Anyone else fearful that the 5% pay cut given to Cabinet ministers will be passed down to all public sector workers?

I love my job and would take a pay cut squarely on the chin. If anyone messes with my pension I will down tools.

Re: pensions.

'The parties commit to establishing an independent commission to review the long term affordability of public sector pensions, while protecting accrued rights.' Those of us with accrued rights should be OK then.

Sorry I've not had time to read the full thread, but ministers should have taken more than a 5% cut if they really want to lead by example.

During hard times in the 90s, my (US-based) company had pay cuts - it was 10% all round, 15% for senior managers and 25% for the CEO. I think they exempted a few of the lowest-paid junior UK staff (I was in the US at the time so not sure). Made it easier to swallow. Also the promise was that, come better times the lost earnings would be repaid, I'm glad to say they were. This was drastic but it avoided massive layoffs (or total demise of company).

sorry I missed that, I am popping in and out between writing reports so not paying full attention. Sorry

See above ;)

I was talking about me, I start work at 7 in the morning and rarely finish before 11pm. I llow myself an hour off to have my tea and talk to my child. I know lots of my colleagues do the same. I am not claiming that life is intolerable as of course we have the long holidays when we do very little. My colleagues who work less hours in term time tend to do more in the holidays.

Katycarr - oops."THIS public sector worker". Pesky not reading stuff properly. Sorry.

Katycarr - where is that figure from? It implies an average 75 hour week, so that means a LOT of people doing 100+ hour weeks. Not sure that can be right.

I think glastocat has hit the nail on the head.

No overtime here and although we can claim extra hours worked as time in lieu, of course we don't because we'd never get our jobs done.

My department has had to make cuts every year for as long as I can remember. Recruitment freezes are pretty regular, maternity is never covered, lots of people on short term contracts paid out of endowment funds so at the mercy of the markets.

I'll take a 5% cut though if it keeps jobs.

This public sector worker has on average a 15 hour day so there is no time for overtime.

I think it would cost more to means test child benefit so it is unlikey to happen. I would like to see it means tested personally it it would pay. I said on another thread I think people need to be honest with themselves and ask if they really need their tax credits, child benefit etc.

Litchick the money in public sector is going to pay for building rent/maintenance for all the PFI new-builds schools and hospitals that were needed. Contracts that are 25 years long...

Oh... and huge contracts to private care providers (adults and children alike) because public care homes are being shut down left, right and centre...

I think the basic precis is that private and public sector alike, we're all fucked.

Yes to the OP's question, and don't forget that child benefit might be cut or taxed too, particularly for those of us whose household income might sound ok but it's all committed already - with 2 aged 3 and 15 months, Child Benefit, Child Tax Credit and childcare vouchers are almost as much as what's left of my take home pay after the costs of going out to work.

I am only basing this on the two public sector workers I know very well indeed. One works in local government making sure that vulnerable people are getting the support they need (so not actually a care worker). She gets TOIL every 5 mins extra she works, watched Wimbledon every year in their office and has told me that she cannot be sacked.

My other friend works in HE and when the students are on holiday, takes 4 hour lunchbreaks or doesn't go in until lunchtime. She is paid a 37 hour week like I am but works 10-5 and always takes an hour for lunch.

That's why I keep saying that you can't make sweeping statements about the sector - I know there are loads of people who work their arses off for £50 a day. But there are (I can't believe my friends are the only two) an awful lot of people who work within PS without doing an awful lot.

Having said that, there are an awful lot of people in the private sector who do the same. The difference is that taxes aren't paying for them to do online shopping (which is what my colleague does most of the day).

Ladybiscuit I certainly don't recognise your description of public sector work.

I work all my contracted hours plus extra (I'm on mnet tonight in between finishing some work) and I never get overtime. I don't know anybody who does apart from nurses who've worked extra shifts for which quite rightly they are paid.
My holiday allowance is 5.8 weeks pro rata plus Bank holidays - not bad but hardly extravagant.
Job for life - no, probably not.

I think some parts of the public sector have been doing very well. The school I now teach in has had a huge rebuild costing millions, expansion in staff, new facilites. My previous school was laying off about 20% of staff including teachers and support staff.

Can I just ask why then there ahve been all these public sector cuts when the borrowing levels are so high, supposedly to meet the outgoings?

The money has been coming in, but if costs have been cut, where the fuck did it go?

ahh well just think of us poor sods with no job who they'll be "encouraging" back to work...............in ermm - well I'm not quite sure what jobs as some of you will be joining us down here on the bottom of the pile

I don't think you can make a blanket assertion about pensions either.

My private sector pension was non-contributory. Dh pays 11% into his public sector pension.

I could have written LunaticFringe's post pretty much word for word.

Local government is far removed from the civil service - people often seem to lump us all together.

That is my point tho (if rather badly expressed but linked to my earlier post) - you can't make a blanket assertion across all public sector jobs. They are as diverse as the private sector so it's really not helpful. Except for pensions. As far as I know, there are no public sector schemes which demand a 20% contribution from the employee which is fairly standard in the private sector

Can't (and wouldn't dream of asking) just take a few hours here or there. Work 9-5 with one half hour break.