Comments on: Blokes make cars, women make clothes … guess who wins

By: mike crook

mike crook — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 10:00:00 +0000

I know, why doesn’t the federal government compulsorily acquire the factories and machinery and rent them to a workers cooperative to produce the clothing. A co-op would certainly be more cost effective than the current business, after all there would be no shareholder dividends and no executive salaries. Could also take out a couple of management levels if workers are running it for themselves. I am wearing a t-shirt made at a cooperative factory in Catia a suburb of Caracas, where the owner, not liking the Chavez government, took off one day without paying the workers their wages and entitlements. So, the workers formed a coop, did some intense marketing for new contracts and now run a very efficient enterprise where everyone who works is equal shares in the cooperative. A bit like the John Spedan Lewis Trust in the UK. great idea!!

mike Crook

By: Scott Grant

Scott Grant — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 10:00:00 +0000

I can understand closing a factory that is losing money. There may be other possible responses, but I can, reluctantly, understand that one. But closing factories that make a profit?

I reckon we should go for the Argentinian solution. Let the people who made the stuff that made a profit be given a chance to take over the factories, and the brand names, and keep doing what they have been doing so successfully. All those fat cats who want to "reposition" and "transition" themselves out of the country can be given a big boot up the backside on the way out.

As I write this, I am wearing a Bond's Coral Island singlet, Jockey Classic Y-fronts and Holeproof wool socks. All made in Australia. I have been wearing Bond's and Jockey's for more than 50 years. I bought some last Sunday.

I get really annoyed with this stuff. I buy stuff based on a number of factors which includes reliable quality and where it is made. When was the last time you heard a store advertise: "If you can find a higher quality product, we will beat the quality by ten percent"? Now THAT would get me in.

Of course, our so-called labor governments will do what they have always done - wring their hands, cry crocodile tears and make speeches. Is there any "labor" politician who has actually spent time working on a factory floor?

To the usual list of iconic Australian brands which are no longer made here, I always add GreenSeas and Safcol. The GreenSeas cannery in Eden was another that made a profit, just not a big enough profit. We still have products on the shelves that were created and developed in Eden, but no longer made there. Then there is Safcol - "South Australian Fisherman's Cooperative Limited". Canned in Thailand. Ironically the American company John West cans in Port Lincoln, South Australia. Owned by Lehman Brother's according to Wikipedia. I wonder if it still is?

By: Anonimus

Anonimus — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 10:00:00 +0000

I don’t like it. Lucky I am unemployed to start with so don’t have to fear loosing my job.

By: JamesK'

JamesK' — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 10:00:00 +0000

Rudd and Swan have said of their $52 billion river of borrowed money funded "stimulus package(s)" that they were designed to, in November, "create" 300,000 jobs and then, in January, only "support" 90,000 jobs.

I fail to understand Bernard Keane's feigned surprise at the Opposition pointing out of the bleedin' obvious.

Arguably, the pre-Christmas instalment of the "stimulus package" may conceivably have kept him in employment an number of part-time sales staff for a month. $10 billion is hardly a a good way to support 2-4 weeks of part-time employment for a few thousand people.

And these stimulus packages exclude the Rudd $6 billion to the automotive industry. That's more than $100,000 for each worker whether full or part-time engaged in car manufacture companies directly or the parts supplier companies.

We shall be paying for Rudd's insanity for at least a decade to come

By: roger gestetner

roger gestetner — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 10:00:00 +0000

why is it when their companies fail that deadhead managerment and dodo boards blame government? it’s about time these whining cretins, who have been the beneficiaries of government largesse courtesy of me the taxpayer, and who have paid themselves zillions and handed themselves performance bonuses while flushing their companies down the dunny, took full responsibility for their own failures.

By: Damian Zito

Damian Zito — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 10:00:00 +0000

Well, I guess the boss of the TCF union, f@cked up in 2004, she should’ve donated a couple of hundred grand to the ALP and saved a few thousand jobs!

By: Dr Harvey M Tarvydas

Dr Harvey M Tarvydas — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 10:00:00 +0000

My sister Ruth and I could be called significant high achievers for many reasons. Ruth for her creative talent and flare for design and me for a very different creative ability in science and medicine. My story, albeit with life saving significance and ability to save billions of government dollars, has been fouled by a variety of bureaucrats especially in medicine and media who have taken to openly and bare a-sed sh-tting on mine unashamedly (maybe I can put a few of them behind bars soon).
Ruth’s story, also partly my story, has been seriously revered and supported by governments, universities and industry; Premiers, fabulous public servants and many wonderful private citizens.
She, Tarvydas, sells designer clothes from St Petersburg to New York, Edinburgh to Paris and mostly in-between those markers (Ireland, England etc Australia) and is worn by allsorts of international gorgeous celebrities and loveliest most wonderful ordinary women and girls.
About 1/3 of the product is manufactured in Perth, same in China and India the later two for special skills that couldn’t be afforded in Australia.
We are both very stimulated to do and government inevitably plays a part in all quality individual success. Ruth’s story has uncovered wonderful public officials while mine has also but sadly has uncovered extraordinary ugly, even criminal public officials of various authorities especially in medicine.
Stimulation is the name of the game in more than one way.

By: joan croll

joan croll — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 10:00:00 +0000

I have recently been in South Africa and could not believe the fine quality of the T shirts on sale at all the tourist places. These garments were also properly made with necks that were wider thinner and flatter than anything Bonds or anyone else is making in Australia. Why can’t we have fine cotton garments here with wide necklines such as I have seen which are sold in the US? We are a discerning market and we want top quality products - Bonds are so Ho hum.