Council strike: support it or not?

Poppy9

Snapelover wrote:

Please see one of my previous posts on this subject - No. 75.

As you said you are going to the tip with Rabbit waste why not take the household with you if you have mice. I would be more worried about rats!!!

But would you think about the people you had affected on the previous strike and demand to strike on a different weekday or wouldn't it bother you?:undecided

Our council did that and employed private contractors to do the job of binmen. The union made sure that vunerable people, i.e. those in receipt of homecare, LA residential homes etc were not affected. Locally with us these staff worked as normal but donated their pay to the strike fund. Very good of them to do so as they are not very well paid.

The union informs us that it has a policy of varying the strike days so not to hit the same job sharers all the time.

Snapelover

Poppy9 wrote:

why not take the household with you if you have mice. I would be more worried about rats!!!

But that is my point! Why should I when I have paid for the collection and it hasn't happened.

Our council did that and employed private contractors to do the job of binmen..

Unfortunately, our council are not as caring as that.

The union informs us that it has a policy of varying the strike days so not to hit the same job sharers all the time.

So my theory was right then - they don't give a damn about the people they affect who don't work for the local government.

Poppy9

Snapelover wrote:

So my theory was right then - they don't give a damn about the people they affect who don't work for the local government.

Poppy9 wrote:

The union made sure that vunerable people, i.e. those in receipt of homecare, LA residential homes etc were not affected. Locally with us these staff worked as normal

doh!!!

Snapelover wrote:

But that is my point! Why should I when I have paid for the collection and it hasn't happened.


Unfortunately, our council are not as caring as that.

Obviously it must be your areas attitude to issues with the Council also thinking "why should I".

For me the reason why you should is that you said you were worried about yours and your families H&S. If I see a broken bottle at a playground I don't think "why should I clear it away, it's the councils job" I clear it so that a child (including my own) doesn't get hurt.

Snapelover

Maybe people should take off those rose coloured glasses that they are seeing the world through and see just how it is for real.:rolleyes:

lesinge2k

Poppy9 wrote:

I agree 6 bags of rubbish is a lot of waste to generate from just one missed collection. I put out just 1 small black bag per week. I try to recycle most of my rubbish.

The problem is that now it is summer, and we have 'gone green' the binmen only collect the black bins in my area fortnightly.

Also, there is no point trying to make a claim for council tax back from the government, as they are never held to account. They waste money on everything they do. They should come on this website and get a few tips on saving some of the taxpayers money. Anyway, don't want to get too political...

scissors_3

NO special treatment for council layabouts, they only went on strike so they could skive off without hiding under a rock!!! To maintain that the council tax we have to cough up is to pay for a "public service", makes me BOIL UP! All council officials should wear a three cornered hat while brandishing a musket. Look in the O E D for the definition service. :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad:

judkirk

Why don't we give Council Tax payers the chance to vote on Council Employee's pensions, after all their the ones who are paying for it. Even better make all pension schemes money purchase so we are all dependant apon the state of the economy. Then, public sector non wealth producing employee's might not be so keen on the high tax and low productivity spend of the current Government

Poppy9

That's a great idea seen as 100% of council employees are council tax payers We'll forget about the cost of putting polling stations in every locality and paying Council staff to run the polling stations, then there is the cost of the count, printing ballot papers, taking out statutory public notices, providing the information in 100 different languages that no-one ever asks for. Truely cost effective when the only people who will turn out to vote are Council employees and a few bitter people many who are on benefits and don't pay council tax anyway.

Perhaps the council should disolve the pension fund and we can all take our share of the millions sitting in the pot now. The council can't have it as it's our money in there as we paid the contributions. Then we can live our old age in poverty claiming all the benefits going thus making our children pay for our old age through their tax contributions. Just what the benefit system needs more people reliant upon it.

ladysurrey

floss wrote:

You should try to explain to my father who has been working for the same council since he was 21 (he is now 58) why he has to add on an additional 5 years to his service. He has worked longer and harder than most of those in the police and fire brigade and yet they are both allowed to retire early!

He has made his own provision outside of his local government pension so bang goes you arguement about paying more in! He has recently been told by the Chief Executive of his council that he is not allowed to retire early as it will cost the council too much!

There is no loyalty shown here - after 37 years service he is being given a two fingered salute and yet my brother in law who is a policeman will be retiring at 48 with a nice fat pension and a huge lump sum. Tell me, where is the parity in this situation. If they are going to attack government officers then it should be ALL of them not just those who do the dogs work that nobody else wants to get involved with.

Do you really want Police Officers chasing around after crooks with zimmer frames, they are past there prime over the age of 50 and just cant keep up with the youngsters anymore, There are a limited number of desk jobs available and the nice fat lump sum only arrives if he decides not to take all his pension in monthly amounts.

A new Police Officer joining now does not get the same pension as an Officer who joined 5 years ago who has had to contribute 11% + of the earnings towards that nice fat pension which is not as attractive as you think as many retired officers find it hard to find a job due to their age.

Andy_Davies

D-B wrote:

- long term savings are made by the government because not only do they not have to pay out pension credits, the benefits that accompany these credits are not payable either (so two people could actually be receving roughly the same amount per week, but because one of them is via a pension credit top-up they are better off with the additional benefits)

Pension credits are a huge dis-incentive to people saving for their retirement, they also cost a fortune to run - increase state pensions by the amount of the tax credits and reduce the number of civil servants, it's a win-win

D-B wrote:

- employers took payment holidays in the 1980s while employees continued to pay full contributions

- the governement should be protecting private pensions too, mechanisms should be put in place to stop private/company pensions being looted

Employers took payment holidays when the schemes were in surplus - in final salary schemes they are the ones carrying the risk.

The biggest looter of private schemes has been Gordon Brown - the tax changes he introduced in 1997 cost pension schemes £5bn a year