TIPS,
You certainly seemed to have stirred the hornet’s nest. I used to have a friend in my company who said very similar things to you; they made him redundant without a second thought
Certainly, on the North Sea, the salaries and conditions of employment have deteriorated markedly over the last seven or eight years and the employers seem not to care too much whether you have a job or not, as long as they keep theirs. After all, there is always someone cheaper that can be trained to do it if necessary.
I hope it doesn’t happen to you!