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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To wonder where all the money is going to come from to increase wages?

285 replies

girlfriend44 · 01/02/2023 15:05

Genuine question. Re people who are striking for more money.

Where do they think the extra money is going to come from to increase all their wages and how will this keep inflation down?
Can the government really afford to pay everyone more?

OP posts:
Alexandra2001 · 02/02/2023 19:21

Stackss · 02/02/2023 17:54

In any event, it looks like the government are going to withdraw the offers currently on the table for the NHS and teachers. Given inflation is about to start falling rapidly, I suspect the unions have shit themselves in the foot by refusing to accept and they will end up with a pay freeze after all.

Do you know how inflation works?

If inflation drops to 5%, the 11% increase we ve seen in prices, esp food (17%), are not going to fall, they are baked in, all that has happened is the rate of increase is less ... .... unless we get deflation, which is not desirable.

also, inflation in the UK is not yet falling, 0.2% drop, unlike in the EU which saw a 2% drop... it is by no means certain inflation will in the next 3 to 6 months.

Energy is going up approx 40% in April too.

strongallowed · 02/02/2023 20:18

FlippyFloppyShoe · 02/02/2023 07:49

I'm happy for pay rises in public sector as long as defined benefit pension burden is removed.
I read one of the serving policemen that got done for rape was going to get a pension of 20k a year after coming out of prison...whilst I don't think his pension should be removed, I do think people need to appreciate that for someone that has no higher education (so no barriers to anyone) and to go into public service and get a guaranteed index linked pension is a massive benefit that is probably only available to those in public services these days and if you want the financial reward now in terms of wages, then it should be separate to getting an increased guaranteed reward at retirement.
Do I think people in public service work harder than people in private sector? No and i think it is an insulting to claim that.

All of this is irrelevant though. It matters not what people think in terms of how much you should get paid or how hard you work etc. it just has to be appealing enough for people to want to do it. Currently there's no appetite for people to do these jobs. Without them, there are no essential services. So something has to change.

Stackss · 02/02/2023 20:19

@Alexandra2001

One of the biggest contributors to inflation is wage rises. If the unions got their way with 19% rises, it would be through the roof.

strongallowed · 02/02/2023 20:20

PrincessConstance · 02/02/2023 08:48

The main issue is if the people working in the NHS for instance are given a pay rise, that won't make the service miraculously great again. It means we'll be paying more for a service that isn't fit for purpose.

Any change to the NHS (privatisation, pay rises, change fee structure - whatever) will take decades to pull the service back up. Nothing will immediately unlock extra services / staff / infrastructure. Those days are long gone. So yes, any change, whatever it is, will see people paying more for exactly the same shit service. But you have to think of the future and for our children I guess.

jgw1 · 02/02/2023 20:39

Stackss · 02/02/2023 20:19

@Alexandra2001

One of the biggest contributors to inflation is wage rises. If the unions got their way with 19% rises, it would be through the roof.

You are joking right?

Justcallmebebes · 02/02/2023 20:42

Power ballads even

JassyRadlett · 02/02/2023 20:53

Stackss · 02/02/2023 20:19

@Alexandra2001

One of the biggest contributors to inflation is wage rises. If the unions got their way with 19% rises, it would be through the roof.

Yes, it's vitally important that pay for public sector workers like nurses and teachers are kept not only well below inflation but also below private sector wage growth. They are of course more useful as an inflationary tool than for the specific skills and vital societal roles they have been hired to do.

It's almost like the government lobbed a giant inflationary labour-restraining firecracker into a box of gunpowder, and then when it unsurprisingly exploded refused to pay the firefighters...

jgw1 · 02/02/2023 21:07

JassyRadlett · 02/02/2023 20:53

Yes, it's vitally important that pay for public sector workers like nurses and teachers are kept not only well below inflation but also below private sector wage growth. They are of course more useful as an inflationary tool than for the specific skills and vital societal roles they have been hired to do.

It's almost like the government lobbed a giant inflationary labour-restraining firecracker into a box of gunpowder, and then when it unsurprisingly exploded refused to pay the firefighters...

Show quote history

Firefighting is a vocation and so those that do it don't need to be paid.

FlippyFloppyShoe · 03/02/2023 00:35

@strongallowed I get the impression that most teachers are not leaving because of the money, but because of all the crap that has been lumped on them (rightly or wrongly). So now there is a huge emphasis on social care aspect, levelling up, coping with a much more diverse ability within classes, more compulsory things to cover as part of the curriculum and fewer people to fill these roles which exacerbates the issue. I've spent many years living with teachers and have considered (and even applied) to do it myself, but it is all the requirements outside of teaching the actual subject that put me off.

TeaKlaxon · 03/02/2023 09:06

Stackss · 02/02/2023 20:19

@Alexandra2001

One of the biggest contributors to inflation is wage rises. If the unions got their way with 19% rises, it would be through the roof.

This is just not true.

Wages have not been a significant factor in current inflation levels.

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