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And you don't find this horrifying? Making it more costly to replace underperforming employees causes stagnation, apathy, and a level of job security not tied t

And you don't find this horrifying? Making it more costly to replace underperforming employees causes stagnation, apathy, and a level of job security not tied to how well you do your job. I think that seems less than optimal.

wyager 12y ago
Many people here on HN are stringently anti-freedom-of-association when it comes to labor laws. Many people like to imagine that making it impossible/expensive to fire someone is somehow sticking it to the man. Of course, in reality, the likely outcome is economic stagnation and/or Japan's soul-crushing Sararīman system.
avemuri 12y ago
Subjecting employees who cannot sign their own name to the whims of their employer is not the solution either. Without unions, working conditions would be disastrous. Look up the shipbreaking yards of Pakistan or unlicensed coal mines in India as an example. Most white collar jobs are not unionized, many blue collar ones are. I think that's ok.
- nostrebored 12y ago
  But asking for 6 years pay (and getting 3? seriously, 3 years of pay, imagine that) is not the same thing as unionizing. Receiving insane severance has way more negative externalities than positive benefits. This is the type of system that makes people expect that they should work for a single employer for their entire life, which hasn't worked so well for a number of countries in the past few decades -- just look at NiNi's.
puranjay 12y ago
I do. But I also understand that it's not very black and white. India is going through a very weird phase in its labor markets. I can hire someone to draft architectural drawings for me in AutoCAD for under $150/month, while a driver in Delhi costs nearly $250/month. An Uber driver, meanwhile, can make upwards of $1200/month. There seem to be no established patterns.
- throwaway344 12y ago
  Wouldn't the market imbalance of the price of Uber drivers vs regular drives be resolved naturally? Why don't regular drives switch to Uber?
  - puranjay 12y ago
    They should, but there are two problems: 1. You need your own car to be a Uber driver. Most regular drivers don't have their own cars. They usually drive for taxi operators who own the cars. 2. Most regular drivers don't have the financial literacy or even the bank accounts, tax documents, etc. needed to get a car loan.
walshemj 12y ago
And mass redundancy situations are very different than firing some one for poor performance and where there are poor employment laws you get more instances of wildcat strikes or violence used.

wyager 12y ago

Many people here on HN are stringently anti-freedom-of-association when it comes to labor laws. Many people like to imagine that making it impossible/expensive to fire someone is somehow sticking it to the man. Of course, in reality, the likely outcome is economic stagnation and/or Japan's soul-crushing Sararīman system.

avemuri 12y ago

Subjecting employees who cannot sign their own name to the whims of their employer is not the solution either. Without unions, working conditions would be disastrous. Look up the shipbreaking yards of Pakistan or unlicensed coal mines in India as an example. Most white collar jobs are not unionized, many blue collar ones are. I think that's ok.

nostrebored 12y ago
But asking for 6 years pay (and getting 3? seriously, 3 years of pay, imagine that) is not the same thing as unionizing. Receiving insane severance has way more negative externalities than positive benefits. This is the type of system that makes people expect that they should work for a single employer for their entire life, which hasn't worked so well for a number of countries in the past few decades -- just look at NiNi's.

puranjay 12y ago

I do. But I also understand that it's not very black and white. India is going through a very weird phase in its labor markets. I can hire someone to draft architectural drawings for me in AutoCAD for under $150/month, while a driver in Delhi costs nearly $250/month. An Uber driver, meanwhile, can make upwards of $1200/month. There seem to be no established patterns.

throwaway344 12y ago
Wouldn't the market imbalance of the price of Uber drivers vs regular drives be resolved naturally? Why don't regular drives switch to Uber?
- puranjay 12y ago
  They should, but there are two problems: 1. You need your own car to be a Uber driver. Most regular drivers don't have their own cars. They usually drive for taxi operators who own the cars. 2. Most regular drivers don't have the financial literacy or even the bank accounts, tax documents, etc. needed to get a car loan.

walshemj 12y ago

And mass redundancy situations are very different than firing some one for poor performance and where there are poor employment laws you get more instances of wildcat strikes or violence used.