The foreign secretary also appeared to blame the differences between London and the rest of the UK partly on “a matter of mindset or attitude”, with former Conservative cabinet minister Sajid Javid saying on Wednesday that British workers “are among hardest workers in the world. “. Six Guardian readers share their reaction to Truss’ comments.
“It’s a despicable attitude”
“It’s a despicable attitude, which is actually a lie. I spent 50 years working in the industry before retiring. I gave it my all, working very hard every day. I rarely had enough money to get by. Struggling with any bills entered. Now retired on a state pension of £7,000 and a work pension of £7,000, the struggle continues and I am still scorned by our government and their ilk. Truss or Sunak will never be the leader of this country in my eyes and they will never have my respect.” George, 71, retired factory worker, Clydebank, Scotland
“I would agree that French workers are more productive”
“These comments are absolutely offensive and show a lack of knowledge about the G7 countries. Having lived in France for the past five years and recently returned to the UK, I believe that British workers are highly skilled and work longer hours than their European counterparts. I live in the north and the workers here have a complacent attitude, although they would welcome more funding for better transport and education. But British society doesn’t really value people with non-academic skills. “I would agree that French workers are more productive, but that’s because they work fewer hours, have more bank holidays and annual leave, have better health care and generally have more freedom. It’s not because UK workers need to vaccinate more or have bad attitudes, which suggests it’s simplistic and naive. If anything, it’s about the attitude of people like Liz Truss, who perhaps needs to become more specialized and graft harder to get more insight into how the majority of people in this country live.” Sharon Agar, 61, Shipley sociology academic
“My social care colleagues are working double the hours we have agreed to keep services running”
“Myself and many of my colleagues in social care work double the hours of contract hours just to keep services running and people supported. Liz Truss represents the unhappy state of mind of the Tory party today. Her suggestion that we imagine inequalities is completely offensive and in complete denial of an obvious truth. I have lived in the south and the infrastructure and services are far superior to what we have in Yorkshire. And let’s not forget that Sunak bragged about taking capital out of underprivileged areas and funneling it into wealthy ones.” Billy King, 58, social care worker, Maltby, South Yorkshire
“London attracts people willing to apply ‘grafts’”
“London, with its promise of wealth, professional fulfillment and socio-cultural glamour, attracts, from across the UK and beyond, the kind of people who are able and willing to apply ‘graft’ and ‘ability and implementation’ at a higher level. from the average person. It should be noted that this ‘London mentality’ can also be partly attributed to social desperation, including extortionate rents, as well as personal drive.’ “Where I feel my agreement with Truss ends is her apparent belief that such mindsets/attitudes should be propagated or even imposed on the whole of British society. Everyone should be able to pursue happiness, but that’s not the same as pursuing a job in the city.” Ciaran Kovach, 26, teacher, London
“We work incredibly hard for a living”
“I live and work in the North East and the vast majority of people I know have a fantastic attitude and mentality. Productivity is considered higher in London due to conditions like most international companies… by the way [Truss] He said it, it was like people outside of London don’t work as hard or are not as dedicated, which is completely untrue. “I find it deeply offensive to say that we need more bribery, especially at a time of high inflation, low wage rises and a general cost of living crisis. I am a public servant and I can say that despite comments like this or previous comments that focus on the public service, we work incredibly hard for a living. The Conservatives also keep saying how great the economy is – how can that be if all the workers are really lazy?’ Daniel, 27, civil servant, North East
“These remarks show that Truss has no idea what the reality of work is like here”
“This kind of broad comment is made by someone with a very superficial understanding of the whole UK employment experience. The difference that needs to be addressed is between her myopic view of what constitutes ‘work’, shaped by empty capitalist rhetoric, and reality. “How does Truss think it is possible to motivate a workforce if it feels disrespected, undervalued and underpaid? Many people work multiple jobs and extended hours just to pay their bills. The Tory party has consistently sought to undermine employment rights and deny wage rises in line with the cost of living. I think Truss would naively intend to continue that trend.” Catherine Dornan, 68, artist and volunteer, Llandrindod Wells, Wales
