Any Public Sector workers here?

Starrystarrynight

I haven't read all this thread yet, but there seem to be some people who assume those who are in the public sector now have always worked in the public sector, and this isn't always the case. I've worked in both and, in my experience, one is no better than the other.
I imagine a lot of the supposed job losses will come through outsourcing. I guess those who are in jobs which are ripe for outsourcing will have some idea and take that into consideration when looking at big financial decisions.

Guitar

I'm in the NHS and was likely only months away from buying my first house. That's all on hold now. I may even be putting my university courses on hold this year because I can't risk spending that much money.

I wasn't worried at first because I knew my job added value so didn't particularly feel threatened. Since then we've had announced a few dozen compulsory redundancies along with asking for further volunteers in other departments.

The scary thing is that at first I was fairly confident because I know I do a 'needed' job, although at a low wage, while at the same time there are plenty of over paid muppets who added no value to the organisation. However the cuts so far have had little to do with saving money. The overpaid muppets aren't under threat but we're losing much of the real talent and experience.

Luckily is a lottery rollover this Friday and I'm certain I'll win this time.

arby

arby wrote: »

So you're making out that I made a personal attack on you? By your constant use of 'we'. As in 'we run the support structure of the country'. I understand what the public sector does, in fact, i'm in quite a unique situation as 50% of my work is funded directly from the government, the other 50% is privately won and delivered. I'm not going to get into the details of it, but within 30 seconds of meeting someone through my work I know whether they've ever actually earned a penny of the money they're talking about using (ie, I know the source of their revenue). There is a massive change in the way a person operates if the money they're spending is directly linked to their company's profit vs funding simply handed to them from the government. There is a huge amount of waste in the public sector, I can name hundreds of thousands that's been wasted from my own office in the last year. I'm not talking about your media-frenzy rubbish of 'what about mid-wifes, what about highway maintenance etc' I'm talking about a wake-up call to everyone that the way we operate has to change, not just the number of people that operate.

before anyone gets too annoyed, these comments aren't based on the 'workers' in the public sector, rather the managers/decision makers. I know for certain that the average bottom of the ladder worker has the same job whether they're in the private or public sector. It's the people who make the decisions who have no concept of what it's like to earn the money they're spending.

tawse57

I was only wondering whether public sector workers are either putting off buying a house or possibly even putting their house on the market because of fear of the coming job cuts?

Just trying to gauge the mood out there, wondering how it might affect house prices in the next 6 to 12 months if there is a sudden flood of houses coming on the market and/or people putting off buying?

dopester

MissAqua wrote: »

One of the reasons the above happens is the lack of jobs, I cannot believe that you think it would be an improvement to cut more!

I work in front line Child Protection and we have only been fully staffed twice in the 7 years I have worked there, unable to employ despite constantly putting out adverts.

My council (which is small) overall are expecting to lose 300-400 jobs but luckily we have been pretty much been assured (If you believe management) that our front line department will not lose jobs but face re-organisation. I hope this is the case as I am a FTB about to get a mortgage. We have already had the pay freeze for a year which will continue for 2 more years I believe. Change is necessary, you have not got to like but have to accept it and adapt.

There are no lack of jobs. Just a system which costs too much, where pay levels and costs have mushroomed, and which has room for lots of efficiencies measures. Also a benefits system which actively creates more problems for Child Protection services.

For instance, if parents had to pay a small fee towards covering costs of sending a child into partially-private funded state education, they'd be less likely to keep popping out lots of kids. And the benefit system as it is rewards those least likely to be responsible towards their children, and making more work for your protection agency.

Unprecedented numbers of government employees will be fired. Civil service pay will be cut one or more times. Economies will suffer during the transition as spending is slashed and government work forces are reduced.

Over time able government employees will come to favour privatisation over the objection of their unions. They will have a clear interest in shrinking the public sector to eliminate services that could be performed by the private market. The smaller the public sector, the easier it will be to bring its pay up to the market level.

Several years of slump and pay cuts will make the public sector community less antagonistic to the one reform that would result in their being paid more.

LittleMissAspie

tawse57 wrote: »

That kind of stuff will be in the local papers, on the news and you will soon be aware of it. Imagine 1 in 4 of your colleagues no longer having a job.

I have been aware of all the current and past redundancies but not from the newspapers, it's never in the newspapers. Like I say, my workplace is constantly making people redundant so I'm used to it, we all are. No one bats an eyelid when the next round is announced.

So to answer your question, no I'm not putting off buying a house.

jockosjungle

I don't think there will ever be a time where we can guarantee job security in the public sector, there has been a push for surplus staff in my government department since I joined five years ago.

I work for a large government department and there is little scope for local management to make anyone redundant (it'd have to be done nationally), not always the case for local councils, etc. They've already made a pledge to only use complusary as a last resort.

You cannot put off buying a house for ever, I'm completing on mine tomorrow. Although both myself and my wife work, and we bought a £62k house that we could afford if I ended up in Mcdonalds

R

Dazedandconfused

jockosjungle wrote: »

I don't think there will ever be a time where we can guarantee job security in the public sector, there has been a push for surplus staff in my government department since I joined five years ago.

I work for a large government department and there is little scope for local management to make anyone redundant (it'd have to be done nationally), not always the case for local councils, etc. They've already made a pledge to only use complusary as a last resort.

You cannot put off buying a house for ever, I'm completing on mine tomorrow. Although both myself and my wife work, and we bought a £62k house that we could afford if I ended up in Mcdonalds

R

same here. I left the private sector because my job was under threat but now I'm in the public sector and it's the same thing. What do you do. If you change jobs you'd have to go through a probationary period before you can mortgage and I've already lost one house because of changing jobs unexpectedly.

What I have done is have a decent deposit so my mortgage is going to be very reasonable (I'm in the middle of buying) and I'm obviously having redundancy and sickness insurance and you just have to hope for the best.

It's all you can do otherwise you'd just have your life on hold for years.

I don't think any job in the future, public or private is a secure job. If worst comes to worst I would have to take in a lodger but that wouldn't be the end of the world if it means that you can get by.

jockosjungle

Done the same thing, make sure you can afford the mortgage even if you took a lower paying job. Make sure you have some money saved up, not really much else you can do!

R

RuthnJasper

Guitar wrote: »

Luckily is a lottery rollover this Friday and I'm certain I'll win this time.

How much did you get? And can I have some please?

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