What would happen if the whole Civil Service took a 10% pay cut?

Sweet_Pea_2

I've been a civil servant for the past 16 years, working in two different government departments and it is a complete myth that civil servants are overpaid. A small percentage may be, but the majority are most certainly not. In the last office I worked in, lots of people worked as many weekends as they could in overtime in order to pay off debts and survive, and in the office before that loads of people had second jobs to make ends meet, I did myself for a short time.
Many civil servants qualify for the benefits that they are calculating to pay out to other people like for example, working tax credits.
Its also a tough, challenging and stressful job at times, with quite a high turnover of staff.

treliac

Dylanwing wrote: »

So why pick on Civil Servants?

Lots of those that do, don't actually know the difference between civil servant and local govt officer. They then lump NHS staff and just about anyone else paid from taxes under the same umbrella.

Sadly govt paid staff are an easy target for bitter individuals who think they work harder and contribute more to society, hence giving them some sort of moral superiority. Fine, maybe, until they need (or recognise their need for) the very services they condemn.

I doubt they are likely to be community minded people who would care much about others.

bluey890

Sweet_Pea wrote: »

I've been a civil servant for the past 16 years, working in two different government departments and it is a complete myth that civil servants are overpaid. A small percentage may be, but the majority are most certainly not. In the last office I worked in, lots of people worked as many weekends as they could in overtime in order to pay off debts and survive, and in the office before that loads of people had second jobs to make ends meet, I did myself for a short time.
Many civil servants qualify for the benefits that they are calculating to pay out to other people like for example, working tax credits.
Its also a tough, challenging and stressful job at times, with quite a high turnover of staff.

the old boys school quangos are overpaid, underpaid is for those that actually do some work.

Andy_L

They way you cut civil service pay is by holding successive pay rises below inflation. It's quite successful: average civil service pay is about £21k compared to £27k for the whole public sector, £24 for the private or £25k combined.

Georgie4

Andy_L wrote: »

They way you cut civil service pay is by holding successive pay rises below inflation.

Before this year (we are in a 4 year pay deal which means I get 2.8% this year) my department has had below inflation pay rises for the last 2 years - I am so sick of hearing on here how well of the civil service is. It is only true for the select few senior civil servants who work in London. :cool:

Spartacus_Mills

jenner wrote: »

the civil service earn very low wages actually.

my partner worked for the HMRC in the tax office. he worked in central london, had been there for 16 years and was on 22k. he was a single dad with 3 kids. he was a tax collector, not assessor. i think that was an abysmal wage. (obviously the assessors earned more, but still...)

Stop it, stop it, you're making me cry.

Why didn't he get off his a*se and get a job that paid more money ?

Dylanwing

At all levels of the CS, staff quality is variable. It is not staff cuts that will make big savings, but-
Stop re-organising everything continually
Get rid of Consultants
Stop wasting money on expensive and un-necessary computer systems
Simplify thing, even simple decisions need loads of signatures
Realise that 'One size fits all' solutions tend to fit nobody
Accept that PFI is seriously damaging the nations wealth

RobertoMoir

Dylanwing wrote: »

At all levels of the CS, staff quality is variable. It is not staff cuts that will make big savings, but-
Stop re-organising everything continually

Political decision, not a CS one as such.

Dylanwing wrote: »

Get rid of Consultants

Agreed - with the obvious exception of where special knowledge or whatever really is needed.

Dylanwing wrote: »

Stop wasting money on expensive and un-necessary computer systems

Agreed. How do you identify "un-necessary" systems though? Assuming that rumours and scathing editorials in tabloids that don't fully understand the issue aren't used to make the definition, that is.

I'm not sure that anyone in the public or private sector actually intends to ask for a system they don't at least think they need.

Dylanwing wrote: »

Simplify thing, even simple decisions need loads of signatures

Agreed. Some parts of this are political decisions though.

Dylanwing wrote: »

Realise that 'One size fits all' solutions tend to fit nobody
Accept that PFI is seriously damaging the nations wealth

Agreed but both of those are political issues rather than civil service ones.