Ooooh. I really enjoyed the new Covenant book.
Oh and Good Omens is an excellent read, very funny.
@Cloud. What fascinates me about their dispute is that a recent series of strikes by postal workers in the UK carries real echoes of the Ribbonweavers' complaints. One of the things that the Ribbonweavers were fighting against, was the cultural shift away from them being paid purely for what they produced (piece) and instead being required to work to a particular timetable. Where traditionally they'd been able to set their own pace, maybe working slowly at the beginning of the week and picking up the pace towards the end, under the warehouse men they were expected to be there at the opening of the day and stay there til the close. One young lad was refused permission to go outside and get a mug of beer: this set off a minor dispute as such freedom was their customary right.
A couple of weeks ago I was listening to the radio and the topic was the upcoming postal strike. One of the things the postal workers were striking over was the removal of their customary right to work at their ow pace. It's always been the case that if postal workers either delivering or sorting, arrived very early and worked through at a steady pace, finishing their work by mid afternoon, they were then free to leave. Essentially, they worked early and fast to buy themselves an early finish. Management have been pressuring branches to do away with this freedom, saying that they are paid for 35 1/2 hours a week, and if they finish their work in less time then they should look to see if anybody else needs help, or other work needs doing. There are differences, but essentially this is a clash between a traditional custom of being paid for your work (piece) rather than your time, and the employer-led culture of being paid for both your work and your time (stint).
I sat on the train reading the piece on the Coventry ribbon weavers and the parrallels just about blew my mind. I love moments like that, it's why I study history
