'Do you support Wednesday's strike?' poll

studioeng

When are we as a society going to stop fighting amongst ourselves and start attacking the people who really are the problem. No one cares about anyone else any more, everyone is out to shaft and out-do everyone else. Why is it, when people offer, others will take the p**s and try to take everything they can... Is this survival of the fittest? I didn't think we were animals.

It's of no importance which sector I work in, it really doesn't matter. You can just continue to throw political mumbo jumbo around, but at the end of the day we're all getting treated badly and told it's for our own good... When will people unite and start to stand up to it!? ... Never!!

Let's see how many people disagree with my opinion... Let the flame wars begin.

RealQuantum

I have to say that most people would have predicted that the polls would end up like this.
I work in the ‘public sector’ and I have to say that one thing that is not being made clear, is that although Local Government Employees are technically public sector they have different conditions to ‘Civil Servants’.

Local Government Employees pensions are in fact on the open market and pay for themselves. Which as you can imagine costs you the tax payer nothing. We pay 6% of our annual salary in and its match by the money generated by the stock/bonds we pay into. This is not the case for Civil Service, they get a contribution direct from the tax payer of which they pay 5% and get 10% from the employer, in this case the tax payer.
I feel that it’s a little unfair that all public sector workers are being tarred with the same brush.
Something that should be raised that in this age of so called equality why do some ‘public sector’ workers clearly have better condition than others?

Perhaps some questions that should also be asked are is the government pushing for strike action? How much does this save in salaries? Was it a nudge when they announced the 1% wage increase fix?
I have ideas for savings but wouldn't put them on here for fear of losing my job.

Thanks all

cattie1

craftynutters wrote: »

just to say to all you teachers dont complain that we are bad parents when we take our children out of school for a day for family things because it ruins their education you cant have it both ways

I got a letter from the school TODAY, which reads

"Please may I remind parents that wherever possiblechildren should NOT be taken out of school during term time, as this not only disrupts pupil's learning, but may also result in a pupils absence being recognised as unauthorised, Thank-you for your support in this matter"

Oh the irony! Should probably follow their own rules!!

loops298

Gareth_JJ wrote: »

we also dont get other perks that I know people get in the Public Sectoe IE a lot more annual leave shorter working hours in Winter, discounts on buying houses (Nurses, and most other sectors can claim for this and it is fair whack!) and also other various perks that are too long to mention.

shorter working hours in Winter??? discounts on buying houses??? I wish..... nurses and teachers may benefit from help with housing, but the rest of us don't, and nobody I work with benefits from shorter hours in the winter - get real!!! and please list the other various perks that are too long to mention - I'm intrigued.

XRAT

I tuned into a radio show after the day of strikes I only managed to hear two callers before changing stations.
One was a London taxi driver who thought it was appaling that his taxes were paying public sector workers pensions. A taxi driver, in a cash rich environment, paying taxes! I would be surprised if he's paying more than 5% tax if he's honest...., whereas the public sector are unable to escape a penny. THEY'RE PAYING THEIR OWN PENSIONS!

The radio host said, "What part of, 'There is no money left don't you understand?' " Well two bits actually..., the bit where we can't get out of a contract to build two aircraft carriers but we can get out of the contract to pay pensions; and the bit where we can still afford to give money to charities (in other countries, I thought charity begins at home)..., instead of meeting our obligation to your pension fund.

The second caller worked in the City. His grievance was that the public sector don't produce anything..., perhaps not. But the NHS keep him alive to enjoy his riches, the police prevent others from stealing his riches etc. etc. etc.
I can't believe the number of private sector workers that believe that the public sector don't pay anything for their pensions. I've yet to meet anyone in my neighbourhood who pays half of my public sector pension contributions!

stevemcol

I don't disagree strongly with anyone's opinion on this, it's just a mess and in general not of our own making.

My sympathy goes out to those of you in the public sector and I don't blame you for trying to protect your retirements. Most of you will have joined public service on the understanding you had a cast iron pension and now feel let down.

Good luck but I feel there will have to be a compromise and it will probably be closer to the government's position than the unions'.

derboy_2

Why should the public sector get a pension that is worth more than the contributions justify. The difference is paid for by the private sector.

Race to the bottom! Its a fun term. You can have the best pension is the world, champagne and gold. Please dont ask for the private sector to contribute to it.

I might buy a new car at the weekend. I'll pay £1000. Someone else can pay the rest. It was promised to me. I deserve it.

RealQuantum

derboy wrote: »

Why should the public sector get a pension that is worth more than the contributions justify. The difference is paid for by the private sector.

Race to the bottom! Its a fun term. You can have the best pension is the world, champagne and gold. Please dont ask for the private sector to contribute to it.

I might buy a new car at the weekend. I'll pay £1000. Someone else can pay the rest. It was promised to me. I deserve it.

Pehaps you should have watched 'Question Time' last night the government make massive contributions into private sector pensions. I can not remeber the exact fuigure but its billions not millions. Check your facts before you start a rant. One key thing that you are missing here the millions of publioc sector workers are tax payers too.

Lifes_Grand_Plan

derboy wrote: »

I might buy a new car at the weekend. I'll pay £1000. Someone else can pay the rest. It was promised to me. I deserve it.

:doh: :doh: I think this hilarious comment sums up the type of poster....

derboy_2

alimckay wrote: »

For all those moaning that tax payers pay public sector and their pension I,d like to point out a couple of things ....public sector workers like everyone else apart from mega paid big bonus folk pay taxes, they also pay lots of their lower salaries into cover their pension, it is not a free perk like the common misconception out there.I worked in private sector when we still had non.contributory pensions, in public sector where I paid loads in and now in private sector where I made a huge pay jump when I moved so have knowledge of all sides.
BUT who do you all think pays banks staff, shop staff, etc answer really the tax payer....we pay our money into the bank, we borrow from the bank they make profits and that funds their operating costs and pays staff wages and the bonuses of those still getting them.....banks don't operate without tax payers money and the profits they make.....if tax payers don't shop in places they close because in reality tax payers fund the shop and their staff wages it's basic economics...tax payers fund pretty much all of it.
Yes in a shop you get goods, in a bank you're meant to get a safe place to keep your money....in public sector you get free education at school, free healthcare, free dentist, free social work care, bin service, roads and so on so that's what we pay for.
Just ask yourself if the public servants in government are serving normal tax payers why then do many use private schools and the like the rest can't afford just like the same folk who brought the worlds finances into chaos because they can afford to and yes it's the rest of us normal tax payers who pay for it!
Good luck to those losing a days pay on strike or those who loose out as a result of it but all fighting each other nicely deflects the fight from those who caused this mess in the first place so they win in the end..again!

It's this post which is so frustrating.

UK wealth is generated from trade, import and export of products and services. Tax recycling is not a method of generating growth. It does not make the economy work on its own.

The public sector may pay tax but the contribution is irrelevant compared to the cost of salaries! So the fact that the Public sector pension pot does not support itself means the taxpayer (private) has to support it. That is the point which generates emotion. The people who dont have pensions (majority of private workers) are funding (through taxation) generous pensions to another group of society. That is in essence unfair.