to say this to all the teachers who are striking next week

[Memoo]

As a parent I am 100 % behind you.

I really appreciate that you put your life and soul into your job and im sorry more people don't get just how hard you work for the benefit of our children.

Don't let the bastards grind you down!

Totally agree viva.

As far as I can see this is a political decision to attack the public sector in the short term, without considering the long term effects if eroding what are mostly quite modest pensions.

But as we can see they appear to have won the battle to convinces lot if people that lazy public sector workers have it coming and have had their noses in the trough for too long.

Every single person on this thread with no pension provision will be a burden on the state in the future and therefore on all our children. We should be fighting to preserve the decent pensions that do exist, not eroding them to the extent that we will have even fewer people saving for retirement.

OK, I clicked the link posted earlier to see how much a teacher earning 31k a year would have to pay extra and that says its £45 a month more.

So somewhere inbetween the £12 my brother told me and the £100 the unions keep saying. I have to say though I think £45 a month more is too much. It takes it to just under 10% of salary. If I was a teacher I'd be tempted to leave the pension scheme, have a few more hundred £ in my pocket every month and rely on the govt to sort me out when I'm an OAP.

I do think making someone find an extra £45 a month when they may already be strapped with high fuel costs, petrol, etc, 5% inflation and pay freezes is too much.

"The teachers say they want to protect services etc, but let us be very clear if the government offer to keep current pensions as is and make changes to those coming after, the teachers will pull up that ladder quicker than Crowe calls a strike."

To be honest I think that would be a sensible comprimise. Whether its also an affordable one is something I don't know. I've read that there hasn't been an affordability enquiry into teachers pensions since 2006 and when one was done in 2006 there wasn't this panic from the govt saying they were unaffordable.

One poster was worried BUT......they would not be affected at all as they were within 10 years of retirement.

That's probably me that you're referring to.

The statement is not true. Francis Maude said that if the strike went ahead on 30 Nov then that offer may be withdrawn. So it's not a done deal.

And even if this concession is finally made no one has expalined to me how that will work. I presume Classic will close down with accrued benefits preserved and we'll all have to start a new pension under the Nuovos system (averge salary). That penalises more as my salary has increased more in tghe alst few uears via promtions that in my earlier career. So average earnings would disdavantage me.

I know that from March next year that I will have to pay at least another £60 a month towards my pension.

I know that my team of 7 is now doing the work of the team of 11 I had earleir this year before redundancies.

Many colleagues are now on long terms sick leave with work induced stress or depression - something that has always happened to some degree but never to the extent it's happening now and it's the really hardworking, conscientious people that are now breaking down.

And you don't think I have much to complain about?.

But Viva the rest of us have to pay extra per month to get anything like the public sector pensions,we have the same costs re petrol etc.

Dp and I will have to up our payments soon in order to try and get some kind of basic standard of living when we retire.We all should.The difference is the public sector expect others to do it for them.

I am in a LGPS but don't agree with the strike at all and will not be striking. The pensions are unafordable in this economic climate, I doubt the strike will achieve much as the money simply isn't there to continue these pensions.

Public sector workers have paid into their pensions for many years. They're not bad (up to now) because they were fought for and defended. The private sector workers did not get organised to do the same for them, which is unfortunate. If they did, I would support them too. As it is, their pension funds have been destroyed. That's no reason to wreck the few decent pensions still surviving. Anyone who thinks they'd be better off if teachers got worse pensions is deluded.

If public sector workers are that unhappy then why don't they leave and get other jobs? And where will the money come from? Future generataions will be pretty stuffed if we end up with hyper inflation or similar.

I support the strikes but I do have an issue as another poster up thread does with people using it as a shopping day.

I am on an Access (healthcare) course at the local FE college. Most of my lecturers will be at the local rally next Wednesday but one said that she would "just stay home". I think if you feel strongly enough to strike you should feel strongly enough to turn up to a protest event which is held for your benefit. All of us on the access course are going, after all with a fair wind we will all be nurses/midwives in the near future.

"If public sector workers are that unhappy then why don't they leave and get other jobs? "

Because I enjoy being a midwife and last time I looked there weren't any private hospitals employing midwives apart from the other end of the country (London).

Whatkatydid - I could equally well suggest that those who are envious of public sector pensions should get a public sector job.....

I think you will find that a lot of us work in the public sector because we believe in public service.

I don't want to get another job. I like the one I have. I'd be prepared to pay more into my pension to make it more sustainable, but just that - not as a convenient way for the government to get more tax off me. I'm a little less keen to be branded as a liar, lazy, greedy or a pig.

Whatkatydid Genius! Then we'd have no schools, hospitals, social sevices - problem solved! Oh, wait...

"If public sector workers are that unhappy then why don't they leave and get other jobs? "

isn't that sort of what we are worried will happen?

The difference is the public sector expect others to do it for them.

I really do take exception to the ignorance you've displayed.

I have always paid for my pension. CS salaries are set after the Govt has discounted them for pension contributions. From March I shall also have to make deuctions from my salary.

The fact that the Govt chose not to invest those contributions but pay pensions from current taxation is well beyond my control. Had they done so they would not be able to claim hardship now.

You forget that I am also an other. I pay VAT, Fuel Tax, Insurance Tax etc etc etc just like any other person in this country. I'm one of the others that chip in to pay for the private sectors tax dodging wheezes.

And where will the money come from?
Well we could start by saving the £50M a day that we give to the EU to squnader
We could stop paying MPs ridiculous amounts of 'allowances' so they can pay their wives and children to work for them while living in tax-payer funded accommodation
We could stop spending millions in foreign wars to prop up corrupt mysogynist regimes
That's just for starters.......

'If public sector workers are that unhappy then why don't they leave and get other jobs?'

Great idea. Maybe all the nurses, teachers, care workers etc etc could go and work in a call centre. That should solve the problem. After all its about time they started pulling their weight and doing something useful.

Couldn't agree more WetAugust.

So we're the same Wet. You have to pay more for your retirement and so do I as we're all living longer.

The big difference is you don't think you should pay more for your own retirement whereas I like everybody else with half a bit of foresight in the private sector just get on and do it.

I kind of resent the fact that whilst I'm shelling out more to my pension with money I can ill afford you expect me to pay more tax to fund yours alongside giving my children years more debt which they didn't contribute to and will be totally unable to pay for as their situation will be 10 times worse than mine by the time they hit retirement.

If that isn't selfish I don't know what is.

No I don't think that in the last 5 years of my working life my retirement pland should be turned on their head by a Govt that squanders millions.

As for foresight - was I naive in expecting my employer to honour an agreement that has been in force for 38 years?

I did exercise foresight when I made private provision for retirementas well as contributing to my CS pension. i won't be one of those pensioners who are entitled to any additional State aid - nor would I want to be.

What I find depressing is that some think we should all race to the bottom so public pensions should be slashed because private employers are closinf final salaty schemes therefore reduced public pensions mean provate employers can reduce theirs even further.

Ang guess who is the victim in all this - Taxpayers are, as they have to provide State benefits to those public and private sector pensioners whose employers failed to offer a living pension.

Is that what you want?

Can't speak for everyone but I'm willing to increase my contributions to make my pension more sustainable. I just don't like being treated like a walking cash cow. Or pig

OP thanks for your support.

I'm not striking, as I'm against it in principle, despite being an active NUT member in other respects.

It's great to know that some / most parents recognise and appreciate the blood, sweat & tears which go into teaching.

Have a great weekend :)

Why do people imagine that the best way to secure a decent future for our children is to continue to erode public services? Your children are far more likely to benefit from a society that looks after people in retirement, has a decent NHS, good schools etc.

I want MY children to grow up in a country that respects the promises it makes to workers, that negotiates FAIRLY and TRANSPARENTLY, and that holds big business and the wealthy to their responsibilities.