Union leaders who don't understand economy or business

Times:

The gloom surrounding this year’s World Economic Forum descended into confrontation yesterday as international labour leaders launched a withering attack on the 1,400 business executives and 41 heads of government at Davos over what the labour leaders alleged was their failure to respond effectively to a deepening crisis of their own creation.

Guy Ryder, the general secretary of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), said that the current financial turmoil had triggered a social timebomb that would lead to deepening civil unrest and soaring crime.

The comments from the confederation, which represents 168 million workers in 157 countries, are the most ferocious example yet of a backlash that has persuaded many who attend frequently to stay away from Davos this year. Yesterday Alistair Darling, the Chancellor, became the latest political figure to stay away from the meeting, after a similar move by David Miliband, the Foreign Secretary.

Mr Ryder, speaking as strikes involving hundreds of thousands of workers erupted across France and Germany, told The Times: “We are on the road to serious social instability, which could be extremely dangerous in some countries to democracy itself.”

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This guy seems to imply that union members are just a pink slip away from becoming criminals. That is pretty insulting to the workers he claims to represent. Meanwhile the French labor bosses seems around the bend striking at a time of lower government revenue because businesses are not earning as much. Do they really think that increasing wages now will increase government revenue? Do they think that raising taxes in a down economy will make things better? Such thinking is ignorant of history and economics. Everyone is having to suck it up a little right now and they will have to do their part. If they refuse they should be fired and replaced.