Is there any truth here.....?

[StarBeast]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/.../uk-politics-19300051
Or is this just a bunch of hooray Henrys maligning the workers?

[ummmm]

According to my OH it's very much true. He can only go on his experiences.

[Quizmonster]

The cause of Britain's appalling economic situation is not so much due to a lack of work-ethic on the part of the country's employees as a total lack of brains on the part of the Tory MPs and their hangers-on who currently represent us. If this lot in the link are the ones most likely to be promoted, then God help us!

[Mosaic]

'British Tories idlest in world' claim UK workers

[LazyGun]

Difficult not to get the impression, reading that article, that those particular MPs think that all workers should just become drones, working 16/24 and pathetically grateful for any crumbs of work tossed our way, kowtowing and tugging our forelocks to the great and the good, such as these MPs, when they tell us and the world about our our flexible work force - which is, basically, an anodyne media phrase for" low paid and easy to sack."

[emmie]

not in my experience, all my British colleagues worked their little cotton socks off,

[ichkeria]

Even if the comments are true what do these MPs suppose is going to change in order for them to have their wicked way? They are effectively saying it's a lost cause because you can't change a culture just like that.
They seem to want us to be like Japan and we just aren't like that. Thank heaven.

[rojash]

Who works the longest hours in Europe?
http://www.guardian.c.../europe-working-hours

[emmie]

Austria, we are third, so does that say we are a lazy bunch of idlers, wouldn't think so. It has never been my experience, in a long working career.

[factor-fiction]

Hi rojash- there was an interesting article on Radio 4's More or Less which looked at these working hours statistics and showed why they may be slightly misleading because part time working and self-employment distorts the figures
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/player/b01hxtmp
The relevant bit is 8 minutes in.
It also shows that 'hours worked' is different from 'productivity'- Greeks works longer hours than Germans but are much less productive

[venator]

I don't think we should generalise.

In my experience most professionals in practice work their socks off, as do workers in smaller businesses.

Among civil servants and local authority staff, there are a lot of idle whingers.

Excuse me for a moment while I get my tin hat and dig a trench...