Hundreds of public sector workers go on strike

“@GK33Harb

Space us the emotional blackmail. The majority of public servants are pen pushers and work for a lot more than 11k. Minimum wage for most of the public sector is around £7.45 now, not the £6.19 which is only reserved for the plebs.

No one disputes the value of nurses, but they shouldn't be bartered to justify the inflated pay-packets, pensions and perks of the rest of the public sector.

We've heard all these talking points before, try something a bit more original and intellectually honest.

Try being a cleaner in a fast-food restaurant, a warehouse operative, or doing the night shift in a sandwich factory – all things I've done in recent years for minimum wage with no union representation, no sick-pay, no pension provision, less holidays, appalling working conditions - you'll learn something about the true nature of misery.

"It's not a race to the bottom" - comes the reply. "The bottom" is obviously a place only reserved for the dehumanised members of our society. Yet such worker drones get taxed to the hilt to give other's of "superior virtue" a better standard of living and political representation, than they can ever hope to obtain themselves. If that ain't privilege, I don't know what is. It's immoral and wouldn't happen in civilised society.

On a footnote, most of the "sociopaths" I've known - those who suck the life from others without remorse or reciprocation - have been social democrats. Ain't that strange? Such types tend to care far more about sculpting a compassionate public persona for themselves than they do about actually helping anyone beneath them on the economic ladder.”

“GK33Harb

What am I doing to 'save the world' as you put it? I am producing the wealth that pays your and your husbands wages.

I am 'contracted' to work 37.5 hours per week but work 80 hours every single week. I will work at home tomorrow and Sunday because I have made personal commitments to deliver on my promises to my clients.

You might be 'putting something back' but you are not doing it for free are you? But until you, and your husband, and everyone else in the Public Sector' realise that without those of us that work for 'a white guy in a suit' for 'profit' you are stuffed.

Profit pays your salary.

Just wondering though - why 'some white guy in a suit'? I feel someone with a chip on their shoulder.”

“Democrat - my husband is NHS and works at least a third more than his contracted hours. I look after vulnerable kids for eleven grand a year. What are you doing to save the world? Making money for some old white guy in a suit? Don't you DARE tell me I think the world owes me a living. On the contrary, I feel a duty to put a bit back, and you can't do that by working somewhere where the only motivation is profit.

In conclusion, Democrat, I politely suggest that you bite me.”

“LaPetomane: "The public sector is needed, they adminster and provide many of the things that just make a decent society run."

Have you ever heard of self-congratulatory establishment hype?

In polarised groups, people harbour a comfortable uncritical certainty that they are always right. "Ingroups" nearly always significantly overrate their own abilities and significantly underrate the abilities of their opponents - the "outgroup". In the public-sector, there is no performance indicators to judge their potential greatness - you just have to take their word for it.

It doesn't help that the public sector relies of 'paper qualification' in contrast to the private sector which relies on experience in recruitment. And those with the highest level of education tend to have the lowest level of exposure to conflicting points of view.

At the end of the day, when you've living off the tax-payer, you shouldn't command a salary better than the lowest paid tax-payers, anything else is just elitist pompous claptrap.”

“Always the same predictable people have the same to say whenever there is a chance to moan about the public sector. At least those raising an issue that their wages have stagnated and pensions reduced are attempting to protest and make a point. I am well aware that employers have taken full advantage of the current economy in the private sector and much prefer to reduce costs by freezing salaries, reducing salaries, reducing pensions, prefer short term contracts and lessening restrictionson any conditions for workers and areas such as health and safety. That is also creeping into the public sector and in fact as both this government of millionaire directors and business owners and many employees of the private sector feel hard done to, there is no sympathy at all and are haoppy to see the same dished out to others. It,s a race to the bottom. Quite simply though, business won't be happy until first they get the easy hire and fire and lack of holidays and longer working hours of the USA, and then will expect to compete with the terms and conditions of the far east.

In my public sector job I ave the opportunity to go into the homes and businesses of hundreds of people every year and have done for many years. There are still a lot of people doing very well in the private sector. Nearly all the big houses I go to are people in private sector jobs, self employed or public sector jobs such as senior managers, police officers, teachers and doctors. Many public sector workers live in modest properties as do many from the private sector who tend to be less skilled. Having spoken to hundreds of businesses locally, many acknowledge they are doing well, some doing very weel but nobody is investing, nobody wants overheads and to be bogged down in rules about H&S, conditions anbout maternity and paternity, working hours etc. They are all keeping money safe and few investing but playing safe. All suggest that they pay the people they want to retain and hire the right money. I really don't think the country is as bad as it appears in terms of the economy, simply much business is playing safe. I don't mean there isn't a problem.

The public sector is needed, they adminster and provide many of the things that just make a decent society run. Whilst many like to bash them, they didn't cause the problems of this country and are ordinary folk like many of us. Someone has to make a stand for the little man. The government can't cut the huge influx of immigration from EU or non-EU countries, they just cant make it work - hundreds of thousands of people prepared to work for peanuts, they cant cut benefits, hundreds of thousands taking social housing, never working or paying (not talking about the genuine), so its far easier to get everyone to blame the public sector and reduce their salaries and conditions which at the end of the day is an excuse and will make the tiniest difference to the economic situation - and any savings reducing the incomes and jobs of thousand will be wiped out by a single blunder on an aircraft carrier contract, or a single months fighting in some unnecessary war. its all pants.”

“Always the same predictable people have the same to say whenever there is a chance to moan about the public sector. At least those raising an issue that their wages have stagnated and pensions reduced are attempting to protest and make a point. I am well aware that employers have taken full advantage of the current economy in the private sector and much prefer to reduce costs by freezing salaries, reducing salaries, reducing pensions, prefer short term contracts and lessening restrictionson any conditions for workers and areas such as health and safety. That is also creeping into the public sector and in fact as both this government of millionaire directors and business owners and many employees of the private sector feel hard done to, there is no sympathy at all and are haoppy to see the same dished out to others. It,s a race to the bottom. Quite simply though, business won't be happy until first they get the easy hire and fire and lack of holidays and longer working hours of the USA, and then will expect to compete with the terms and conditions of the far east.

In my public sector job I ave the opportunity to go into the homes and businesses of hundreds of people every year and have done for many years. There are still a lot of people doing very well in the private sector. Nearly all the big houses I go to are people in private sector jobs, self employed or public sector jobs such as senior managers, police officers, teachers and doctors. Many public sector workers live in modest properties as do many from the private sector who tend to be less skilled. Having spoken to hundreds of businesses locally, many acknowledge they are doing well, some doing very weel but nobody is investing, nobody wants overheads and to be bogged down in rules about H&S, conditions anbout maternity and paternity, working hours etc. They are all keeping money safe and few investing but playing safe. All suggest that they pay the people they want to retain and hire the right money. I really don't think the country is as bad as it appears in terms of the economy, simply much business is playing safe. I don't mean there isn't a problem.

The public sector is needed, they adminster and provide many of the things that just make a decent society run. Whilst many like to bash them, they didn't cause the problems of this country and are ordinary folk like many of us. Someone has to make a stand for the little man. The government can't cut the huge influx of immigration from EU or non-EU countries, they just cant make it work - hundreds of thousands of people prepared to work for peanuts, they cant cut benefits, hundreds of thousands taking social housing, never working or paying (not talking about the genuine), so its far easier to get everyone to blame the public sector and reduce their salaries and conditions which at the end of the day is an excuse and will make the tiniest difference to the economic situation - and any savings reducing the incomes and jobs of thousand will be wiped out by a single blunder on an aircraft carrier contract, or a single months fighting in some unnecessary war. its all pants.”

“'I don't understand why people who think life is easy in the public sector don't just GET A JOB IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR'

Because I prefer to work with motivated and committed people rather than those who think that the world owes them a living (and don't even understand that they are bleeding the economy dry)”

“I don't understand why people who think life is easy in the public sector don't just GET A JOB IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR!

It's not like we were born with a special symbol on our chests that means we can work in the public sector and you can't.”

“Johnboy, you may know "a lot of private sector members who are still well off and getting substantial pay rises" but i bet i know a heck of a lot more who don't earn a lot, haven't had a payrise for just a long if not longer and are pretty fricken skint!

I'm not willing to have my taxes increased to finance someone else's wage rise (by the way, no one has a right to a pay rise), when i haven't have one myself for two years (I count myself lucky as i know people who haven't had one for much longer). End Of. Stop being selfish and understand that however hard you're finding things as a public sector worker, we private sector find it just as hard and its not fair to ask us to be burdoned even more so, to make your lives easier. that. is incredibly selfish.”

“Rather then the usual dumb opinions ****ging off the public sector they do have a right to more than a 1% pay increase as this has been going on for far enough. We should all being paying more tax instead to share the burden, as i know of a lot of private sector members who are still well off and getting substantial pay rises.”