Public sector pay rises capped at 1%

[maark]

As well as the 1% pay cap some of us will have to work another year before retirement BBC News - Autumn Statement: 'Longer wait' for state pension

[jinnantonnixx]

As well as the 1% pay cap some of us will have to work another year before retirement BBC News - Autumn Statement: 'Longer wait' for state pension

 

Oh it just gets better. I'm watching the goalposts race away into the distance....

[CAM]

Someone told me that if you join a striking union i.e. UNISON tonight, you are protected straight away. Therefore, this would cover me for tomorrow's strike action, correct?

 

I think the bigger unions have soem hoops stopping you getting in straight away.

 

As a general rule of thumb, if your union hasn't told you they are striking, turn up to work as if nothing has happened or you risk plenty of hot water.

[CyberNerd]

Means that over the 4 year period of 2010 - 2014, public sector workers will effectively have had a pay cut of, what? 18% or so? Seems a little unfair...

 

Channel 4 news calculated that "the public sector workforce will face a 16% real time pay cut over the lifetime of this parliament" That's without the 4% pension increase, so it looks closer to 20%

The tories really are putting the 'n' back into 'cuts'

[Gatt]

This is what happens when people reject an offer - the offer gets taken away from them.

The Gov't threatened them that they would do this unless they returned to the table and that is exactly what they have done..

[Chris_]

No pay rises? Oh what a shame... People in the private sector have had pay cuts/freezes over the last couple of years as well as facing redundancies.

[synaesthesia]

This can be disregarded after more careful scrutiny of the definition of blackmail/extortion Edited November 29, 2011 by synaesthesia

[Martin]

No pay rises? Oh what a shame... People in the private sector have had pay cuts/freezes over the last couple of years as well as facing redundancies.

 

Exactly!

 

In my previous (private sector) job i only had two pay rises in over SEVEN years of working. Then (ironically enough) on 1-Apr-2011 the company went into administration (something that won't happen in the public sector) so i was out on the street having to claim back unpaid salary, unused holidays, time in lieu of notice, redundancy payments etc. at the statutory maximum which was far less than i was actually owed.

 

I was lucky, and managed to find another job after just over a month, but took a 25% drop in salary

 

...so a message to those still in employment in these difficult times - be thankful for what you have got, however little (and don't be stupid and rock the boat - or you may drop yourselves into the somewhat cold and dirty water!).

 

mb

[broc]

No pay rises? Oh what a shame... People in the private sector have had pay cuts/freezes over the last couple of years as well as facing redundancies.

 

Not if you are an executive in the private sector.....

 

Pay for the directors of the UK's top businesses rose 50% over the past year, a pay research company has said.

 

Incomes Data Services (IDS) said this took the average pay for a director of a FTSE 100 company to just short of £2.7m.

[mwbutler]

How can people expect pay rises etc during this economical crisis? Unions are way to greedy which is why I refuse to be apart of them. They got a decent offer which they rejected now it looks like all public sector workers are going to be much worse off. Thanks a bunch!

[Martin]

Not if you are an executive in the private sector.....

 

There is NOTHING stopping you from becoming an executive in the private sector (unless of course, you are not up to the job).

 

Go on, i dare ya

 

mb

[Martin]

From Union barons behind strike that will cripple Britain enjoy gold-plated pensions

 

Christine Blower, NUT - £103,003 salary

Christine Keates, NASUWT - £98,531 salary

Jonathan Baume, First Division Association - £92,145 salary

Mark Serwotka, PCS - £88,675 salary

Bob Crow, RMT general secretary - £84,006 salary

Paul Kenny, GMB - £89,000 salary

 

...and that isn't even counting their MASSIVE (union provided) pension funds!!!

 

Austerity rules?

 

mb

[witch]

What annoys me is that phrase 'public sector' when they don't mean teachers or MPs or other groups. Only the lowly really.

Having said that, in the private sector, mrwITch has had no pay rise for three years up until this year when he got 1%. This is the real world and we are in tough times. But I wish the same rules applied to everybody....

[X-13]

Means that over the 4 year period of 2010 - 2014, public sector workers will effectively have had a pay cut of, what? 18% or so? Seems a little unfair...

 

Yet, people still think we get loads of money...

[localzuk]

No pay rises? Oh what a shame... People in the private sector have had pay cuts/freezes over the last couple of years as well as facing redundancies.

 

Why saying 'the private sector'? The public sector has had exactly the same thing! Several years with no pay rises, mass redundancies (figures being altered to 710,000 IIRC), pension changes, changes of conditions (eg. altered redundancy rates, altered overtime rates, working hours etc...).

[AngryTechnician]

What we have to remember when comparing public vs. private sector is that when we aren't in a recession, the private sector usually does quite well in terms of pay increases, etc. while the public sector does not. The heart of the current dispute is that the pensions cuts will be long term (likely permanent) cuts, while the financial difficulties the country faces are probably not.

[Willott]

I won't even start discussing the public vs private sector pay gap (esp in IT) - We support our employees and our "customers" directly, have reasonably large estates (how many companies do you know with 250+ PCs?), have any number of complex peripherals to deal with (multiple interactive board, multiple projectors, anything with a plug etc), may have to handle purchasing with very small budgets, may have to manage people, and have the added wonder that at any point a student could make an accusation and put you in a very difficult situation for many months - for the job I do, I have seen similar in the private sector (some of which have less responsibility) for 1.5-2 times the salary (once you include the company car, health benefits etc). I know there is less job security in the private sector, and the pay covers this factor, but if public sector don't pay as well as private sector in some way shape or form (ie with decent pension, job security, pay rises to help when inflation is stupidly high... don't get me started on inflation, growth and greed), then the people you get for the job may not be able to be as creative and forward thinking with your IT.

 

For example - in the future, I may be looking at managing a multi-homed BGP network over 6 sites with replicated services (inc PBX, web hosting, internal data, email, databases), over 200 staff and 1500-2000 "customers" to directly support (not even counting support of parents on parental access), 500+ machines (and in future BYOD to deal with) - you find me a similar job in private sector, you'll be looking upward of 70-100k. And before the "you don't need any of that in a school setting" stuff, why aren't we looking to provide our students with the sort of system they'll find when they hit the great world of work, why aren't we looking to provide services inhouse which may save us money, or services which we can then sell to other organisations (local businesses etc). When talking to students about why they've just done something, do we reference the fact that in the workplace they'd be on their way out the door (targetted to older students obviously)? We all moan about reduced budgets/reduced pay etc, if we can prove our worth, increase our systems so that we can sell our services, then we can bring in more money for our schools to increase our budgets, staffing levels and pay. May be a rather optimistic view - I'll see how it goes...

[X-13]

at any point a student could make an accusation and put you in a very difficult situation for many months

 

Months?

 

If the accusation gets out, you pretty much have to leave your job and move.

Even if proved false people will still think "there's no smoke without fire."

You'll probably NEVER get another job in education, so that's your career ruined. [Educational IT =/= IT anywhere else.]

If you go into another proffession they'll learn of the accusation and make things difficult.

 

All this because of some stupid kid, who most likely doesn't get punished more than "this was wrong, don't do it again."

 

Things like this annoy me so much... A old friend of mine had these accusations made against him at a party. The daughter of the person throwing the party felt left out, so she decided to tell everyone he tried to touch her.

 

It's lucky she admitted she made it up for attention because we were all ready to lynch him.

[JJonas]

Yet, people still think we get loads of money...

 

I think there lies the battle for public support on this strike. The unions involved need to be doing a better job explaining the realities of public sector work to the general public.

[sparkeh]

Ok I'm a bit confused now:

From BBC

The current two-year pay freeze for public sector workers is due to come to an end for most from 2013, although for some it will be 2012.

Different articles are saying different things. Does our pay freeze end in 2012 or 2013 and hence the 1% rise come in from 2012 or 2013?

[Willott]

Pay freeze ends 2013, then 2 years of 1% pay rises from what I understand

[sonofsanta]

It is getting increasingly depressing that every time George Osborne opens his mouth it's to downgrade the economic outlook. And yet still he persists with the cut-backs line of thinking. And we take yet another real-terms pay-cut on whatever fronts he can manage. Sigh.

 

On a related note, I did see Osborne described as "a ghost trapped inside a sausage" the other day, which is a brilliant image, and eerily accurate.

[LosOjos]

Sort of on the whole topic of cuts - we're being called in to a meeting today to discuss how the school can save some more money, my money is on more redundancies.

 

That's right, those of us who have hauled our rear ends in to work on strike day are very likely about to find out we're at risk of redundancy again. The timing is impeccable.

[X-13]

That's right, those of us who have hauled our rear ends in to work on strike day are very likely about to find out we're at risk of redundancy again. The timing is impeccable.

 

Don't worry. The revolution will start soon enough.

[Willott]

discuss how the school can save some more money

 

Maybe add to the discussion how the school can make some more money - ie look at income streams so that you don't have to look to save money...