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?

When you take a job there is a package which includes things like salary/pensions/sick pay etc. If people aren't happy with any of those they can 1. change jobs or 2. negotiate for improvements in their conditions of employment and if that fails they can organise a strike. Like the railworkers are doing right now.

You can rarely negotiate in the public sector. So much is set in stone. So strikes are the only way.

@fromdownwest

Well, yes, that was the point lol

And I'm sure you could sacrifice your career goals for all that pension contribution?

Yes, like the railway workers are doing right now, bringing the country to its knees. Its about time employment contracts contained clauses, stating any strike action will be unpaid. Striking on the back end of a pandemic, which has had knock on consequences for the economy, including a hike in fuel bills. What a great time to strike, when ppl are struggling to live. Meanwhile, as per, the militant unionists will be living their Cosy lives. Seen it all before.

Correction, strikes are the easy way. How much does a train driver earn?

@Callingoccupants strike action is always unpaid.

Thank you..hadn't realised that.

I didn't the drivers were on strike - it's the signal/maintenance/station staff on strike.

Correct - The Drivers uninon is not on strike, they just obvioulsy can not work today due to lack of support and infrastucture in place.

Srikes are not the easy way. Strike action is unpaid.

If you earn anything lower than a high wage, and are not on the side of workers' rights, you need a good long think about how much worse you want your own pay and conditions to get.

I am in favour of workers' rights, and you only get workers' rights through a unionised workforce.

Very ignorant post - not sure the minimum wage cleaners who are on strike today can be described as 'living their cosy lives' - be careful you don't kill all your brain cells reading right wing propaganda crap on social media.

Nice to see Unison remain totally strike happy. When I was a member it felt like they came out annually.

Problem is most councils haven't got the money for huge pay rises. All it's going to do is lead to more redundancies.

People want pay rises but no one wants to pay more council tax/fees to do so and if they were ok to pay more in council tax, they'd expect it to be for decent services, not just higher wages and better pensions than most people get.

@Hoardasurass I'd start by scrapping unused office space for civil servants in london who would rather work from home anyway

www.taxpayersalliance.com/government_office_space

You realise public sector workers also pay tax right?

Why would you want to make the jobs that save your life, issue your benefits, provide social care and run your criminal justice system unattractive?

Surely, you want the best candidates running the infrastructure of the country.

I never understand that. If being a nurse, hospital cleaner, carer, teacher is so fantastically paid with such wonderful conditions and pensions why aren't they overwhelmed with people looking for jobs.

I tried to get a job in the NHS for the brilliant benefits and pension. Sadly they didn't want me. I got a job at a university instead. The main driving force was the Local Government Pension Scheme which blows every private sector pension I've ever had out of the water.

There are many reasons why people aren't applying for nursing roles, but the pension certainly isn't one of them. Or wouldn't be, if people actually understood what alternative pension provision looks like.

I am CS. Then you’ll be pleased to know that we can only work at the office 3 days or less because there are not enough spaces/desks to fit us in. This was planned well before Covid.

Not read the full thread as yet, but total agree with this. I've been in the public sector for over 20 years now and our pay rises have always been utter bobbins.

@TheKeatingFive

What are the many reasons people aren't applying for nursing roles?

Final salary pensions are long gone in most areas. And I mean long gone. Around 20 years ago in local authority work.

And as I recall, it also affects pension contributions and possibly service record too. It's a while since I've been on strike, but I think that was the case.

The government is getting extra revenue in fuel tax and vat on utilities and fuel. 20% vat on £2 a litre is double £20% vat on £1 a litre. Vat on my gas and electric bill has gone from £40 a month to almost £80 a month. Public sector employees are consistently given no increase at times of low inflation but at times of high inflation are told to expect a minimal increase far below inflation - they can’t win and wages are consistently falling in real terms. This is unsustainable. Inflation is being driven by higher prices predominantly for fuel and utilities. Ensuring people can pay for heating and food will not drive prices higher. If the government was so worried about inflation they should do something about the high fuel and unities cost which is pushing up all prices and accounts for the rising CPI.

DH has a public sector job - they were told earlier in the year they wouldn't be getting a pay rise in any shape or form this year. There aren't any similar jobs that pay so much, unless he handed his notice in and went self employed - but that'd take a long time to build up.

Very grateful he brings in a regular income, has built up six weeks holiday so we can spend more time together if only at home and they're a lot more flexible than my two employers about needing time off for emergencies/death of family member/general family matters.

Plenty of roles in the public sector require professional qualifications etc, it's a or unique to nurses.
For example, did you realise that many solicitors who represent legal aid clients do not earn more than 30k? Should they stop representing these clients?

Study no longer equals higher pay.

If you went into nursing for money then you chose the wrong profession. And going into the public sector should not mean automatic annual salary rises given they have spinal point systems for career progression. Something majority of the private sector don't have.

Why don't people read evidence anymore? As a teacher I am not on final salary scheme. I can't think of a single public sector pension scheme, including the lgps that hasn't been taken off that for the past decade.

I haven't had a pay rise in real terms for 12 years if not more. I will absolutely be striking if the teachers ballot says so because I am sick of underfunding, under resourced SEND provision, too large a class size, crazy lack of support for severe issues, underfunded social services and I could go on. Not to mention the fact that I can barely afford to even drive to school at the moment.

If I just roll over and say everything is fine when it isn't then that's a terrible example to my students. Because they can see that everything isn't fine. So I support the unions- the alternative is dreadful to contemplate.