why aren't public sector salaries linked to how well the country does?

The_White_Horse

in a private company, wages don't just go up each year. they only go up if there is money to pay them.

in fact, if there is less money, people might have to take pay cuts - especially those at the top.

the same should apply to public sector workers. if less tax is paid, then they get less salary accordingly. if more tax revenue is gained, then they get an increase.

seems incredibly sensible to me. probably why it isn't done.

same with benefits.

Graham_Devon

The_White_Horse wrote: »

in a private company, wages don't just go up each year. they only go up if there is money to pay them.

in fact, if there is less money, people might have to take pay cuts - especially those at the top.

the same should apply to public sector workers.

It does.

So what's you're next thread?

thriftychap_2

What a dumb idea. Have you really given this any thought?:T

I am a teacher, guess what????? I AM ON A PAY FREEZE!

jbreckmckye

The_White_Horse wrote: »

in a private company, wages don't just go up each year. they only go up if there is money to pay them.

Paging Mr Halifax and Mr HBOS...

seems incredibly sensible to me. probably why it isn't done..

So what you're saying is that the worse public services are doing, the less attractive we should make them to the most competitive and effective workers?

Can't see that working somehow.

milliemonster

Hmm, as a public sector nurse in the middle of a 2 year payfreeze despite being tasked with making £25m efficiency savings in our Trust in the last financial year of which we achieved, yet am still on a payfreeze, pray tell what exactly do we have to do then to get a payrise?, as obviously the country's economy is in dire straits, so my pay is frozen, we achieve the efficiency savings our Trust is tasked with, my pay is STILL frozen. Tell you what, why don't all us public sector workers just work for free, will that make you feel better?

Loughton_Monkey

The_White_Horse wrote: »

......if more tax revenue is gained, then they get an increase......

Right!

Oil price has another hike. This time it's astronomic! Crude price doubled. Forecourt wholesale trebled. Tax revenue trebled.

Energy Ministry + HMRC 200% bonuses for all!

WOnderful.

Large gin & tonics all round......

Eellogofusciouhipoppokunu

I think public sector salaries should be linked to their equivalent in the private sector. If they then wanted to keep their final salary pensions they would have to accept a lower salary. As used to happen in the old days.

Callie22

Eellogofusciouhipoppokunu wrote: »

I think public sector salaries should be linked to their equivalent in the private sector. If they then wanted to keep their final salary pensions they would have to accept a lower salary. As used to happen in the old days.

What about the roles that don't have a private sector equivalent? And what about the private sector companies that rely on public sector contracts?

ruggedtoast

The_White_Horse wrote: »

in a private company, wages don't just go up each year. they only go up if there is money to pay them.

in fact, if there is less money, people might have to take pay cuts - especially those at the top.

the same should apply to public sector workers. if less tax is paid, then they get less salary accordingly. if more tax revenue is gained, then they get an increase.

seems incredibly sensible to me. probably why it isn't done.

same with benefits.

Well in a sense that does happen. Lowering wages in any company is highly controversial. In the public sector areas I have worked they prefer to make you redundant and then maybe let you reapply for a lower level job which pays less, if there is one.

Otherwise most departments are on pay freezes. Sometimes these are indefinite, sometimes they are negotiated for a number of years, meaning you take an effective pay cut each year due to inflation.

Most public sector jobs have pay scale points within each band, the difference between the top of the band to the bottom is usually a couple of thousand pounds at most. Usually if the person you are hiring has any experience you'll have to start them at the top of the band anyway, as otherwise the salary would be too low to attract them.

DevilsAdvocate1

ruggedtoast wrote: »

Well in a sense that does happen. Lowering wages in any company is highly controversial. In the public sector areas I have worked they prefer to make you redundant and then maybe let you reapply for a lower level job which pays less, if there is one.

Otherwise most departments are on pay freezes. Sometimes these are indefinite, sometimes they are negotiated for a number of years, meaning you take an effective pay cut each year due to inflation.

Most public sector jobs have pay scale points within each band, the difference between the top of the band to the bottom is usually a couple of thousand pounds at most. Usually if the person you are hiring has any experience you'll have to start them at the top of the band anyway, as otherwise the salary would be too low to attract them.

In the private sector you don't get a pay scale. Over the last 14 years, my husband has had maybe 3 pay rises. At one point, the whole company took a 10% pay cut for 18 months. It was this or even more redundancies. Also, during his time there, there have been at least 4 rounds of redundancies.

When the pay cut was reinstated, it was classed as the payrise for that year, so still an effective paycut.

But he has a job. No pension though.

ruggedtoast

DevilsAdvocate1 wrote: »

In the private sector you don't get a pay scale. Over the last 14 years, my husband has had maybe 3 pay rises. At one point, the whole company took a 10% pay cut for 18 months. It was this or even more redundancies. Also, during his time there, there have been at least 4 rounds of redundancies.

When the pay cut was reinstated, it was classed as the payrise for that year, so still an effective paycut.

But he has a job. No pension though.

Your husband needs to look for a better job, and if he cant get one look at why.

I'm not going to sit at the top of a paygrade going nowhere so every job I've had has been a diagonal move upwards. I've had to skill myself up in my own time for every move so far.

So far I've survived 5 rounds of redundancies in various places and been picked off once. I just got on with it.

I now have a relatively decently paid job with a pension that I have worked and studied very hard to get into. I'm not going to apologise for that because someone in a private sector company doesnt have the same.

If you think the public sector is so cushy then go and work in it.