect is rather less impressive.

Of course it is, it's great news. But let's not pretend it had anything to do with the 2012 Budget.

A little bit of research tells me that the current Chairman of GSK is Sir Christopher Gent, who aside from running the bastion of morality that is Vodafone and serving on the compensation committee of the board at Lehman Brothers that authorised the payout for its failed CEO, Dick Fuld, who received $34 m in 2007 and $40.5 m in 2006, was Chairman of the Young Conservatives in the 70's, served on the Tax Reform Commission established by the then Shadow Chancellor. Three guesses who that was?

Oh and he's donated over £140,000 to the Conservative Party over the last few years.

But then it could all just be a co-incidence...

And if you work to ensure that wages in general are decreasing (apart from for those at the very top) then you illustrate utter economic illiteracy and also an abject inhumanity.

Ajw71 wrote:Please don't pretend Labour wouldn't have closed them too. http://www.communitycare.co.uk/Articles ... tories.htm http://www.communitycare.co.uk/Articles ... osures.htm "the [Labour] government says each Remploy job involves a £20,000-a-year subsidy from the taxpayer, which they believe is unsustainable" The difference is under Labour they would not have had their ESA benefit stopped like the Tories have done. They would have still been able to claim. Under the Tories they would have one year on ESA and within that year they would have to either "get better" or find a job. At least Labour aren't as heartless as to leave them without any income whatsoever.

Ajw71 wrote:Please don't pretend Labour wouldn't have closed them too. http://www.communitycare.co.uk/Articles ... tories.htm http://www.communitycare.co.uk/Articles ... osures.htm "the [Labour] government says each Remploy job involves a £20,000-a-year subsidy from the taxpayer, which they believe is unsustainable" The difference is under Labour they would not have had their ESA benefit stopped like the Tories have done. They would have still been able to claim. Under the Tories they would have one year on ESA and within that year they would have to either "get better" or find a job. At least Labour aren't as heartless as to leave them without any income whatsoever.

No I don't think it's coincidence either it was stage managed for the day after the budget. Everyone knows that.

The people who will be employed, or re employed, as a result of it wont be too fussed about about the timing of it or indeed the possibly dodgy history of the Chairman. They'll just be pleased to be in employment I should imagine.

Ajw71 wrote:1000 new jobs to be created by GSK in Cubria following confirmation in the Budget that the Government will introduce a "patent box" to encourage investment in research and development in the UK. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/busin ... 81006.html Brilliant news, more of the same please. I'd do a bit of a google if I weren't so busy this morning but anyone with half a minute to spare might want to find out how many jobs were lost at the GSK site in Barnard Castle a couple of years ago when the company first threatened to pull out of the site completely and then mothballed a huge swathe of it - I suspect that the number of jobs they are creating in that town is substantially less than the number they laid off just a couple of years ago.

Ajw71 wrote:1000 new jobs to be created by GSK in Cubria following confirmation in the Budget that the Government will introduce a "patent box" to encourage investment in research and development in the UK. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/busin ... 81006.html Brilliant news, more of the same please. I'd do a bit of a google if I weren't so busy this morning but anyone with half a minute to spare might want to find out how many jobs were lost at the GSK site in Barnard Castle a couple of years ago when the company first threatened to pull out of the site completely and then mothballed a huge swathe of it - I suspect that the number of jobs they are creating in that town is substantially less than the number they laid off just a couple of years ago.

McLaren_Field wrote:I'd do a bit of a google if I weren't so busy this morning but anyone with half a minute to spare might want to find out how many jobs were lost at the GSK site in Barnard Castle a couple of years ago when the company first threatened to pull out of the site completely and then mothballed a huge swathe of it - I suspect that the number of jobs they are creating in that town is substantially less than the number they laid off just a couple of years ago. Fill yer boots

McLaren_Field wrote:I'd do a bit of a google if I weren't so busy this morning but anyone with half a minute to spare might want to find out how many jobs were lost at the GSK site in Barnard Castle a couple of years ago when the company first threatened to pull out of the site completely and then mothballed a huge swathe of it - I suspect that the number of jobs they are creating in that town is substantially less than the number they laid off just a couple of years ago. Fill yer boots

Ajw71 wrote:Please don't pretend Labour wouldn't have closed them too. http://www.communitycare.co.uk/Articles ... tories.htm http://www.communitycare.co.uk/Articles ... osures.htm "the [Labour] government says each Remploy job involves a £20,000-a-year subsidy from the taxpayer, which they believe is unsustainable" Just recieved this email. DPAC ________________________________________ London Meeting Unites Resistance to Remploy Closures Posted: 22 Mar 2012 06:34 AM PDT A meeting called by DPAC on 20th March brought together Remploy workers with campaigns offering support to resist the planned closures of 36 out of 54 Remploy factories by August this year. DPAC members were joined by representatives from the Right to Work campaign, UKUncut, and Winvisible, as well as from a number of unions and local anti-cuts groups. Remploy convenor Les Woodward who attended the meeting in London on his birthday said it had filled him with an immense amount of confidence. He said that unlike in 2007 when workers opposed the closure of Remploy factories by New Labour, this time they are not alone. Following those closures less than 6% of workers went on to find alternative employment and of those only 5% found employment at an equal or better level. Former Brixton Remploy worker Ray Ludford described how Remploy factories had been purposefully run into the ground since Michael Portillo took away their preferred supplier status. Ellen Clifford spoke on behalf of DPAC and gave her thanks to Les for opening DPAC’s eyes to the reality of the struggle. She described it as highly irresponsible to be taking employment away from disabled people when there are no jobs for anyone and when an ever tightening benefits system is leaving disabled people destitute. She said that the government’s education policies show they have no interest in building inclusive societies and if they really cared about disabled people’s access to mainstream employment they would be removing rather than promoting segregated education and investing in Access to Work. The meeting questioned government figures which suggest the factories are unsustainable and the likelihood of any money saved from the closures being invested in Access to Work. There was also anger at the profit charities are set to make by delivering workfare programmes supporting disabled people into non-existent jobs. Support for the closure rather than the reform of factories into user led enterprises was linked to class attitudes and the devaluation of working class industry. The meeting called for swift action given the timescale for closures which has just been announced and which has left Remploy workers feeling shell-shocked. A national demonstration is organised for Sheffield on 20th April outside the Department for Work and Pensions office. In addition to this the meeting called for a London meeting to provide an opportunity for MPs and trade unions to come out in official support for the Remploy workers. To contribute to the Remploy Fighting Fund send donations to Phil Davis, GMB, 22 – 24 Warpole Street, Wimbledon, London, SW19 4DD. To sign the Save Remploy petition go to: http://www.saveremployfactories.co.uk/ For more information on how you can get involved in supporting this campaign contact: islingtondpac@gmail.com So lets not pretend it was all Labours fault, the Tories started it!

Ajw71 wrote:Please don't pretend Labour wouldn't have closed them too. http://www.communitycare.co.uk/Articles ... tories.htm http://www.communitycare.co.uk/Articles ... osures.htm "the [Labour] government says each Remploy job involves a £20,000-a-year subsidy from the taxpayer, which they believe is unsustainable" Just recieved this email. DPAC ________________________________________ London Meeting Unites Resistance to Remploy Closures Posted: 22 Mar 2012 06:34 AM PDT A meeting called by DPAC on 20th March brought together Remploy workers with campaigns offering support to resist the planned closures of 36 out of 54 Remploy factories by August this year. DPAC members were joined by representatives from the Right to Work campaign, UKUncut, and Winvisible, as well as from a number of unions and local anti-cuts groups. Remploy convenor Les Woodward who attended the meeting in London on his birthday said it had filled him with an immense amount of confidence. He said that unlike in 2007 when workers opposed the closure of Remploy factories by New Labour, this time they are not alone. Following those closures less than 6% of workers went on to find alternative employment and of those only 5% found employment at an equal or better level. Former Brixton Remploy worker Ray Ludford described how Remploy factories had been purposefully run into the ground since Michael Portillo took away their preferred supplier status. Ellen Clifford spoke on behalf of DPAC and gave her thanks to Les for opening DPAC’s eyes to the reality of the struggle. She described it as highly irresponsible to be taking employment away from disabled people when there are no jobs for anyone and when an ever tightening benefits system is leaving disabled people destitute. She said that the government’s education policies show they have no interest in building inclusive societies and if they really cared about disabled people’s access to mainstream employment they would be removing rather than promoting segregated education and investing in Access to Work. The meeting questioned government figures which suggest the factories are unsustainable and the likelihood of any money saved from the closures being invested in Access to Work. There was also anger at the profit charities are set to make by delivering workfare programmes supporting disabled people into non-existent jobs. Support for the closure rather than the reform of factories into user led enterprises was linked to class attitudes and the devaluation of working class industry. The meeting called for swift action given the timescale for closures which has just been announced and which has left Remploy workers feeling shell-shocked. A national demonstration is organised for Sheffield on 20th April outside the Department for Work and Pensions office. In addition to this the meeting called for a London meeting to provide an opportunity for MPs and trade unions to come out in official support for the Remploy workers. To contribute to the Remploy Fighting Fund send donations to Phil Davis, GMB, 22 – 24 Warpole Street, Wimbledon, London, SW19 4DD. To sign the Save Remploy petition go to: http://www.saveremployfactories.co.uk/ For more information on how you can get involved in supporting this campaign contact: islingtondpac@gmail.com So lets not pretend it was all Labours fault, the Tories started it!