Bill do not throw the baby out with the bathwater.......greed and corruption are our downfall.....Unions got greedy and stupid.....but this pales into insignificance compared to the real greed from the companies who made too much profit paid poor wages and refused to listen to reasonable requests from the Unions.
I think you are a bit one sided and one dimensional in your argument...we did not price ourselves out of the market......other countries allowed their workers to accept poorer conditions than we would allow....and of course the multi national companies relocated and rubbed their hands with glee.......totally unethical behaviour......
I do know the bad working conditions some countries have and it is a throw back to the pre Victorian age where life is cheap and nobody cares.....you get sick you die...but no worries cause someone else will jump into your place....these are the very conditions our forefathers fought to eradicate....do not blame the unions...when it is the greedy companies with no loyalty or ethics who are responsible.....they will move and relocate to anywhere if it is cheaper to make a buck and have no qualms about employing young kids to work in a dangerous environment where health and safety take a back seat....and peanuts is the average wage.
I do not know about public services in your country but in mine it is the tax taken from everybody who provides funds for our health and social security budget....the private sector when they can be botherd to pay tax are only contributing their share...they use the public services just the same as everyone else....and get a pretty good deal......We are taxed on what we earn as we earn it and then again we are taxed on what we spend as we spend unlike the rich who employ clever tax consultants to avoid paying anything altogether.....we have no way of avoiding tax...unlike the huge companies who make billions in profits yet pay little or no tax.

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