The office Christmas parties in UK’s financial institutions are cancelled, according to this article in the Independent.
The three-course dinners and magnums of vintage champagne have gone, along with the swish black-tie dinners.
I don’t begrudge any worker an end of year celebration but when one considers that some of these lavish parties were staged by banks that had to bailed out by the taxpayer, it’s good that there is some restraint being shown. And I bet the office cleaner wasn’t invited!
Here in New Zealand, there will be no Christmas celebration for the thousands of public and community service workers who are facing pay freezes for the next five years. On Friday this week, there are rallies around New Zealand calling for an end to the wage freeze for school support staff, hospital service staff, Community Service workers and public service workers.
I wonder what their bosses will be doing to celebrate Christmas?
I wonder what their bosses will be doing to celebrate Christmas?
Lighting their cigars with flaming original Monet paintings?
I hope the poor laid off people manage to have an ok Christmas
Prety rare for the boss to be invited to the cleaners’ bash as well in my experience
LOL
In my workplace we’re having a very modest Christmas gathering compared to previous years, Ms Fenton.
I suppose you could lead by example and ask the Labour Party caucus to cancel its end of year party in solidarity for low income workers, and refuse to go along to any political end of year gatherings. That might make your question sound a little less like you are fomenting class envy.
@Tim – glad you are having a modest Christmas party and I hope you are inviting all of the workers. Labour Party gatherings are always modest and paid for by the MPs. We always invite and pay for our staff – who are also facing pay freezes.
Yes Ms Fenton, I work for a smallish team in a large organisation and everyone in the team is invited. No partners this year though. I have the impression you think that most corporates are full of fat cats who have an extravagant spree at the expense of the “workers”. Perhaps you should get out a bit more.
I was laid off in September this year – I have in the last few weeks started some short term contract work. It seems to me you are trying on a bit of guilt on those who will attend a Christmas party because there are some out there who will not have a party this year. That is typical of the politics of the left. After a very hard year, I hope bosses and staff can enjoy an end of year celebration and reflect on acheivements over the past 12 months, and the sacrifices that all have made and look forward to a positive 2010 thanks to the prudent financial management of the bosses and the National Government that steered us through a very hard international recession.
Thank God the policies of the Left (such as mandatory redundancy were not introduced) or a much larger number of people would be looking at a bleak Christmas through increased failure of companies.
“And I bet the office cleaner wasn’t invited!”
We always invite our office cleaner to staff parties. Hell, someone has to clean up!
I think you will find in the UK these parties still exist, they are just being pushed deep underground thanks to this silly notion that people actually believe money not spent on them would have been distributed to “workers”. Yeah right.
No such issue in HK where a Xmas party is a symbol of financial health of the company. No party, loss of face.
@ Tim Ellis – how would you describe those in the UK who had to be bailed out by the taxpayer? And talking about getting out more, will you be supporting the workers at their rallies on Friday?
@Cactus Kate – how are the HK parties?
@Monty -”National Government that steered us through a very hard international recession.”
Ummm – we may have to agree to disagree. From where I sit, I don’t think so. All I have seen is popular vote buying strategies and the beginning of a ruined education system. But hey, maybe we see things through different lens – and thats ok.
Ms Fenton my organisation wasn’t bailed out by the taxpayer. As for those organisations that were bailed out in the UK, I suppose that’s much more of an issue for UK voters and taxpayers than it is for me.
I don’t know of any rallies happening on Friday. I support low income workers getting a fair deal for the hard work they do, but I don’t think there’s any justification for anybody getting pay increases above inflation when the economy’s in recession and while businesses are still going to the wall. In my view that is just a recipe for greater unemployment. In a recession everybody needs to make sacrifices. If foregoing a pay rise means that more people get to keep their jobs then I’m all for it.
“Those in the UK?” But haven’t they got a Labour government?
Darien
Always splendid with free-flowing alcohol. As I said, bad party, loss of face.
Bit like I guess the Maori Party and “mana enhancements”. Even if you are down to your last dollar, you cap in hand for more so it looks like you are doing better than you actually are.
“Always splendid with free-flowing alcohol.” Enough said, I wanna go to your party.
Are potatoes allowed?
Spud
Even better I received my first Christmas gift today from a client. An I-Pod touch. Chinese are very generous as I have said.
Now as we have a rule about not receiving gifts personally that are over a set $ limit, I have to put it in the staff “lucky draw” which is drawn at our Christmas function (if senior staff win then you have to give it to the poorest staff member).
I already have suitable Apple product so giving that one away is not too hard. It’s the travel vouchers/Mandarin Hotel Spa vouchers I cry over the most at having to give up as I know I can actually use them.
Sigh, damn that’s a good party.
“Here in New Zealand, there will be no Christmas celebration for the thousands of public and community service workers…”
Well considering there will be none in the private sector company I work for either, I find it hard to feel anything other than a rather large “Meh.” It isn’t just the public sector that has tightened its belt.
Hey Tim,
People like you digust me. How do you justify people not getting a pay rise when rents, power, mortage rates, etc keep going up?
Hey Monty,
I trust you will be thanking the laid off workers who face losing their houses because they have been laid off from their jobs for their noble sacrifices in keeping the economy on a steady path. I really hope that you will take them into your house in return for what they did.