[Land Rover cutting staff]

I can relate to that. As an apprentice with a company building road pavers, graders etc. in the UK, I was often asked to clock back on to a job to help out my mate who was as incompetent big hammer man as you'd find anywhere!

The idea was that as I had earned good bonus and he hadn't (because the inspection wouldn't pass his work) I was supposed to put in more hours and get less bonus just because I was an apprentice!

Damn cheek and I wouldn't do it even though he was a beer drinking mate of mine.

Some years after finishing my time (I was hard up!)I worked for another shower (made truck mixers etc) and if the slightest thing was wrong with components ............ back they went to the foundry or where ever they came from for rectification.

This was purely spite between variuos supervisors who had no idea or interest in keeping production up sometimes despite the fact that I or other fitters could have done what was needed easily.

So it's not all one sided and the unions fault, sometimes it's just sheer bloody mindedness on all sides.

As far as I know both companies are now history although I've been told that the governments policies on allowing companies to write off the cost of plant was the cause, not the stupidity of personnel.

[Bye Bye Rangie]

And my 90 is somwhere of the coast of Africa om its way to Australia and their customs,

Don't make me worry about customs any more than i already am

Be worried if it's destination is Freo (Fremantle that is!). A friend shipped out a nice MGB packed with goodies some years ago and when he went to pick it up they said it wasn't off the boat.

As he drove out he spotted it partailly hidden behind old containers near the unguarded gate!

When he went back to the office they denied all knowledge of its whereabout and they may well have been innocent, but he was damn sure someone had their beady eyes on it and he was probably right.

Good luck.

Alan H