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!

MordechaiVanunu so I take it your DH will not be taking any benefits from the strike if successful? He will insist that he goes onto the proposed plan instead?

NOPE

And the voluntary sector has been well known for paying sky high wages to its CEOs for year and years. Why do you think the not for profit sector became so popular with business graduates? Because they had a burning ambition to free political prisioners or save the whale? If that were the case they wouldnt have job hopped from organisation to organisation would they?

I know its different now but when I work in the sector it was the absolute destination of choice for anyone who wanted to 'get on'.

I would have thought anyone working in the voluntary sector would have a much better understanding of the issues involved in this strike.

Sorry didnt realise this was Am I being unreasonable. NO SUPPORT HERE

If you really want to wave your pom poms and support the down trodden against the nasty establishment so you can feel all righteous, then poor old teachers with their gold plated pensions being reduced to silver really ain't the place to start.

There are much more worthy causes.

We have to get real, our pensions were a lovely privilege which has now just become unsustainable. Sad, cos it was nice, I was mightily looking forward to it, but true.

NO.

great post MordechaiVanunu.

DH is public sector I'm for trying to make the hugh debt slightly more controlled for my child.

I understand it completely but just wish I could know in advance. Personally trying to prepare 2 autistic kids is hard enough without the short notice, and also impacts on my job with young parents.

Given the huge differences in types of jobs across the public sector, it is not really helpful to generalise. See here for example a report which states that salaries are lower for graduates in the public sector:

www.google.com/hostednews/ukpress/article/ALeqM5j7ppQo517rtPnld-cJyyHqBKU2RQ?docId=N0008531321961421662A

As a graduate in the public sector I understood the contract for me was, your salary will be lower (and the working conditions less good) but the somewhat better pension is compensation for that. That promise is now being broken and if I was graduating now I would opt to work in private sector.

I am in a very competitive field and I think the quality of people going into my profession in the public sector would decline.

I am not striking next week but support all those who are.

YABU.

The only reason we don't have the IMF prodding about in the Treasury right now is because our austerity measures are convincing the financial markets that we have a grasp of the economic situation.

Like most pieces of legislation, I'm sure there are many details in the measures that are self-defeating at a local level. The fiscal measures are painful but if we can accept that they are needed then we will not have them imposed on us from outside at greater cost at a later date.

To those striking: please bear in mind that many, many of those that you will be inconveniencing on Wednesday have significantly worse pay, conditions, and pensions than you do. You are not doing them a favour. You are expecting them to pay for your significantly better pensions while they have less to put aside for old age and harder decisions to make now.

Yes that's right of course that's what we'll do Norfolk.

Anyway, pensions will be changed come what may, cos THERE IS NO MONEY FOR IT PEOPLE, when you get that?

Yes they are Meanie Tories but this time at least they don't have much choice.

No support at all from me here either - care staff who work for local authority have pensions, 48p a mile travel, sick pay and decent salaries. Those who work in the independent sector get zero hours contracts, no pension, no sick pay and 25 45p mileage - and they pay ( via tax ) for all those public sector trimmings.

I don't believe teachers etc have a right to more than other people but I'm in favour of fairness. People should not be in a situation where they've been paying into a pension for years and will get back less than they're entitled to because this government has decided that cuts have to be made. You don't move the goalposts halfway through.

I do think public sector workers do some very hard jobs and deserve recognition for that, even if it causes inconvenience to some people.

What picnic basket said.

There seems to be a lot of money around, still. How is that possible MordecahlVanunu?

In theory I support the strikes, although I am in the very awkward position of having literally just started (this week) in a temporary post in the public sector. Having not worked there before I am not a union member, no plans to join and will be technically in breach of contract if I don't go in, although I think my line manager would understand.

If I go in I will deeply resent getting any grief for crossing the picket line, having been a freelancer in the voluntary sector with no pension, or benefits - you know like holiday and sick pay - for years (possibly the worst of all worlds, still at least I actually had some money coming in ) .

picnicbasket you don't move the goalposts halfway through

That's exactly it!

'There seems to be a lot of money around, still. How is that possible'

No, really, there isn't. Hence the note the outgoing Labour administration left on George Osborne's desk: 'There's no money - good luck!'

I echo the others Mrs MordechaiVanunu; very good post.

sorry..don't know where I got the Mrs from!

I didn't mean government money Lemon

Gordon Bennett, you lot will believe anything you're told. Of course there is money; ask Phillip Green or Vodafone where their offshore havens are. Meanwhile, read There is an alternative by PCS.

Teachers aren't the only workers who put 'the heart and soul into their jobs' O.P. there are many people in different occupations who also do the same; many of whom are parents trying to scrape a living whilst paying a high proportion of their overall wages on childcare costs.

Brilliant higgle - so rather than fight for better conditions for all workers, you think those that have half decent conditions should lose them? Pathetic.

Etm, what money is that Butterflies??

Maybe its all the comfortably off teachers buying food in M and S that your referring to??

I presume it's not the government which has huge deficits whihcbhave to be addressed as universally agreed by all politicians and financiers That your referring to?

Also, absolute bollocks will a reduced pension stop people becoming teachers, we'll probably be killing each other for any job, never mind one WITH a pension, in years to come.

Moving goalposts does seem notcricket(deliberate metaphor mixing) but they have moved for everyone, on everything, big time, we've all got to adjust our thinking with it and come to terms with that.

Times have changed. Very sadly and worryinly, but bleating its not fair when actually relatively your still the fortunate one, is more unfair.