The Cleaners of London

[Siege]

Watching episode 1 right now.
Best British tv I have seen since Sherlock.

[Josquius]

My cleaning lady misses me dearly.  And I miss her back.   

My cleaning lady just demanded a raise.

She found your porn stash?

[Ed Anger]

His collection of severed feet

[Razgovory]

Where do Poles even import cleaning ladies from anyway?

[Ed Anger]

Where do Poles even import cleaning ladies from anyway?

Hungary.

[Siege]

Danm, failed to hijack this thread.

[Martinus]

Where do Poles even import cleaning ladies from anyway?

Hungary.

No, Ukraine. I wouldn't let a Hungarian near my things. They are all gypsies.

[Martinus]

My cleaning lady misses me dearly.  And I miss her back.   

My cleaning lady just demanded a raise.

Give it to her.  She's cleaning your toilets, for Christ's sake.  And don't forget the fucking Christmas tip, you cheap bastard.

I didn't say I didn't give it to her. I am notoriously bad when negotiating about money. The conversation went like this:

Her: "We need to talk".
Me: "Uh oh" 
Her: "I need a [25% raise]."
Me: "Oh, ok. Sure." (relieved she is not quitting) 

Btw, a Christmas bonus is not really a thing here but if it were, what would be appropriate? Weekly wages? Two-weeks'? And when do I give it to her? My Christmas or her Christmas?

[Zanza]

I think that one way round this conundrum would be some sort of sticker or label that qualifying firms could boast about and put on their websites.

The "we pay all our staff at least the living wage and only sub-contract to other firms that do the same" sticker.

It is not as if Saatchi need to exploit Latin American cleaners to make a profit, it is more or less a mere accident.

A lot of customers don't give a shit how a company treats its (cleaning) staff. Many people will privately make a concious decision for a more expensive product based criteria like local or organic or fair production standards, but even that's usually limited to certain commodities. It certainly doesn't matter in a B2B scenario where you only stop working with your business partner if doing business with them somehow tarnishes your own reputation or hurts your bottom line.

[Admiral Yi]

Btw, a Christmas bonus is not really a thing here but if it were, what would be appropriate? Weekly wages? Two-weeks'? And when do I give it to her? My Christmas or her Christmas?

If it's not a thing, then no amount is appropriate. 

Give her 50 bucks equivalent.

[Sheilbh]

Do you guys tip the postman at Christmas?

[Agelastus]

Do you guys tip the postman at Christmas?

Now you've suggested it I'm tempted to; our current postman is the best we've had in years and I want him to stay!

[Duque de Bragança]

Do you guys tip the postman at Christmas?

After New Year, more like tipping the concierge with 5 to 10% of your rent (landlords may give more) if you're happy with his work.

[Admiral Yi]

Do you guys tip the postman at Christmas?

He's a civil servant.

[Martinus]

How much should I tip the concierge? There are 4 in total, on four shifts. Should I tip all of them???

This tipping culture is madness!!!