Public sector pensions strike?

[Ardiles]

Private sector employers change the terms of their employees' employment contracts all the time.  In fact, I've seen this first hand in relation to pension arrangements.  So to that extent, I've never understood the argument that employment contracts initially signed by public sector employees should be set in stone.

I can understand why the strikes are taking place.  The workforce is more unionised and so there's something to be gained from having a go.  In a similar situation, many of us would do the same probably.  But this is not the moral crusade that some are portraying it as.  It's a body of workers trying to get the best deal for themselves.  In real terms, just about all of us have suffered in this downturn...and the public sector is going to have to take this on the chin to an extent as well.

[JanTheMan]

If the majority of public sector workers earnt their pension I wouldn’t have an issue.  However, having spent two years working for an LA, my only view is ‘work shy slackers waiting for their unworthy pensions’.  Don’t get me wrong, if I’d stayed longer I would have thought flexitime, hiding behind ‘the council’, answering requests within a two months etc was the norm, but it‘s not.  I can’t really put into words the wastage that occurs, it's truely shocking. Apologies to stereotype all, but when 95% of people I worked with fell into the work shy category, it’s hard not to. 

[JanTheMan]

I would add that I’m not including nurses / teachers etc in the above.  Just the majorioty of people working inside district / county council offices.  Jokers

[Samdy Gray]

I would add that I’m not including nurses / teachers etc in the above.  Just the majorioty of people working inside district / county council offices.  Jokers

A lot of local authority/council staff are now employed by private sector companies.

[jonny72]

I hate all teachers. I've had to share a table in McDonalds due to them being on strike. Wankers.

[Batch]

I hate all teachers. I've had to share a table in McDonalds due to them being on strike. Wankers.

Not all teachers are on strike

[Sippo]

*bites lip* Don't even get me started...

[Samdy Gray]

Go on, what's wrong with you then...

[jonny72]

I know they were going on about the cost to the economy of the strikes but I'm not so sure about it now. The shops are packed (well not really packed but busier than normal) and people are spending money - maybe it will provide a bit of a boost instead?

[Sippo]

The 'teachers' that aren't on strike have either fucked off to the pub or gone on a theatre trip....

[Don Rogers moustache]

Dont knock them,one day where you work might shut down, or take your pensions,then you will strike and want everyone's support

[Arriba]

Cameron will love seeing people who've been shafted slating others who are protesting at getting shafted. Mugs

[jonny72]

Dont knock them,one day where you work might shut down, or take your pensions,then you will strike and want everyone's support

This happens everyday to everyone else and they don't strike. Whether they want support from other people or not is irrelevant as no one really gives a fuck unless it directly affects them. Unions don't care when non-union staff are sacked.

[Ardiles]

It will be interesting to see how the strikes are reported in the main news bulletins this evening, and on Newsnight etc.  Based on what little I have heard, it does feel to me as if this has not gone well for the unions...and that their position will have been weakened by today's action.  The Coalition (or the more Tory elements of it) will be loving this.

[Summerof69]

NI and income tax will be merged before to long

Up to around 5 years ago the Governement used to seperate the NI contributions from the tax revenue...but it now gets paid togther by companies...and the Government now treats it the same.