A public sector employee's point of view...

A public sector employee's point of view...

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Discussion

therealpigdog

2,592 posts

199 months

Wednesday 30th November 2011
quotequote all
A friend has just posted this on the book of face:

a teacher friend said:
##### is contributing to the economy and environment today by striking - millions of car journeys taken off the road, millions saved by not paying public sector workers, using public transport to get to the march and spending money that wouldn't otherwise have been spent if we hadn't been striking.
They really do live in a bubble don't they?!

edited to sort out quoting

Edited by therealpigdog on Wednesday 30th November 12:55

Trommel

19,252 posts

261 months

Wednesday 30th November 2011
quotequote all
trashbat said:
if I'm continually being kicked in the head
Everyone is being kicked in the head. What makes you and your cushy public sector job so special?

Corsair7

20,911 posts

249 months

Wednesday 30th November 2011
quotequote all
trashbat said:
Corsair7 said:
OP:

I've worked for the same Private sector company for the last 10 years.

In that time:

promised bonuses stopped completely
prmised payrises ground to a halt
I had 2 payrises (despite numerous 'promotions') (in 10 years)
Both payrises were low single figure % - less than infaltion at the time
The promised pension plan was shelved
The pension plan was changed so instead of contributing £60 a month I was contributing £240 just to maintain same level
Terms and conditions were changed numerous times
Holiday entitlement was cut by 5 days a year
I was made redundant.

Additionally, I dont trust the company to actually honour its pension commitiments when I retire.


I never took 'militant' strike action that affected people across the country.
Maybe you should have then. Just saying.
not a member of a union, and neither are most of the people that work in my sector. Striking is not an option.

Just pointing out to the OP that the reality is that the Private sector has some benifits, like usually more pay, but many other draw backs and lack of protection. many in the private sector have been suffering these issues for quite some time. Some have not.

Job security? Public sector has great job security on the whole, where as mine could be measured in just days, quite frankly.

trashbat

6,007 posts

155 months

Wednesday 30th November 2011
quotequote all
Trommel said:
Everyone is being kicked in the head. What makes you and your cushy public sector job so special?
Who says I work in the public sector? I don't, and never have.

Countdown

40,285 posts

198 months

Wednesday 30th November 2011
quotequote all
therealpigdog said:
A friend has just posted this on the book of face:

##### is contributing to the economy and environment today by striking - millions of car journeys taken off the road, millions saved by not paying public sector workers, using public transport to get to the march and spending money that wouldn't otherwise have been spent if we hadn't been striking.

They really do live in a bubble don't they?!
Maybe she's got a point - as the Public Sector is so "unproductive" surely the savings to the Public Purse will be a good thing for the economy ? And the more the better so they can demonstrate how totally superfluous they are.....

Trommel

19,252 posts

261 months

Wednesday 30th November 2011
quotequote all
trashbat said:
ho says I work in the public sector? I don't, and never have.
So what's your point? There's no money, but if you kick up a big enough fuss you should be given some?

Failing to see how not doing any work will either prove or change anything.

trashbat

6,007 posts

155 months

Wednesday 30th November 2011
quotequote all
Trommel said:
So what's your point? There's no money, but if you kick up a big enough fuss you should be given some?

Failing to see how not doing any work will either prove or change anything.
That it is the inherent nature of our masters (well, most of them) to want to get more for less from their labour, that the way to do that is to reduce employee remuneration & benefits, and that to a point this can be reduced by taking action that makes it difficult, be it operationally, politically or economically. If you can't see how a strike can (rather than will) work, you're not looking very hard.

Deva Link

26,934 posts

247 months

Wednesday 30th November 2011
quotequote all
Corsair7 said:
OP:

I've worked for the same Private sector company for the last 10 years.

In that time:

promised bonuses stopped completely
prmised payrises ground to a halt
I had 2 payrises (despite numerous 'promotions') (in 10 years)
Both payrises were low single figure % - less than infaltion at the time
The promised pension plan was shelved
The pension plan was changed so instead of contributing £60 a month I was contributing £240 just to maintain same level
Terms and conditions were changed numerous times
Holiday entitlement was cut by 5 days a year
I was made redundant.

Additionally, I dont trust the company to actually honour its pension commitiments when I retire.


I never took 'militant' strike action that affected people across the country.
Blimey, they saw you coming, didn't they?

thinfourth2

32,414 posts

206 months

Wednesday 30th November 2011
quotequote all
I still don't see why we should hate the public sector workers as they aren't the ones that caused the problem in the first place

Digga

40,595 posts

285 months

Wednesday 30th November 2011
quotequote all
We've heard it before but it bears repeating:

Jin Liqun supervising chairman of China sovereign wealth fund said:
If you look at the troubles which happened in European countries, this is purely because of the accumulated troubles of the worn out welfare society. I think the labour laws are outdated. The labour laws induce sloth, indolence, rather than hardworking. The incentive system, is totally out of whack.

Why should, for instance, within [the] eurozone some member's people have to work to 65, even longer, whereas in some other countries they are happily retiring at 55, languishing on the beach? This is unfair. The welfare system is good for any society to reduce the gap, to help those who happen to have disadvantages, to enjoy a good life, but a welfare society should not induce people not to work hard
http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/talktojazeera/2011/11/2011114434664695.html

CommanderJameson

22,096 posts

228 months

Wednesday 30th November 2011
quotequote all
There was a humungous amount of whining on here about bankers being contractually entitled to bonuses etc. Fair enough. But what's good for the goose, etc.

Personally, I don't really give a toss about the public sector's pension arrangements, except in the most abstract sense. They're good, but they're expensive, and cutting them a bit is probably a good idea, but I'd have thought that PH, of all places, would have respected the sanctity of a contract.

Of course, if the PS employees' pensions weren't contractually arranged, you can conveniently disregard all this, and carry on arranging torches and pitchforks.


Piersman2

6,613 posts

201 months

Wednesday 30th November 2011
quotequote all
To the OP.

If you and yours in HMRC had been a little more effective over the last few years in forcing companies to pay their taxes maybe these cuts wouldn't have to be quite so severe.

Vodaphone.

paddyhasneeds

52,336 posts

212 months

Wednesday 30th November 2011
quotequote all
thinfourth2 said:
I still don't see why we should hate the public sector workers as they aren't the ones that caused the problem in the first place
I don't believe anybody "hates" them, I certainly don't.

I do think they have their priorities skewed a little.

Zod

35,295 posts

260 months

Wednesday 30th November 2011
quotequote all
I hate that very large numbers of them were employed under the Labour government in made-up jobs to create "client voters" for Labour. Just go to any public sector organisation, such as a hospital, and look at the vacancies board.

trashbat

6,007 posts

155 months

Wednesday 30th November 2011
quotequote all
Digga said:
That's funny, because the IMF said the debt crisis is because of:

IMF said:
revenue losses associated with output losses from the financial crisis
e.g. http://prosperofd.blogspot.com/2011/10/imf-on-what...

thinfourth2

32,414 posts

206 months

Wednesday 30th November 2011
quotequote all
paddyhasneeds said:
thinfourth2 said:
I still don't see why we should hate the public sector workers as they aren't the ones that caused the problem in the first place
I don't believe anybody "hates" them, I certainly don't.

I do think they have their priorities skewed a little.
What protecting their own lot

I don't see many on here wanting to pay more taxes


Anyway i think we should look at what started the problem and i don't mean the labour party

paddyhasneeds

52,336 posts

212 months

Wednesday 30th November 2011
quotequote all
thinfourth2 said:
What protecting their own lot

I don't see many on here wanting to pay more taxes


Anyway i think we should look at what started the problem and i don't mean the labour party
My personal view is that a lot of this is as much about politics as it is about money.

The reality is that there's no such thing as a job for life, neither will I be able to sue the government for fking up my retirement plans by forcing me to work longer because I don't get my state pension for longer.

Everyone has to adapt a little bit, and elements of the public sector don't seem to want to.

At the risk of sounding provocative, many of the sections on strike today aren't exactly highly skilled either. Solidarity is one thing, personally when you do a job that someone else could very easily do, and would very happily do, I don't think it pays to st on your own doorstep.

Digga

40,595 posts

285 months

Wednesday 30th November 2011
quotequote all
trashbat said:
Digga said:
That's funny, because the IMF said the debt crisis is because of:

IMF said:
revenue losses associated with output losses from the financial crisis
e.g. http://prosperofd.blogspot.com/2011/10/imf-on-what...
You're not the least bit concerned that the IMF is more wedded to the established bureacracy (Emperors) than our Chinese friend (boy telling us the Emperor is in the nip)?

ETA the boom stoked by a one-eyed politician who thought the UK's success lay with the financial services sector, and the subsequent bust, is only part of the problem here.

Edited by Digga on Wednesday 30th November 13:14

Trommel

19,252 posts

261 months

Wednesday 30th November 2011
quotequote all
trashbat said:
That it is the inherent nature of our masters (well, most of them) to want to get more for less from their labour, that the way to do that is to reduce employee remuneration & benefits
I wondered when the Marxist claptrap would be trotted out.

It isn't about the nasty Tory "masters" screwing over the poor, downtrodden proletariat. There is no money.

trashbat

6,007 posts

155 months

Wednesday 30th November 2011
quotequote all
Trommel said:
I wondered when the Marxist claptrap would be trotted out.

It isn't about the nasty Tory "masters" screwing over the poor, downtrodden proletariat. There is no money.
Oh, I'm a Marxist now. Cool!

Would you like to pay less taxes? Y/N
As an employer, would you like to pay less wages? Y/N