Public Sector Pension Strikes – A JOKE !

WhiteHorse

majorwally wrote: »

When will you private sector folk wake up and smell the coffee?

The private sector is dog-eat-dog. They're awake all right.

We don't care what you think of us.

We had noticed. But then, given the privileged existence enjoyed by public sector workers, you wouldn't need to, would you?

Private sector stinks to high heaven because all you care about is profit.

No profit, no private sector. No private sector, no public sector.

I never hear any of you moan about other drains on your taxation, like, benefits, illegal immigrants, illegal wars, etc

Um. Not read this site much, have you?

But that and job security and not wanting to rip people off is the reason we chose our careers.

Ah. Job security. (trans. Jobs for life).

Ilya_Ilyich

WhiteHorse wrote: »

We had noticed. But then, given the privileged existence enjoyed by public sector workers, you wouldn't need to, would you?

Privileged? Really? Or experiencing an acceptable lifestyle because they aren't working purely for the benefit of their shareholders?

WhiteHorse wrote: »

No profit, no private sector. No private sector, no public sector.

That's the dream brother.

The_Angry_Jock

Ilya_Ilyich wrote: »

Privileged? Really? Or experiencing an acceptable lifestyle because they aren't working purely for the benefit of their shareholders?

I can't remember growing up thinking "you know what, I'm going to work like a dog to make other's incredibly wealthy", I grew up wanting to a job I enjoy, and that's what I did. I'd like to think that's what everyone thinks but obviously some of us have higher asperations than others...how's being a saint working out for you?

BobQ

Uglymug wrote: »

I’ve just listened to the recording.

The obvious solution must be to hand over the complete management of all the Public Sector pensions to their Unions. The Unions would surely agree to this since there’s absolutely no problem with the running of their self funding Pensions. With these Unions obvious expertise in the field of pensions the payments and benefits to their members would surely only ever increase.

If you had listened to the recording you would know it was referring to a PCS strike in June not the November stile being supported by even the most moderate of TUs.

mr-angry

Heres an idea! What if everyone paid at least basic rate income tax and didnt screw the system with good accountants, fleecing the antiquated taxation system we operate in this country which lends itself to being screwed by the self employed children of Thatcher?

jamesd

Rising life expectancy heaps further pressure on Britain's pensions crisis is a good introduction to the issues that are causing the increases in pension ages for everyone. A brief summary:

1. "Average longevity at birth improved by 1.2 years for men and one year for women between the periods 2004/06 and 2008/10".
2. "Men aged 65 could last year expect to live 18 years compared to 17 years in 2006".
3. "When an early form of a state pension was introduced in 1906, male life expectancy was 48; it had risen to 62 by the creation of the modern welfare state after the Second World War".

It also covers the really troubling North-South life expectancy differences that mean later retirement most harms those in the North (and also those with lower qualifications/work skills).

dshart

J_i_m wrote: »

Well... I don't know :rotfl:

Maybe what we should gift the private sector is to completely abolish the public service... Income tax will fall very slight (or probably not all) and they can have the satisfaction to be mortally outraged when the private fire fighters refuse to put their house fire out when they already overspent on frivolous thing and can't afford to pay, or when a private ambulance goes back to base without the heart attack victim because they haven't got the funds to cover the medical fees and the banks says no, or when the school sends your child home because their last two cheques bounced

It is sad to see public sector workers vilanised or called greedy when the private banking chiefs who led us into these recessions that have decimated private pensions STILL enjoy salaries worth millions, STILL enjoy bonuses of millions and STILL have the comfort of pensions worth millions.

When we have policitians already with very generous salaries having the bulk of their expenses paid on top of their salaries, often including a second home and STILL with big pensions ON THE TAX PAYER.

When there are people who cost the tax payer more, who don't actually work, and don't want to work, yet amass benefits over £20k a year because they can't stop having kids and have to be housed, fed and watered etc ON THE TAX PAYER.

Yet.. It's the public's nurses, teachers, fire fighters etc who happen to be TAX PAYERS, who continue to get the lion share grief because of-course they cost the tax payer money and don't do anything for it :T

Methinks people in general need to reasses who are really the bigger drain on society.

Do you think the people on here who talk about public sector pension deficits do not care about the other issues you mention? This thread is discussing pensions and the public sector pensions are part of the overall country's debt problem. The same people who are against the public sector pension deficit are most probably against the other reasons for the countries debt and if we were discussing those issues would also be as vociferous against the drain on the countries finances.

Nobody is saying get rid of public service workers, they are required and they work the same as anyone else (some good some bad), but what the argument is, is regarding the pensions they get being too generous in terms of returns for their contributions and this leads to a deficit, and when these generous pensions are part of the country's debt problem then something needs to be done about it. Its not a question of who the bigger drain is, the fact is all drain on the country's finances need to be curbed. If public sector pensions were completley self funding with no further calls on cash from government coffers then they would not be an issue. I have no real issue with the average public sector pension contributions being around 20% ~ 23% of wages (made up of employer and employee contributions in varying percentages) even though the employers contributions are generally higher than can be obtained in the private sector, but I do have an issue when on top of this additional funds are required to pay the pensions. People have mentioned previous deals of a cap on additional government payments, but the point is there should be no additional payments. The private sector pensions cannot call on additional top ups so why should the public sector?

All the other issues also need addressing so the country's debt can be reduced, because if we do not start addressing it now there will be no money at all left to pay wages let alone pensions for public sector workers. Keep a close watch on Greece if they default and watch how long it takes for the public sector workers there to stop getting paid if the country goes bankrupt. It may never have happened yet to a western nation (at least in recent history) but there is a very real possibility of it happening now with a knock on effect for other eurozone countries.

Moby

majorwally wrote: »

When will you private sector folk wake up and smell the coffee?

We don't care what you think of us.

You can moan all you like, and boy, can you lot moan.
Most of you are on the make, trying to rip off old grannies by fitting a £20,000 roof for one broken slate.
Or the old boiler routine, "looks like it's a gonna luv, you'll be needing a new one, £5,000 please"

Private sector stinks to high heaven because all you care about is profit.
You don't really care about where your taxes go apart from you don't want decent hard working public sector folk to have any of it!
I never hear any of you moan about other drains on your taxation, like, benefits, illegal immigrants, illegal wars, etc, etc, etc, oh no, lets pick on some decent persons last few years of self worth.

We actually do care.
Yes, we care about our pension, of course we do.
Is there one person on this site who would relish working an extra 5 or 10 years?
Course not.
But that and job security and not wanting to rip people off is the reason we chose our careers.
But ultimately, we care about the people we help.

Lets go through some of the private sector jobs that you lot must be so proud of.

Mechanics-rest my case.
Banking-rest my case
Builders-rest my case
Retail-rest my case
Industry-rest my case

The other funny thing is, I never hear any of this rubbish when you guys need us. You know, when you leave us child minding while you go off to earn some extra overtime so you can rip off another old granny.
You love us then.
But OMG if we should maybe even hint at striking!
"What? On a school day. how dare they!"

Honestly, pathetic ain't the word.
Go and find some criminals to pick on, oh I forgot, we are the criminals.

Your all the same on this site

:T:T:T
Best post i've seen on this forum. It came from the heart and should strike a cord with many of us.

Also we deserve better than people who do not walk in our shoes telling us what we should be entitled to! We deserve better than people who look at the world through the prism of their financial 'knowledge base' telling us 'the country can't afford it'. Let's be straight about this.... those who make the decisions choose where the money goes! There are limits of course but there is far more choice about this than is acknowledged. The decision makers chose to fund a war in Iraq and Afghanistan and chose to spend public money on a defence budget which in size is third only to the defence budgets of USA and China!

If people turn to me and say what is your answer then? To this I say look at modern Germany, look at Holland, look at Sweden. Hard working progressive countries that do not swing between extremes politically and invest in all of their citizens and do not feel paranoid about being European!

To Uglymug who started this thread....I say thank you! because your provocative post brought out such heartening responses such as the above......not that you intended that of course:rotfl:

The_Angry_Jock

For people as generous, self-less and caring as you guys in the public sector, you sure do have a staggering level of contempt for the peasants you support.

ILW

Is it true that the employer makes a 14% contribution to some public sector pensions?