Civil Servant Bashing

MrsE_2

Witless wrote: »

I hate to burst your bubble, but you work a 42 hour week - assuming,of course, that the wonderful long lunch - all 35 mins of it - is a paid break.

Have a look at both your payslip and the NICS Handbook.

And anyone who berates Civil Servants for the wonderful pension scheme should have a detailed look at NUVOS - it might alter their perception.

I do a 36 hour week in local gov. My lunch breaks aren't included in those hours.

Having said that, the last two months I've been so busy I only take one every now & then, & even then only half an hour.

Golden_Anemone

icelandic_queen wrote: »

I agree with Golden Anemone re the sick leave. I work for hrConnect, (for now) and deal with Civil Servants on a daily basis. The basic pay is not great and contrary to general opinion many civil servants are quite well educated. However, a word of caution to Civil Servants, I feel that the general reorganisation of the NICS may result in redundancies. The NICS have forecast their recruitment for 2010-2011 to decrease by 78% hence why almost 50 staff in hrConnect are currently going through the redundancy process, myself included. It will only take 1 department to take the plunge and the rest may follow.

Thanks for the heads-up icelandic queen and best of luck for finding something new.

jenny-wren

Golden_Anemone wrote: »

The managing attendance procedures now in place across the NICS mean that anyone off sick on 4 occasions OR for 20 days is liable to inefficiency procedures which can result, if there is no improvement, in dismissal on grounds of incapability. People are dismissed every month for this reason.

It's actually 10 working days, not 20. You can not only face inefficiency but also be banned from promotion.

From memory the trigger point has been changed to 3 occasions or more within a rolling period of one year. You're not allowed to take annual leave if you are sick, it has to be recorded as sick leave. What happens? You struggle into work or use your 25 days annual leave when you are ill - how will they find out? They won't. You don't get 30 days annual leave until you have been working for the NICS for 10 years unless you are in a higher grade.

I haven't had a day off work sick in almost 5 years. Yes I've been sick, no I shouldn't have been in work, but the threat of facing ineffiency procedures forced me into work. How they expect me to work 'efficiently' and to my full potential when I'm sick I don't know. I'll happily come into work and give my germs to a few senior civil servants if that's what they want - they're welcome to them!!

Golden_Anemone

LOL Jenny Wren - sick leave is so unusual where I work I haven't had any staff reach the triggers in so long I've forgotten them. I think that just reinforces our point though.

chunter

"Civil Servant Bashing"

Seen the title and thought it was some new addition to the Winter Olympics.
Now there's a sport I'd watch.

iluvfreebies

Icelandic
you work for HR connect any word on out payrise being sorted:)

icelandic_queen wrote: »

I agree with Golden Anemone re the sick leave. I work for hrConnect, (for now) and deal with Civil Servants on a daily basis. The basic pay is not great and contrary to general opinion many civil servants are quite well educated. However, a word of caution to Civil Servants, I feel that the general reorganisation of the NICS may result in redundancies. The NICS have forecast their recruitment for 2010-2011 to decrease by 78% hence why almost 50 staff in hrConnect are currently going through the redundancy process, myself included. It will only take 1 department to take the plunge and the rest may follow.

motorguy

thriftyminx13 wrote: »

37.5 hrs a week actually and flexi time is great but, i will have to work until I am 67, and 25 annual leave days a year but yes we get public holidays.

name your friends department...or are they all subcontracted in? you are talking out your arze me thinks. but yet again even if true, tarnish us all.

He works in one of the IT departments around Stormont. I'd have no problems getting the details.

I take it the annual leave goes UP?

Lets assume you can work up a days flexi per time period, which i assume to be every four weeks - should be too difficult - if you work 40 hrs a week like the rest of us, you'll get a day off worked up no probs.

So thats 13 days flexi over the year. Add to that say 11 stats = 24. Add to that your 25 days A/L, thats 49.

So basically you work a four day week on average over the year.

And thats before you take into account all the previous generation contract people around you who have amassed a massive annual leave allowance for every year.

Nice work if you can get it.

My BIL narrowly missed being able to retire at 50 out of the civil service on a FINAL SALARY BASED PENSION, and now will 'have' to work on until hes 55 - Nightmare, eh?

iluvfreebies

Well to the person who said their friend did the it consultency for - it quite obviously wasn't my department - It really annoys the life out of me when people slag off civil servants - I work damn hard for the money I earn and the abuse the general public are happy to lash out and take great exception to hearing about what a holiday camp the civil service is. Its simply not the case -Again i've been there 7 years now and been on 2 days sick and my entire team is similar so dont see that the claims about sick leave is true

icelandic_queen

Sorry i!!!!!!!!!!!, but I work in resourcing!! If I hear anything I'll certainly give you a shout!!

GemJar_2

I work for the civil service in one of their 'lower jobs' as a court usher. The pay is awful. I certainly don't sit around and chat for half an hour, have a brew, read the paper or go to the office and chat to a friend. I get on with my work, as I would with any other job. I work for 32 hours a week, lunch breaks are unpaid and an hour long (this is to suit the judges, not us- trust me!), unless I am sitting out with a deliberating jury over the one hour lunch, in which case I am paid for half an hour. When I go for a cig break I clock out and am not paid for it, as in any other job. Theres a constant threat of redundency hanging over our heads and they aren't re-hiring staff which means every time an usher leaves theres more work for us to do. I have had a week off this year due to an operation though and they were wonderful about it, I'm thankful for that.

However, people on higher pay bands, managers especially do sh*t all. They're off for weeks 'ill' and then the other managers that have managed to drag their lazy !!!!!! into work have the cheek to send round a collection for flowers for said 'sick' manager, I can't afford this (i'm on just under £800 a month) but find it embarrassing to skip the envolope with everyone looking at me, it drives me insane.

I've worked there a year and a half and I've been looking for a new job for a year