If The Public Sector Went On Strike...

[The Masked Tulip]

...could they all be fired and their jobs and pensions be taken over by all those from the private sector who have been losing or who have lost their jobs of late?

I am watching Newsnight now and the unions are sounding like something from the 70s - I am sure there are plenty of private sector workers who now look on with envy not just at the the public sector pensions but also at the salaries of the public sector which, in the past decade, have soared.

I don't mean this to be pro or anti public sector but, well, as I said it is like the 70s again listening to the talk on Newsnight right now.

Gavin Esler to the employment minister: "...we all know there are sweeping cuts coming in the public sector next year"?

Um... house prices?

Edited September 16, 2009 by The Masked Tulip

[XswampyX]

..... would we notice?

[macca]

If private sector is so envious of the 'HUGE' wage rises in public sector then why are you all wasting your valuable skills and talents in the hard done by private sector when you could all be cashing in? Get yourself a job for life and inflation busting wage and pension now before the cuts start. Mind you, there will be plenty of public sector job vacancies after the culling takes place and the Govt realises that it has made a huge mistake. I guess they are going on strike for no reason whatsoever and have plenty of money to strike indefinitely. Still nobody will notice.

[Si1]

..... would we notice?

Leeds has, for the last 2 weeks, been subject to an 'indefinite' bin-men strike

Our Tory-LibDem coalition simply hired a private refuse firm to empty the bins instead.

I had to explain this to my neighbour who only noticed that the lorries were a different colour and came a day late.

So no, unless people read the news round here, nobody actually noticed.

[The Masked Tulip]

Leeds has, for the last 2 weeks, been subject to an 'indefinite' bin-men strike

Our Tory-LibDem coalition simply hired a private refuse firm to empty the bins instead.

I had to explain this to my neighbour who only noticed that the lorries were a different colour and came a day late.

So no, unless people read the news round here, nobody actually noticed.

[Si1]

If private sector is so envious of the 'HUGE' wage rises in public sector then why are you all wasting your valuable skills and talents in the hard done by private sector when you could all be cashing in? Get yourself a job for life and inflation busting wage and pension now before the cuts start. Mind you, there will be plenty of public sector job vacancies after the culling takes place and the Govt realises that it has made a huge mistake. I guess they are going on strike for no reason whatsoever and have plenty of money to strike indefinitely. Still nobody will notice.

- because the ineefficiencies would drive us potty and are immoral

- because by the time we'd qualified wages would be on the way down again.

and 'before the cuts start' = the cuts wil hit current employees, I'll leave you to guess how that works, it's subtle so most public sector employees probably won't understand

[Three Pint Princess 2]

At least the rubbish collection is private, as is home care for the elderly or infirm, and street lighting,

road repair and maint, vehicle towing, traffic wardens, baliffs, mobility services probably lots of things

that are private now.

[Gigantic Purple Slug]

...sell Tetly Teabags and Mcvities Hob Nobs before the price goes through the floor.

Did you notice an improvement in your bin emptying service now there is competition ?

Do the binmen still refuse to take certain things ?

(Sorry about that one but it had to be done).

[godless]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/7637044.stm

[JonnyTomes]

Leeds has, for the last 2 weeks, been subject to an 'indefinite' bin-men strike

Our Tory-LibDem coalition simply hired a private refuse firm to empty the bins instead.

I had to explain this to my neighbour who only noticed that the lorries were a different colour and came a day late.

So no, unless people read the news round here, nobody actually noticed.

I'm intrigued - how does anyone strike indefinitely (ie: cannot claim benefits as still in work) without serious financial implications? I would assume that the original council employed bin men are now redundant? If so, why can't we expand this model to most areas of the public sector...Oh - wait a minute - that's what next year's election is for.

Edited September 16, 2009 by JonnyTomes

[Guest Steve Cook]

...could they all be fired and their jobs and pensions be taken over by all those from the private sector who have been losing or who have lost their jobs of late?

I am watching Newsnight now and the unions are sounding like something from the 70s - I am sure there are plenty of private sector workers who now look on with envy not just at the the public sector pensions but also at the salaries of the public sector which, in the past decade, have soared.

I don't mean this to be pro or anti public sector but, well, as I said it is like the 70s again listening to the talk on Newsnight right now.

Gavin Esler to the employment minister: "...we all know there are sweeping cuts coming in the public sector next year"?

Um... house prices?

Public sector salaries have not soared.

True enough, Some of the very highest earner's salaries in the public sector have soared based on the market rate set by the private sector. For the rest of them, salaries have tended to fall slightly behind inflation. It's also true that public sector pensions are better than private sector ones on the average. however, this is hardly saying something since private sector pensions are so unutterably sh*te.

Of course, in the private sectors, salaries of the average citizen have fallen even further behind inflation for the past decade. Which is why we have all been living on the never-never and pretending like it was real money for the past decade.

Which is why this crisis came about in the first place........

Edited September 16, 2009 by Steve Cook

[Si1]

I'm intrigued - how does anyone strike indefinitely (ie: cannot claim benefits as still in work) without serious financial implications? I would assume that the original council employed bin men are now redundant? If so, why can't we expand this model to most areas of the public sector...Oh - wait a minute - that's what next year's election is for.

the guys on strike are still the normal Leeds binmen - they are striking indefinitely until they get their contract-demands met; the private contract firm replacing them is from Warrington, afaik (googled their name) but if it did become long term then they could hire local Leeds staff, I would think

[jammo]

What I want to know is this: what happens when the public sector workers who took 2 weeks off this summer for "swine flu" actually catch it this winter? Do they simply pretend it's another flu? Do they all give a secret wink to their boss who has had it twice already? Assuming swine flu actually exists, which tbh, I find hard to actually believe. And if it did, why would it have gotten so much media coverage when hospital superbugs kills 2 or 3 orders of magnitude more people and is ignored by the media? Hogwash.

[noodle doodle]

binmen have been on work to rule (rather than striking) in edinburgh for months, a private firm paying almost double the wages is taking up the slack...

anyways, macca is right, if its a cushy number, get on the gravy train, it stops at a teacher training college near you. Or is being a paperclip laminator salesman that much more satisfying?

I'd only notice if the private sector went on strike if the supermarket shut. I don't need nuffin else from it.

[SNACR]

I dream they'll go on strike. Primarily, so people notice how the sky doesn't fall in.

Remember the firemen's strike - only bad news for cats.

Round my way the idiots managed to set fire to a bush by burning wooden pallets in an oil drum outside the station. Didn't wait for a Green Godess full of squaddies, they put it out themselves, the scabs.

[Si1]

binmen have been on work to rule (rather than striking) in edinburgh for months, a private firm paying almost double the wages is taking up the slack...

anyways, macca is right, if its a cushy number, get on the gravy train, it stops at a teacher training college near you. Or is being a paperclip laminator salesman that much more satisfying?

I'd only notice if the private sector went on strike if the supermarket shut. I don't need nuffin else from it.

water, electric, gas, clothes, medicine manufacture, your house (probably), car, petrol, DIY stuff, holidays, florists, garden centres, your watch, batteries, paint, underwear, most TV channels, the TV set itself, all the wires in your house, the chair you are sitting on, the internet, your PC

allthese and more, came from the private sector

[cybernoid]

Working in the public sector is the same as being on benefits, except you are of less benefit to society. That's why people who could earn more in the public sector choose to actually work in the private sector. They can feel like they are actually contributing, sleep better at night and are not surrounded by inefficiency and idiocy day in day out.

[Si1]

Working in the public sector is the same as being on benefits, except you are of less benefit to society. That's why people who could earn more in the public sector choose to actually work in the private sector. They can feel like they are actually contributing, sleep better at night and are not surrounded by inefficiency and idiocy day in day out.

this point bears repeating 100 times

[SMAC67]

Leeds has, for the last 2 weeks, been subject to an 'indefinite' bin-men strike

Our Tory-LibDem coalition simply hired a private refuse firm to empty the bins instead.

I had to explain this to my neighbour who only noticed that the lorries were a different colour and came a day late.

So no, unless people read the news round here, nobody actually noticed.

I wonder who they hired?

http://www.slate.com/id/2181850/

[Guest Steve Cook]

water, electric, gas, clothes, medicine manufacture, your house (probably), car, petrol, DIY stuff, holidays, florists, garden centres, your watch, batteries, paint, underwear, most TV channels, the TV set itself, all the wires in your house, the chair you are sitting on, the internet, your PC

allthese and more, came from the private sector

Most major leaps in technological development come in times of war. A time when such technological development is firmly under the direction of central government, by the way.

Private industry then goes on to make much of such technology in terms of development and further refinements. You just seem to conveniently ignore where the innovation often originates.

I say the above without any particular axe to grind, ideologically speaking. I get a sense that your comments, however, are very firmly grounded in a particular ideology

Edited September 16, 2009 by Steve Cook

[Si1]

Most major leaps in technological development come in times of war. A time when such technological development is firmly under the direction of central government, by the way.

citation or link?

standard sized screw, production lines, thermionic valves, computer networking, batteries and antibiotics were all invented outside of war

(edit - oh yeah: railways, cars, canals, ships, iron ones especially to add to non-war items)

famously, of course, rocketry and computers progressed hugely from war

Edited September 16, 2009 by Si1

[headmelter]

Ah the good old public sector bashing thread.....

Which reminds me I must check how many free holidays sorry sick days I have left for the year.

Edited September 16, 2009 by headmelter

[Buffer Bear]

...could they all be fired and their jobs and pensions be taken over by all those from the private sector who have been losing or who have lost their jobs of late?

If they are qualified to do my job.

Working in the public sector is the same as being on benefits, except you are of less benefit to society. That's why people who could earn more in the public sector choose to actually work in the private sector. They can feel like they are actually contributing, sleep better at night and are not surrounded by inefficiency and idiocy day in day out.

My job does not exist in the private sector which is why I work in the PS. You know, doing work that benefits the community......Trust me, there are some...

Edited September 16, 2009 by Buffer Bear

[Si1]

Ah the good old public sector bashing thread.....

Which reminds me I must check how many free holidays sorry sick days I have left for the year.

don't forget long bank holidays...

[Dorkins]

Working in the public sector is the same as being on benefits, except you are of less benefit to society. That's why people who could earn more in the public sector choose to actually work in the private sector. They can feel like they are actually contributing, sleep better at night and are not surrounded by inefficiency and idiocy day in day out.

Yes, everybody knows that doctors, nurses, teachers, firemen, police etc don't actually do anything. The public sector is, by and large, fantastically good value. For £1500 per person per year we get a national health service which will provide you with any healthcare you need and never send you a bill. There is no way a private health system could do the same for that price.