AIBU Public sector workers generally

[Privatesectorworkers]

I’ve changed user names for this…..

I read a post today regarding public sector workers & how hard done by they feel. This instance its Teachers (just an example). I feel increasingly frustrated how these workers (general, not just teachers) harp on about how hard done by they are.

I appreciate it’s a hard job but you couldn’t get away with it in our sector.

I do also know that a lot of my hostility lies over being an unrecognised key worker during covid so perhaps this is tainting my view.

I don’t understand how much they get away with. In terms of absence, pay etc.

Some people work unfortunately in not so well paid, qualified positions (as I do) but there are other factors that keep me in my place of work. I am lucky to have good colleagues, work close to home etc.

Can they not just find some consolidation that they are in the career of their choosing, I would hope they wanted to have a positive impact in the education & enjoy the caring nature of this role?

I don’t understand what has changed so much AIBU?

I’m a civil service in a large government dept. I don’t see people complaining, most are happy with their job. Sure they get less than many private sector roles, but get a good pension, and flexibility. If you’re going by what you read in the press…

Does that make you a key worker?! I'm not sure it does.

You may not have been furloughed, but lots of us that weren't key workers carried on working throughout.

Wtf does that have to do with anything? Sounds like you’re the one who feels hard done by.

Public sector is broad, say exactly what you mean or don’t bother. Fed up of the bashing.

Same.

And teachers are vastly underpaid for what they do. I'm a civil servant (middle management) and I get paid more than most teachers, and I really shouldn't be - they have a far harder job.

I'm on of those lazy council workers. Trained for years, degrees, professional portfolio and exams, at the top of my earning potential, earn about a third of what all my friends in the private sector earn.

I ensure the food you eat is safe, any cosmetic treatment you have is safe, any workplace accident you have is investigated (including fatalities), any issues with pests, noise, air you breathe is safe, that rogue landlords can't get away with sub standard living conditions.

During covid I worked non stop to try to prevent the spread. Enforcing the newly implemented laws that seemed to be thrown at us weekly, distributing covid tests etc. Didn't have a single day of leave and worked most weekends too

And yesterday visited a block of flats that lazy council workers will most likely have to rehome at least 100 people because their homes are so dangerous to live in, I barely slept last night knowing that if there is a fire in that block that there would likely be many fatalities. All because a private company want to cut corners make at least £1700 per month in rent from their tenants.

Spot on.

And the vast majority of public sector workers were not furloughed so not sure what OP's point really is.

And as a teacher I was in school full time, both lockdowns, covering key worker provision. The first time, teachers were not classed as key workers so I was looking after children when I had no cover for my own daughter. Also no furlough.

What a strange post. I am a teacher, but I’ve got so used to all teachers being lumped together homogenously and being told we’re all lazy (I really to this day don’t understand it - yes we get good holidays but that just is the job, so you want us to make term times longer? do you want to never be able to take your kids on holiday/them have a break? I mean whatever I actually don’t even engage with these people it’s so pointless.)

ANYWAY what I meant to say is: why do you give a fuck? I mean who cares what everyone else is doing for a job? Do you vaguely enjoy your job? Is it well paid? Can you put the mortgage, buy food, do nice things? If so why do you care?!?!? Genuinely!

So you’re pissed about working during Covid and taking it out on public sector workers? What public sector workers were furloughed? I’d love to hear! I was redeployed to another government department for two months as there was a slight doubt of not being required in my actual role. I had to learn a whole new job I had no experience in and take on an average case load in that role! I wish I was furloughed!

You also fail to acknowledge the extremely poor pay, lack of budget for recruitment, high workloads and stress of working in the public sector.

I can't work out if you're angry that teachers have better Ts&Cs than you or if you think their Ts&Cs are too generous and that everyone should work for less and with less protections

The solution to your problem is simple...retrain as a teacher. We are desparate for staff... then you can see how easy it is.....

I get paid more than most teachers but I do have a super busy job running a dept. I am working an average 50hr week at present as so much going on. I advised all my DC not to go into teaching as if you count all the unpaid hours it’s pretty poor pay for high stress. My job is pretty stressful too, but I do feel the pay is ok

Apart from the paid sick leave I’m not sure how that’s wildly different from the private sector !

I'm a public sector teacher. I've worked in McDonald's, Virgin Megastore (fab job), for a mortgage company and a wide variety of admin roles in a hospital including A and E reception (night shifts while I write my MA thesis).
I've done a variety of public/private roles since the age of 16. All have different challenges.
But, my public sector salary was frozen or under inflation for a long time. As a classroom teacher you reach the top of possible pay scales quite early in your career. Promotion means less teaching. Being on the upper pay scale makes you less employable in the current climate even though to get on to that scale you have to be experienced and go above and beyond to support the students. Why? Because there's no money. The disparity in funding between the independent and state sector grew massively throughout the Tory years. I've been teaching since 2002 and the difference is massive.
And I value payroll, I really do, getting paid is good. But not being furloughed doesn't make you a Key Worker.

I'm a retired public sector worker. I worked either as a housing officer managing properties or as a homeless officer. Both jobs were very intense, very stressful, I had to understand huge chunks of legislation and policy. I dealt with people who were under immense stress themselves due to their own situations. I never earned huge amounts of money. I had to be on call out of hours every few weeks, so was regularly woken up in the night by a person who thought 2 a.m was a good time to be homeless. Not all of them of course, I had genuine emergencies, but often they would wait until that time to make contact. Often they thought I was at work and couldn't get why I sounded sleepy.
I've been shouted at more times than I can count, I've had people threaten violence, try to chuck items at me, I've had threats to kill me. I've been abused in the street.
A lot of the problem is that the general public just doesn't understand why I couldn't come up with what they want. I might be able to help with what they need, but wants are a different thing. I was actually very good at my job, I was told that by various managers over the years. BUT the system, the lack of actual social housing, causes customers to be angry a lot of the time. And they take that anger out on the person on the front line.
And don't get me started on councillors and MPs. Most don't even understand the legislation or policy that they have helped shape. I have, over the whole time I've worked in the public sector, had councillors come into the office and tell me what to do. Legally they can't do that, particularly when what they want isn't policy or is actually not legal. I couldn't just allocate a property on their say so for example, but still they would try to get me to do that.
Most of us just wanted to do a good job, we care about customers, we try our hardest but we can't work miracles. I couldn't say what I wanted to say to customers because I had to be polite. They didn't. There was an article on the BBC website last week about a family in a 2 bed who had been waiting ages for a 4 bed. It was inferred that the housing officer had criticised them for having more children. OK maybe it was said, maybe the comments were that if you choose to have a larger family you will wait longer for a bigger property. I don't know. But there was no in depth investigation by the BBC about why he had been waiting so long. It felt like a viady article. Yes, it's awful to be overcrowded, but I couldn't work miracles and often the customer only wanted certain areas, often areas which had few 4 beds for example. So they phoned me and shouted at me. They didn't think perhaps having more kids when overcrowded was not a good move.
Did I see lovely people? Yes, I did, but the ones I remember most were the ones who were not lovely.
I'm retired now. I'm glad I have my pension. I earned it.
Sorry for the rant.

Police staff here, no large pension for me not for my front line colleagues either they have changed pension scheme especially for new joiners.

Worked through covid no wfh, two primary children.

Love my job hate dealing in rhe main the general public who since covid are more entitled and abusive when they don't get what they want. Large swathes of people hate the police makes my job all the more fun.

Get decent sick pay on length of service, you don't walk into it.

What’s your definition of ‘key worker’ OP? Is it anyone who wasn’t furloughed?

If the public sector is so cushy why aren’t you in it?

I’m tired of the teachers, train drivers, postal workers etc etc all banging on about how shitty their jobs are and how poorly they’re paid and how they’re gonna go strike and have a big massive sulk if they don’t get their demands met. Fuck off, you’re paid plenty and it’s just plain greed at this point.

Have you looked at your pension recently? Unless you are about to retire on a previous scheme it is now utter bobbins.
having been part time when the kids were small I was relying on the final salary scheme to boost my pension income when it came(because I could plan to become more senior), but all of that is gone. I’ve had my pension forecast and I won’t be able to live off it, especially as I’ll be paying a mortgage until I’m 70.
All this even though I paid contributions at the higher rate when I was part time, because back then they based your % contributions on what your full time pay would be, even if you only earned half that.

@FishersGate people are more abusive to police due to the utter shit that’s been going on with the police. Racism, sexism, murder and rape and all that jazz. Teenagers being assaulted and police do jack shit except suggest she wears a longer skirt. Police are not the good guys and the public no longer trust them for good reason. Thing is you’ll never be trusted even if you leave the police force because you’ll always be tarred with that brush.

"I do Accounts & Payroll (for approx 300 employees all furloughed while’s I wasn’t)"

Honestly you sound bitter that you didn't get furloughed. Most key workers didn't either. Teachers were definitely not furloughed.

They did get a lot of abuse because the government didn't prepare schools or advise them to prepare for online learning even though we could all see lockdown coming weeks in advance.

Firemen at the opposite end of the spectrum. Sleep all day and play pool and retire at 50.

Yes, do tell that to the firefighters (not firemen- many of them are women) who risk their lives by literally going into a building which is ON FIRE to save lives. And who regularly discover dead bodies, including those of children. What an enviable life, eh?

YANBU, OP, and don’t forget annual increments and gold-plated public sector pensions.

Can folks stop assuming that teachers can retire early? I’m in the relevant pension scheme and as I’m in my 50s I can retire early - at 60, and earlier from 55 on a reduced pension.

However, that changed years ago. My colleagues who joined under the newer scheme will retire at 67 - with no option to go earlier.

I’m 45. My pension forecast age is 68 (born end of ‘78).

I have two Teachers Pensions - the “gold plates one” and the new one. No way I can live off the first from 60 until state pension age. I won’t be teaching at 68 though, that’s for sure!