Public Sector Unions : Day of Action

**Duke Malcolm** · 03-27-2006, 16:26

Well, that is how the letter was titled.

I was at school today, and shall be again on Wednesday. Tomorrow, however, I shall be at home due to a strike of : Janitors; cleaners; administrative staff; support staff; kitchen staff; and the technicians.
They are moaning about having to work a few extra years before they can claim full pension: 65 instead of 60, I believe. Her Most Supreme Excellency, Anne Wilson, Director of Education for Dundee City Council, has responded by giving pupils the day off on safety grounds.

A few friends and I have arranged a counter-protest for when the afore-mentioned staff picket at the school gates.

Auntie Provides

Your thoughts on such a strike?

**Major Robert Dump** · 03-27-2006, 16:44

Unions for state/federal jobs are the worst kind unless we are talking about something where workers put their lives at risk. They are worse than private enterprise unions because they arent affected by the market like everyone else, and government is inherently wasteful.

Instead of striking maybe they should look for other jobs

**English assassin** · 03-27-2006, 16:45

Public Sector Unions : Day of Action

Well, it would make a change...

**Scurvy** · 03-27-2006, 16:48

**InsaneApache** · 03-27-2006, 17:23

Shouldn't it be a day of inaction? There again no one would notice.

When I worked in local government in the 80's we had a day of action to protest at Thatchers policies. No one noticed AND the local authorities saved millions in pay.

Then someone pointed out to the union bosses that the majority of union members must have voted for Thatcher in the first place.

Me? I rang in sick. Thus securing a days pay and not upsetting the 'brothers'.

**BDC** · 03-27-2006, 18:26

Why is everyone so horrified at working longer. You live longer if you are working, plus as most women can live to be 80ish, it's going to be a long and dull 20 years.

**doc_bean** · 03-27-2006, 18:39

Originally Posted by BDC

Why is everyone so horrified at working longer. You live longer if you are working, plus as most women can live to be 80ish, it's going to be a long and dull 20 years.

Because people get bored with their job. Another reason why a more flexible career can be a good thing...

These kinds of protest can piss me off at times, I'm probably gonna have to work until I'm 80, or more likely, until I'm death.

**Banquo's Ghost** · 03-27-2006, 19:40

Originally Posted by BDC

Why is everyone so horrified at working longer. You live longer if you are working, plus as most women can live to be 80ish, it's going to be a long and dull 20 years.

My father is still working and he's 73. But he's a self-employed consultant, one of the top men in his field.

I think the main concern is working longer doing what? With current ageist attitudes, few older people (outside the higher tax brackets and, ironically, the public sector) get the chance to work on in their profession or improve/change their careers.

Working longer seems to mean working for the minimum wage at B&Q for 20 years. Not overly appetising.

**Scurvy** · 03-27-2006, 20:21

Originally Posted by BDC

Why is everyone so horrified at working longer. You live longer if you are working, plus as most women can live to be 80ish, it's going to be a long and dull 20 years.

being 16, it looks like i might have to work until im 80 (paying for other people pensions :) - i could be dead by then

**Ja'chyra** · 03-28-2006, 08:21

Originally Posted by Duke Malcolm

Well, that is how the letter was titled.

I was at school today, and shall be again on Wednesday. Tomorrow, however, I shall be at home due to a strike of : Janitors; cleaners; administrative staff; support staff; kitchen staff; and the technicians.
They are moaning about having to work a few extra years before they can claim full pension: 65 instead of 60, I believe. Her Most Supreme Excellency, Anne Wilson, Director of Education for Dundee City Council, has responded by giving pupils the day off on safety grounds.

A few friends and I have arranged a counter-protest for when the afore-mentioned staff picket at the school gates.

Auntie Provides

Your thoughts on such a strike?

Yeah, well done, after all how unreasonable can these people be??? I mean, actually expecting their employers to honour the terms that they signed these people on for!!!! Just plain ridiculous if you ask me.

Why don't you wait and see how you like it when you have worked for a company for 35 years and then they turn round and tell you that you will have to work for another 10 years, instead of the 5 you have been planning on, otherwise you won't get your pension.

The MoD recently went through this with the outcome being that staff would be able to retire at 60 as in their contract, any new staff coming in would have the standard contract altered so that the retirement age was 65, now that is a fair outcome.

Maybe you should actually give it some thought before you go through with your so-called counter protest, after all what are you protesting? The fact that some low-paid workers are trying to protect the rights given to them when they signed their contracts? Or the fact that schoolchildren think they know better?

**InsaneApache** · 03-28-2006, 09:16

hmmm.....well it's been 17 years since I left local authority employment, but from what I remember the 'statement of main particulars' was, even then, liable to summary changes.

Now I'm on the other side of the fence in private industry, I am aware how well public service employees are treated. Excellent pension scheme. 5/6 weeks paid holidays per annum (depending on length of service) plus all the statutory holidays. If you do happen to work on a bank holiday then you are entitled to triple time. Up to 6 months full pay on sick leave, then six months half pay.

As a self employed businessman I get none of the above. If I don't work, I don't get paid. Plus all of the above is derived from taxes levied on the working population. However, civil servants and LGOs' do not contribute to the wealth of the economy, that onus falls onto people like me, who as I said get nothing like the benefits package that the Public sector enjoy.

They should thank their lucky stars they have a pension worth fighting over. A lot of people have been screwed by this governments botched handling of the pension timebomb.

**Banquo's Ghost** · 03-28-2006, 09:26

Originally Posted by InsaneApache

hmmm.....well it's been 17 years since I left local authority employment, but from what I remember the 'statement of main particulars' was, even then, liable to summary changes.

Now I'm on the other side of the fence in private industry, I am aware how well public service employees are treated. Excellent pension scheme. 5/6 weeks paid holidays per annum (depending on length of service) plus all the statutory holidays. If you do happen to work on a bank holiday then you are entitled to triple time. Up to 6 months full pay on sick leave, then six months half pay.

As a self employed businessman I get none of the above. If I don't work, I don't get paid. Plus all of the above is derived from taxes levied on the working population. However, civil servants and LGOs' do not contribute to the wealth of the economy, that onus falls onto people like me, who as I said get nothing like the benefits package that the Public sector enjoy.

They should thank their lucky stars they have a pension worth fighting over. A lot of people have been screwed by this governments botched handling of the pension timebomb.

Thank you for writing the post I was in the process of composing