Council Jobs to Go -10% Staff Saving Needed

Old_Slaphead

Generali wrote: »

Every office in Whitehall should have written above the door, "Don't just do something, stand there!"

Every office in Whitehall should have the instruction that for 2 weeks (at least) every year you should be obliged to go and do a real job which involved talking to real people (ie those that 'get their hands dirty') and see what they really think about politicians & the political process.

Maybe this could be done in the long, long, Summer parliamentary recess?

Generali

Old_Slaphead wrote: »

Every office in Whitehall should have the instruction that for 2 weeks (at least) every year you should be obliged to go and do a real job which involved talking to real people (ie those that 'get their hands dirty') and see what they really think about politicians & the political process.

Maybe this could be done in the long, long, Summer parliamentary recess?

If I ever run a large organisation of any sort (possible given my career path) then I'd like every senior manager to do a few days 'on the floor' doing a pretty menial task just to see what it's like for the workers.

The Texan constitution limits the number of days the house can sit for in each 2 year period. I think it works out to about 100 days/year. The idea behind it is that if the House isn't passing laws then they can't be doing too much damage.

Davesnave

I did once work in Whitehall, many, many years ago. Part of my work involved ringing what were then National Insurance offices all over the country to check on the progress of cases raised by MPs. It wasn't much fun.

I soon found that the response and efficiency of an office tended to relate closely to its approximate distance from London, partly because the Manager, with whom I always had to speak, could be found quickly in places like. say, Guildford or Canterbury. As one reached the further limits of the Empire, Managers became more elusive, and the reasons for their lack of availability seemed more creative.

One day, however, I rang somewhere in darkest Cornwall. On explaining that I was from the Minister's office and needed to speak urgently withthe Manager I was met with a deathly silence, followed much later by a few sobs. I asked what on earth was the matter and the little voice on the other end replied, with disarming frankness: 'Well, you can't,'cos I'm the only one yer just now, apart from Rosie on the desk. The Manager's visiting his cow.'

izzybusy23

PasturesNew wrote: »

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/north_east/7780260.stm

Nice, secure jobs.

Great... more cases like Baby P to look forward to in the future then as they cut support services jobs so SW's have to do more admin than actually go out there and do the job they are employed to do. :mad:

Poppy9

dopester wrote: »

Update 1: Just reading one of Macaque's links from previous page, the Spectator had it as close to 1 million extra jobs in the public sector since 1997

The population of Britain increase by 1.5m from 1997 to 2004 so upto 2008 it's probably 2m increase. Some of these will be immigrants requiring asylum, public assistance etc while the another reason for the increase will be an aging population which brings it's own needs from the public purse i.e. medical services, homecare, residential care, benefits etc. Also I assume the CSA is classed as public sector, again a newish service created in 1993(?).

Old_Slaphead wrote:

Most of job creation in public sector seems to be in bureaucratic quangos or outsourced consultants. (ie in my LA they've been doing jod evaluations, apeals etc for the last 3 or 4 years)

Only 3 years for Job Evaluation, your authority is doing well:rolleyes: . Ours has just decided to replace the scheme they had scored jobs on to another scheme so it's starting again. It's caused ructions in a neighbouring authority and I guess they will be tied up in appeals for quite a few years.

izzybusy23

treliac wrote: »

There may not be a social work force much longer, given the present climate. Who'd do it!

Exactly! SW's get beaten down when things go wrong.. but they are so up to their eyeballs doing paperwork due to 'cutting support services'..

SW's never get thanked for saving the many lives they do.. its a very thankless job if you ask me. Such a shame.

beingjdc

neverdespairgirl wrote: »

She must be at one of the very few big City firms.

They get their pound of flesh - bet she hardly ever actually leaves her office.

Yes, she does about 60 hours a week and I'm not saying I envy her or personally regret giving up law. Still, if she sticks at it she'll be on 60k within three or four years - all I'm saying is I don't see her jacking it in to become DCS at Haringey for 35k!

Old_Slaphead

Poppy9 wrote: »

Only 3 years for Job Evaluation, your authority is doing well:rolleyes: . Ours has just decided to replace the scheme they had scored jobs on to another scheme so it's starting again. It's caused ructions in a neighbouring authority and I guess they will be tied up in appeals for quite a few years.

Actually it's 6 but I thought it sounded too farfetched so I rounded down.

My partner (one of the 20% being downgraded to pay for the Unionised manual worker increases) - launched an appeal nearly a year ago (contending that she should be assessed on Hay - who've had virtually no downgrades). She hopes it will be resolved sometime in 2009.

Poppy9

Old_Slaphead wrote: »

Actually it's 6 but I thought it sounded too farfetched so I rounded down.

:rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:

macaque_2

Public sector pensions bill hits £1 trillion.

http://www.citywire.co.uk/personal/-/news/money-property-and-tax/content.aspx?ID=323921&re=4393&ea=174368

We just cannot afford it guys!