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?

Lots of private sector industries have had pay freezes. I don't get a pay rise for five years. This year it was 1%.

@Hoardasurass you are happy to saddle the young with huge mortgages due to ever increasing house prices though ? Why don't the government do something to remedy that ?
@Florenz so as a nurse I should get a percentage of what a nurse in the private sector gets ?

The idea that private sector gets nothing and public gets lots is nonsense.

Private sector pay and pay growth massively outstrips public sector.

Those at the bottom dont see it of course which is the problem but it is not public sector workers fault that those at the top of the private sector are ripping us all off.

I’d want at least 8% but would prefer 14% as an NHS employee, but I’m guessing I don’t stand a cat in hells chance of either!

I’d be in favour of a front line services wide 10% pay increase. So teachers, nurses, social workers, bin men.
I don’t work in the public sector any more but I used to, I earn less now and still wouldn’t consider going back! It’s hard, hard work and they deserve every penny in my view.

Do private sector employees get rises ?

its not the same for all private sector employees. Some get pay rises and some get nothing, not even increments. Over the last ten years or so low pay rises have been the norm for most though I think, same as public sector workers. Everyone’s wages need to rise.

No they are not unreasonable. At the same time, govt is not unreasonable for standing firm.

What is unreasonable, is that this runaway inflation was completely avoidable. Let’s hope that all those asking for higher pay and not getting it didn’t support Covid lockdowns. If they did, then they asked for this.

@Assanctamonioysastheycome could you please tell me where I have ever said that I'm happy to saddle the "young with huge mortgages due to the ever increasing house prices "
Here's a hint I've never said it nor do I agree with it so perhaps you should stop making shit up and tell me where the money for all these pay rises should come from

I'm a TA. We had a pay freeze for many years from 2008. This year our rise was delayed for an entire year due to the union holding out (unsucessfully) for more. We finally got our pay rise at the end of March. So, my whole year's increase in one lump sum. It came to the grand total of £101. So, less than £10 a month. Hardly a fortune.

As for secondary teachers, ds is a physics teacher. He reckons that even if every physics student who graduates this year, went into teaching, there would still not be enough to fill all the vacancies. Many of his university friends went into graduate training schemes in retail or business and have out-earned him at every stage. Due to bursaries and scholarships, he 'earned' more in his pgce year than he is ever likely to as a teacher. The only way he will earn anything like a similar amount is to become management in a large school, which defeats the object of becoming a teacher.

The private sector owes you nothing, unless you are shareholder. They can set their pay, however they like, because only the shareholders get to have a say.

Unless public sector wages at least try to keep pace with inflation then the staff shortages are going to get a lot worse. If you think there’s a lack of nurses now then you haven’t seen anything yet. Ditto teachers- we still have vacancies and I work at an excellent school that is really staff friendly. If this continues then we are ruined. Why would young people commit to a job with low public support and lower wages than the private sector?

Junior doctors have had 0% since 2007. Other than 2 years which were below inflation.

They've also had their pension contributions increased, their pension awards decreased, plus, a contract change that has also worsened their pay.

Compared to the cost of living, theyre getting paid around 35% less than in 2007 when the pay freeze to bail out tgd bankers took hold.

By all means keep the raise at 2%, but that also shoukd apply to the maximum bonus or rise anyone in the private sector is allowed, the maximum profit any company is allowed to keep and the maximum profit or dividend any shares can return.

Typical tory behaviour. Divide and rule. Get us all arguing over scraps, turn public sector workers into the bogeyman (much like they did with the EU and immigrants) meanwhile CEOs receive ever more obscene bonuses in plain sight..

@Hoardasurass

Where do you think the staff are going to come from to fix the staffing crisis in the public sector?

Exactly. Some people have the most amazing misconceptions about public sector pay. In 18 years I have never had a pay rise that even matched inflation -half the time there's been no increase at all.

@sst1234

Therein lies the problem

Private sector often pay bonuses instead because it saves money and it's not cumulative and often not pensionable so small rise plus bonus is quite common

Hysterical, can't believe people still come out with this crap

@Hoardasurass wind your neck in. That old crap about 'saddling the young with debt' was one of the tropes Cameron and Osbourne used to justify the busted flush that was austerity. Much like the suggestion oft repeated that the economy is like a household budget.
Did you work front line during Covid ? Guess not..

The issue is wage stagnation since 08, I'm not sure how you fix it without more wealth taxes

Yes quite - we have had a bonus for this reason, and Lloyds are giving £1k.

Amazing how quickly they find it though for their own pay...

I doubt I will get a pay rise this year, nor will any of my colleagues (police). I wasn't getting much of a rise in my previous private sector job though, I am actually paid better where I am and got better benefits so overall it's working for me, but I could get more in other private jobs and it's not good for everyone. Many are on very low wages.

Private sector is varied but many SME were crushed by pandemic, some failing, others surviving on furlough or redundancies. They may be getting it together now but it’s been a few years of hardship for some.

It is sector dependent though and SME may be different to bigger businesses

Some sectors also got a lot of help due to losses - eg rail and air and some arts, so they were struggling

It’s hard as demands will be made but a wage spiral will be worse

Or business taxes

Basic pay for junior doctors is £14 an hour on a bank holiday. They have to care for approx 100 patients each on call as well as responding to all the medical emergencies.

They are the lowest paid in the whole hospital on a bank holiday. The cleaner (band 1) is paid £18.40.

Not in any way trying to demean the work that Band 1’s do but after six years of university and huge student loans this is grossly unfair