Public sector pay rise demands unreasonable?

[stickershock]

I’m a nurse and outraged that we’ll only be getting (most likely) a 3% wage increase. I’m fully in favour of a strike action. But I’ve also just read that the junior doctors are planning a strike if they aren’t awarded a 22% increase 😮

We have all been losing wages year on year but 22% seems unrealistic. AIBU or have they got brilliant bargaining tactics?

If that is the case, why did MP's recently get a pay rise?

When was that? The situation has deteriorated quickly in the last few months.

Maybe they should give up their lucrative second jobs and reduce money supply too.

I honestly don't think we should make it less attractive for capable people to become politicians. They're bad enough as it is. Those jobs won't cease to exist if they don't take them, they'll just be given to others who are already even better paid.

@TheKeatingFive

don't think it's realistic to expect to be shielded from it to a significant degree.

Except the rich and well off of course. Their very high wages and profits need to be shielded

If MPs could not see what was coming, they should be sacked. It was obvious what was coming.

Except the rich and well off of course.

Well of course the rich have a significant buffer, that's kind of the point of being rich.

Inflation will still affect them. They just don't need 'shielding' in the same way. But that's true of all on a sliding scale. Junior doctors, whatever you might feel about their conditions, will be able to weather the effects of inflation better than low paid workers across both public/private jobs. It's all relative.

If MPs could not see what was coming, they should be sacked. It was obvious what was coming.

But when was their last pay rise and how much was it for?

That's pretty relevant to the discussion. I'm asking because I don't know the answer.

I agree.

MPs got 2.7% on the 1st of April.

@TheKeatingFive

Being able to afford the increase is not the same as protecting them which is what many appear to be suggesting.

Mps got 2.7 % April this year

They got massive pay rise a few years ago as well.

April 2022 I think. To be fair, as a percentage it wasn't huge, but the NHS and other public sectors pay increases have been either frozen last year or delayed again. It's a bit insensitive.

but the NHS and other public sectors pay increases have been either frozen last year or delayed again

Didn't they just offer the nhs 5%?

MPs always have pay rises. Their pay is never frozen.

This is the reality of living in an inflationary spiral however.

I don't think it's realistic to expect to be shielded from it to a significant degree. It's shit, but periods of economic shit do happen.

There are multiple reasons for the spiral, they're global and much of them are connected to the aftermath of covid and the war. A long period of low interest rates is also part of it.

Rising interest rates and the global situation stabilising will help get on top of this in time. But it's a tricky one for government, there aren't easy fixes.

I agree that there aren't easy fixes and that it is tricky but it is for the government to deal with not kick the can down the road whilst waving their fingers and saying "look over here".

I disagree that a lot of it is covid, inflation spiral etc etc. This is the culmination of decades of mismanagement and supporting a rich get richer society. Yes global events have an effect but the effect is simply to make what was already happening happen much faster. The potential positive is that the speed of this may make people sit up and take notice where before the slow slide meant people were suffering a bit of boiling frog syndrome. If we're lucky enough people will recognise the actual problem and force governments to start looking out for the population as a whole rather than select groups.

It's Labour who are dividing with the intended strike action. As for anybody daring to complain, if you're a Tory on here, you can always expect the pile on.

I disagree that a lot of it is covid, inflation spiral etc etc.

I'm not sure where you're getting that from. It's clear as day that pent up demand, post-covid, and gaps in supply as a direct result of covid are a significant part of what's driving prices upwards right now. It's one of a number of complex reasons.

MPs received a pay rise this year: inews.co.uk/news/politics/mp-pay-rise-2022-politicians-salary-increase-uk-tax-rises-energy-bills-1492279

Here is their pay over the last 12 years:
www.statista.com/statistics/388885/mp-salary-uk/

I think they all deserve it, including doctors, who did an absolutely ridiculous amount of unpaid hours.

When I was an NHS admin my pay was frozen for 5 years. I realise admin are the bottom of the pile but we deserved more than that.

Shame you're not shagging BJ, plenty of lucrative jobs on offer at Freebie Towers in Downing St. In the gift of the PM. Are you a nice ĺooking young woman?Just chuck your scruples in the bin as you enter the gilded portals and the world's your very expensive plate of oysters.

I haven't enough words to express my contempt for this government of grasping hypocrites. My thanks to all public sector workers who worked selflessly through the past few years. This bunch of chancers will push you all to the edge in the next few months, blame you all for being greedy and selfish, eventually give in and force you to take a third of your demands and generally punish you for asking for a living wage.

A cynical round of applause to you and ýour colleagues OP, I'm so sorry for what this country has become.

@stickershock
Imo.toure not entitled to anything and this expectation that you are is the issue.

If you want to earn more in the same field, either improve your qualifications to be able to access higher bands or look elsewhere. That's no different to any other employee.

We need to get rid of this entitled assumptions made by all public sector employees. You still have a far superior pension etc, do you not see that some of your potential earnings are via this?

And before it's asked, yes I too worked in the public sector. I don't now!

Does your thanks extend to the minimum wage, zero hour contract workers that also worked through the pandemic?

Does your love of the hypocrisy extend across the bench to the Labour party who have offered zero in the form of any worthy opposition to challenge BJ and his clowns?

@MamanDeChoix

Why is expecting a decent wage for a stressful complex role that requires study and a professional qualification seen as 'demanding' and 'entitled' in the public sector but when its high wages in the private sector they are always entirely deserved and expected?

Private sectors on higher wages also get good wages and they can only be counted towards earning potential if you can actually afford to pay towards one

*good pensions

@fromdownwest . Presumably you're making a point. What is it?

I always think it is really interesting their is the idea that private companies solely produce their own wealth. The entire infrastructure that private companies are reliant upon is publicly funded and supported by public sector workers.

That being said, of course private sector workers should have a decent living wage just like public sector. The narrative that there is an inherent division between the two simply diverts attention away from the real issue which is inequality of wealth.

Just confused by your divisive statement
'My thanks to all public sector workers who worked selflessly through the past few years'
Wondering why only they receive your thanks?