aibu to think that all those striking on thursday are being selfish and greedy?

[hellospoon]

And they should be thankful that they even have a job?

In a day where thousands of people are unemployed and living in poor conditions surely these teachers should be thankful they even have a job!

Many parents are having to take leave, some unpaid I presume the effect that it will have on family's is ridiculous.

YABU- you are falling for the classic government tactic of divide and rule.

Teachers have a legal right to strike and I support them, no matter how inconvenient it is to me.

sausages we have had 25 redundancies at our Uni in the last month

I'm very grateful to EVERYONE who strikes and protests....

If no-one striked and there was total apathy there would be little protection/security for employees...

What percentage are you due overall MrsK?

YANVU. And offensive . And ignorant. And a daily maily reader.

YABU in my opinion.

Why compare teachers to the unemployed and those living in poverty when you could be thinking that in the last year the richest people in this country have become 18% richer.

It is sickening that people are living in poverty in this day and age, but the fact that they are does not mean that teachers and other public sector workers should have their own incomes/pensions attacked. Increasing teachers' contributions to their pension will not result in the government miraculously targeting poverty and improving the financial situation of the poorest workers/families.

YABU.

YABU and unrealistic.

So what about all the workers who are not in the public sector who do 60 hour weeks yet don't even have a pension in place? Not all companies offer a pension fund, they recommend however they don't always contribute to it. You don't see these people walking out stamping their feet.

It just seems to me that unions feel that the public sector should not have to bare the brunt of the current crisis that this country is in.

If the government were saying we are making hundreds of redundancies in schools because we can't afford to pay them then teachers would say let's find a way to stop this from happening..let's reduce pensions to save money so we can keep our jobs. In this case it would be ok? So why not now?

Oh yes you don't agree with what I am saying so let's pick apart my grammar -

So what about all the workers who are not in the public sector who do 60 hour weeks yet don't even have a pension in place? Not all companies offer a pension fund, they recommend however they don't always contribute to it. You don't see these people walking out stamping their feet.

It just seems to me that unions feel that the public sector should not have to bare the brunt of the current crisis that this country is in.

If the government were saying we are making hundreds of redundancies in schools because we can't afford to pay them then teachers would say let's find a way to stop this from happening..let's reduce pensions to save money so we can keep our jobs. In this case it would be ok? So why not now?

Oh yes you don't agree with what I am saying so let's pick apart my grammar -

Sorry for the double post. Bloody phone

Ha ha ha hellospoon, which teachers would you plan to make refundant? How many extra do you have in your dc's school?

I will not pick apart anyone's grammer - just agree to differ.

My gripe is that when all was rosy and the private sector did well, bobody was bothered that I was doing 60 hour weeks when only being paid for 39. I did this fairly willingly - part of the job and all that. I was also told on more than one occasion that it IS crap but the pension is good and in many ways an acknowledgement of the poor/lack of pay on the occasions I've done it.

Now it's all gone tits up people are saying we are on a cushy number.

There ARE now anomolies between the private and state sector pensions because many jobs tend to be better paid than they used to be. This IS being tackled because all new recruits will not get the same pension I will get. Perhaps working hours are now better, I don't know (suspect NOT if you are a busy A+E nurse or midwife though).

All this is smokescreen anyway to stop us asking the REAL questions about where the money is going and it's NOT to those of us on lowish wages in both private and state sector. Stop fighting and open your eyes people - they are giving us things to fight about so we don't ask too many awkward questions.

The State grew too big over the past 10 years, too many support staff, maybe even too many teachers being trained. Now they all want the same treatment which was available to the few that were prepared to put up with slightly less pay to have the security and the good pensions. For the last 10 years public sector staff have claimed their wages needed to be equal to the private sector to be competitive and attract the best people. Well they have had the benefits of the private sector they now have to take their medicine and put up with the downside too.

A joke for you all:-

A Banker, a private sector worker and public sector worker are sitting at a table. A plate of 12 biscuits is in the middle, the banker takes 11 and says to the private sector worker - "watch out for the public sector worker - he's after your biscuit".

WAKE UP FOLKS AND ASK WHO REALLY BENEFITS - IT AIN'T THE LIKES OF US!

Cookster Your facts are very wrong. Anyone under 55 will be working to 67 like the rest of us to get full pensions. Those joining after 2007 will not get lump sum, those who joined before, still will. It is a good pension scheme but far behind that of civil servants, MPs, medics etc. Not to mention, the many huge pension pots that some in the private sector build up. Check out the pensions of the those on the boards of your local friendly building/mutual societies. Draw dropping.

What makes me sad is the lack of unity. It is as if the government can come up with anything, mention the deficit and we all roll over and accept it lamely. We seem to like others in society getting less, this government are making a great job of playing us against one another and allowing politics of envy to do their job.

Cookster, please don't muddy the waters of this issue by quoting inaccurate information.

YABU.

For those of you saying teaching is a secure profession, there have been redundancies at DH's school twice in the last 3 years (perhaps three times in four, I can't remember)

Secondary schools may be slightly different. But in a 2-form entry primary school, such as ours, with 17 classes we need 17 teachers.

Well put TickTock. I had a 10% pay cut in 2008 which is still in force so feel like throwing something at the tv when the unions talk about pay freezes.

I'm not a teacher, but many public sector workers have also been on pay freezes/ pay cuts for several years now, while, at the same time, being given increased responsibility (ie doing two people's jobs, at least, as people aren't replaced when they leave).

I support the strike. I will be paying for holiday club on Thursday for dd2 and dd1's school is still open but running a modified timetable. Yes the strike affects us - but I support it wholeheartedly.

Oh God! GMTV or Daybreak or whatever it's called nowadays, has just wheeled out Katie Bloody Hopkins to take a pop at the teachers now.
That's started my day nicely. Blood pressure sky high!