General Chat

I love my job. I work really hard and I know I do a good job because they tell me.
But my pay is so low I don't even earn the Living Wage any more. :-(

Suecar,

Good on you for striking for more pay..

The blasted PM and mp's give themselves bigger pay rises than what you will ever get.
And you deserve the pay rise more than they do..

Yes totally agree with what you are doing.
I worked for a council for 35 years so know what you mean about the living wage...

This government needs to get its priorities right, they keep saying there is no money for pay rises in the public sector, however there seems to be no shortage of money when it comes to pay rises for Members of Parliament, NHS bosses, and the bosses of Local Authorities :-|

David Cameron has said he intends to amend the law in relation to strikes, he does not want to amend the law, he and his cronies want to curb the powers of the unions, if he could get away with it he would abolish them completely - trade unions are abhorrent to the ideologies of the Tory Party.

Sadly this is no different to what those of us working in the private sector have been faced with for the past 20 years, so there is little sympathy from those of us who have already had to come to terms with tightening our belts.

We started to see the real pinch around 2000 when salaries were capped, bonuses slashed and final salary pensions abolished. In the last 7 years before I was forced to retire I received a pay rise of just £500 - or around £1 per day after tax.

Unfortunately citing MP salary rises doesn't really help with balancing the budget either. As there are so few of them, comparatively speaking, out of the 5.6 million or so of public workers, even if their entire pay were to be divvied out across the rest of the workers, they would be lucky to receive more than a few pence each.

Another factor that needs addressing is that the public sector is consistently around 10% less efficient than in the private sector. That is not to say people are necessarily working less hard it it more a case that procedures and practices are wasteful or resources.

Hi, SueCar,
You don't say what sector you work in but it struck a cord with me as I was speaking to someone who's kids were home today.

It was just my luck when I was at school the miners, dock workers, power workers, car workers, in fact every one and his cousin was out on strike regularly but teachers never!

Would have been my dream to turn up at school and be sent home because the teachers were on strike or were unable to struggle in because of an inch of snow! (well my real dream was to find it had been burnt down but one has to be realistic even at school age).

Now the unions have been hamstrung and people are on the worst pay and conditions for years since the unions were emasculated the teachers are out every year! Oh I was born too early. :-P

I would have been on strike, if I hadn't been certified sick by my doctor - for work related stress, and all the ailments it has led to!! :-| :-P

Not only have we (me & the team I work in) been on a pay freeze for 5 years (after re-grading us and lowering our pay), the workload has increased, cr*p systems have been introduced that don't work, and higher grades 'work from home' a lot - leaving us to answer the phones for them, and sort out their work :-P :-P :-P :-P :-P :-P

Good on you.

Without the Unions ALL workers would now be working for a pittance, not own homes and live under the threat of the workhouse.

Through their tireless work over the years (along with the suffragettes) ALL workers now have rights.

This government is trying to do to the Unions what Maggie did to the miners.

:-P :-P :-P

Sorry not to reply until so late - computer finally sorted itself out now - and thank you all for your very welcome comments.

I can afford to live because I am older and have paid off my mortgage - but the way things are now is neither just nor fair. A lot of the people I work with and for are finding things really hard - especially the younger ones - and they are all permanently exhausted to boot.

It's also about the bigger picture - those of us who work in public services can see the harm and distress the cuts are causing our 'customers'.

Plus, if a manufacturing company cuts its production and its workforce then there are a few less nuts & bolts or financial products or weapons or motor vehicles. If a public service has its production cut then there is inability to fully provide for the vulnerable, depleted care for the sick and poorer nurture of the next generation.