Nadgy Knickers...
May. 10th, 2012 08:07 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
hantsbearIn a grumpy mood today. It's a strike day and I have been undecided all week as to whether to strike or not. In Smethwick, it wasn't too bad as there would have been a reasonable number of people supporting in the office. Hinckley, is an unknown quantity. I suppose I am more of a pack animal than a leader in these matters.
The strike is all about the government increasing public sector pensions, on top of pay freezes and caps and the "promise" of regional pay. Public sector pensions were revised in 2007 and even recent reports (in the Daily Mail of all places!) have said that they are affordable. However, the current administration, which hates both Trades Unions and Public Servants, are effectively increasing payments for a poorer payout to bring us in line with the private sector. Well, if they wanted to do that, why didn't they just close all the final salary schemes and replace then with money purchase schemes instead?
What the additional payment is is a tax on public servants to punish them for proliferating underneath the previous administration. Only it's not really palatable to call it that.
Still, I should be thankful that I have a job and a pension. But it's difficult working for an administration that treats its staff with utter contempt. Much like a lot of private industry I suppose. I suspect they are softening us up to sell us all to the private sector...
The strike is all about the government increasing public sector pensions, on top of pay freezes and caps and the "promise" of regional pay. Public sector pensions were revised in 2007 and even recent reports (in the Daily Mail of all places!) have said that they are affordable. However, the current administration, which hates both Trades Unions and Public Servants, are effectively increasing payments for a poorer payout to bring us in line with the private sector. Well, if they wanted to do that, why didn't they just close all the final salary schemes and replace then with money purchase schemes instead?
What the additional payment is is a tax on public servants to punish them for proliferating underneath the previous administration. Only it's not really palatable to call it that.
Still, I should be thankful that I have a job and a pension. But it's difficult working for an administration that treats its staff with utter contempt. Much like a lot of private industry I suppose. I suspect they are softening us up to sell us all to the private sector...
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no subject
Date: 2012-05-10 08:31 am (UTC)Exactly.
Unfortunately certain areas of the public sector have been seen to be taking the piss for years. The company I used to work for did a lot of work for the COI. I was astounded at the deals some of the staff had. Finish at 4.30pm! Retire at 50 on big pension! When we were bidding on a contract the understanding was we would take them out to lunch. As happened with many prospective clients. The COI would insist, in the interest of fairness, that a whole department was taken out. 14 people. The department could probably have run with 5 people anyway. If they had worked the long hours we did with no overtime etc.
The difference between private sector an public.
That was a few years ago now and they did start to reign it in toward the end of the Blair government.
But an enormous amount of money was clearly squandered when that as taken fro granted.
Unfortunately, someone like yourself suffers for that now.
no subject
Date: 2012-05-10 08:33 am (UTC)sp.
'and'
'was'
'for'
I was banging it out.
no subject
Date: 2012-05-10 01:05 pm (UTC)