Those of us who were ‘cannon fodder’- how do you feel?

[Onandoff]

I went to a gathering the other day with people who were privileged enough to still be working from home in highly paid city jobs. Their experiences were a stark contrast with mine. It was interesting to hear how protected they’d been, many still getting shopping delivered and only just resuming socialising. They hadn’t been on public transport at all. There was a general air of resentment at being asked to go back to offices and commute. They’d all saved money and were very worried about covid exposure despite being vaccinated. Apparently many workers have completely refused to return.

DH and I were the only key workers there and it brought home how exposed we’d been. Literally all of our family and colleagues caught it and some died or were left disabled. My mum died. In the hospital where I work 80% caught it in the first wave alone.

It’s been interesting to see through this that the jobs essential to society are (generally, appreciate some exceptions like medics) the worst paid. If we’d refused to go in or been redeployed we’d have been sacked. While the privileged middle class are still being pandered to despite vaccination.

I feel that those who went out to work should be financially compensated for the risk we took. At the very least we should be given tax breaks and not be expected to cough up for furlough costs.

I agree the stay home save lives message was annoying

I really don't want to open up the DFE / civil service discussion again but for the record it's not true that everyone at DfE got a £1k bonus as PP have suggested.

It was for people who volunteered at very short notice (24 hours) to work over Christmas and new year, including cancelling booked leave and working the Christmas public holidays, to help implement the roll out of testing in secondary schools (which happened at insanely short notice due to ministerial decisions).

I can understand why teachers would be infuriated by it especially as schools also had to work over the holiday to implement the same thing locally (though DfE didn't have any power or budget to give teachers bonuses to do that) But it's not true to suggest that everyone at DfE got it, or even that everyone at DFE working on Covid got it. Every civil service department reserves some of their overall pay budget for performance related pay each year, DfE used that budget to get the staffing needed to implement that specific policy. It wasn't extra money - the only people who "lost out" were DfE staff who didn't work on that policy and who otherwise might might have got normal end year bonuses (which average at about 250, for anyone wondering if civil servants get city style bonuses). Not that I think they'd begrudge their colleagues in this instance.

Thanks for the clarification.

SohoOrigami

Thanks for that.

@FrippEnos

Maverickess

I don't necessarily think that financial reward is appropriate given the state of the economy, some will disagree, but acknowledgement of it would probably go a long way to easing the resentment building.

The NHS has had to fight for a pay rise this year (ish) teachers, police etc. have all had a pay freeze.

The DfE got paid a bonus of £1000 for doing their job badly Its the one rule for us and another rule for them that pisses people off.

Yes I'm aware of that, and absolutely those jobs should have already had wages that reflected their level of responsibility and commitment, and then a payrise above inflation this year to reflect the commitment above and beyond. I'm not disputing that, but the suggestion of a financial one off payment/bonus for covid service. If it's not going to be pledged to pay the staff a proper wage, then it should be invested in improving conditions - but we're told there's no money for that.

I disagree with the DfE bonus too, because that money should have been invested in making schools safer for pupils and teachers practically as a priority, I can't speak to how well they did their jobs because I'm not in education, but if there's no budget for practical change within the schools there certainly shouldn't be for bonuses.

Totally agree on the one rule for them and one for us, I work in care and have had a payrise this year - in line with nmw increase, which is swallowed by increasing costs of living like with anyone- we've only just started getting paid for turning into work for mandatory covid tests once a week. We're now on our second go round of positive cases within the home, so I'm facing the same as those nursing covid patients in hospital - I'll keep going in and being exposed until I test positive myself - for a wage that I need benefits to top up because even the government recognises that it's not enough to live on, and likely the blame from society for it getting in and around in the first place.
What I'm saying I guess is that the attitudes as seen on this thread and others towards healthcare workers reactions to what they've faced are what's building the resentment more than money, I know I wouldn't feel so resentful and pissed off about it if there were less of that and a bit more appreciation from society.
18 months ago we were lauded hero's and now we're being vilified for having human reactions to what's happened - such a lack of respect and understanding makes you wonder what the point is really.

Wages have not gone up much for many people for 20 yerars in some cases including the private sector to such an extent that some working full time on a minimum wage who have children need benefits. The state has in a sense kept wages low for employers by doing thes top ups. I hope it can end this year and next as for the first time perhaps in my adult lifetime we may be moving to a position of labour shortages such as sometimes there was in the 1950s and 60s where people could eave one job and go straight into another (by 1982 when I graduated we had 3m unemployed, the worst for 50 years in 1982).

In theory shortages of workers should mean wages can rise to a more natural level which might be one good thing to come out of covid 19.

Do you think that will happen @Xenia. I think it would be a good thing but we've had the pattern of those at the top talking so much of the share that I can't see them being happy to take a smaller cut.

@Xenia - yes I am waiting for capitalism to kick in. How long do you think it will take?

@Xenia

Wages have not gone up much for many people for 20 yerars in some cases including the private sector to such an extent that some working full time on a minimum wage who have children need benefits. The state has in a sense kept wages low for employers by doing thes top ups. I hope it can end this year and next as for the first time perhaps in my adult lifetime we may be moving to a position of labour shortages such as sometimes there was in the 1950s and 60s where people could eave one job and go straight into another (by 1982 when I graduated we had 3m unemployed, the worst for 50 years in 1982).

In theory shortages of workers should mean wages can rise to a more natural level which might be one good thing to come out of covid 19.

I really hope that will happen, and that the shortage isn't so short term it has no real effect. I saw a news report that in a neighbouring county there are currently 1000 care worker posts unfilled and have been throughout this, and they're getting few applications. Further reading around I found articles about care providers offering cash incentives to sign up with them, HGV employers and some hospitality businesses are offering similar - I hope this doesn't attract people to do it for the short term reward with the wages and benefits staying the same in the long term, but people might be attracted by the money especially in jobs where you would have difficulty saving that amount. Personally I'd go for a higher wage than a sign on bonus for minimum wage.

@countrytown

yep care workers, women in manufacturing etc all high rates from death but very few threads.

Start one. Start many. Why not?

@FrippEnos

Maverickess

I don't necessarily think that financial reward is appropriate given the state of the economy, some will disagree, but acknowledgement of it would probably go a long way to easing the resentment building.

The NHS has had to fight for a pay rise this year (ish) teachers, police etc. have all had a pay freeze.

The DfE got paid a bonus of £1000 for doing their job badly Its the one rule for us and another rule for them that pisses people off.

Lots of people have really struggled, millions have been forced legally to shutter businesses they have spent lifetime building that will never re-open. They have had little/no say in this.

Its fairly ridiculous public servants are jumping up and down demanding a pay rise in the current situation.

It certainly is one rule for them and another for us, but the ‘them’ really isn’t other public sector workers and it plays right into the hands of the actual ‘them’ for anyone to believe it is.

@Xenia Wages have remained low due to simple supply and demand, pre Brexit there was an almost limitless supply of labour who were underpaid and treated badly in the factories around me. Since covid and Brexit have limited supply I've seen lots of banners advertising jobs on roundabouts, in agency windows and social media.

This demand for workers has also pushed up wages for the first time in I don't know how long. Factories are forcing £11-12/hr rather than the £8.7/hr of 2 years ago.

Construction trades are booming, lorry drivers are earning £50K pa.

Unfortunately, higher wages will filter through into higher prices, and then increase inflation.

"There was no lockdown, there was just poor people bringing things to wealthy people."

Oh dear, poor people like doctors and teachers going out to work while rich people like office admin staff stayed at home???

@Gwenhwyfar

"There was no lockdown, there was just poor people bringing things to wealthy people."

Oh dear, poor people like doctors and teachers going out to work while rich people like office admin staff stayed at home???

Most of the GPs wfh and still are aren't they

My thoughts exactly @Gwenhwyfar . Whilst I agree with a huge amount on this thread, I do feel that some posters are over-simplifying the situation .

Some even claim that in doing so they're protecting key workers by staying home.

'Stay home, protect the NHS' was an actual official slogan for the lockdown periods.

The Citizen Smiths are coming out in force here.

There was no lockdown, there was just poor people bringing things to wealthy people

Will I tell that to the cleaning, kitchen and maintenance staff at my workplace who were furloughed on 80% of their already low wages for most of 2020 that they are wealthy people who were actually free to go out and about?

Or the admin staff who continued to work at home from the kitchen table whilst trying to homeschool and mind pre-schoolers at the same time or the younger colleagues from their bedrooms?

@motherrunner

I think the resentment comes from these situations.

DH and I secondary teachers. Fair enough. We can’t WFH.

DD’s friend has a mum who works in NHS admin 14 hours a week (so still can claim tax credits - whole other thread). She and her husband worked from home throughout - they still do. She got the vaccine before 5 months before me because she was NHS. She will have a booster in autumn. She took advantage of the Morrisons NHS Only shop hour. Every Thursday she posted the sounds of the claps she received for being NHS. It’s these situations that causes resentment.

Really? You're resentful of her tax credits when you get secondary teacher salaries? And you're resentful she got one hour of quiet shopping? I just can't imagine being jealous of that, of all things. OK, she's not front line, but she's NHS staff and she got a small perk. So what?

CBUK22

Its fairly ridiculous public servants are jumping up and down demanding a pay rise in the current situation.

I find it more ridiculous that money can be found for poorly thought out policies, and a badly run track and trace (in school track and trace was done by the schools) and other areas yet has not been found for things like education.

Some of us can remember the 'we will implement these things in schools but only if it costs no money' (paraphrased) announcements off the back of 'we will do everything we can to keep children in schools as its the best place for them' (paraphrased)

"Most of the GPs wfh and still are aren't they"

I said doctors in general.

@FrippEnos

CBUK22

Its fairly ridiculous public servants are jumping up and down demanding a pay rise in the current situation.

I find it more ridiculous that money can be found for poorly thought out policies, and a badly run track and trace (in school track and trace was done by the schools) and other areas yet has not been found for things like education.

Some of us can remember the 'we will implement these things in schools but only if it costs no money' (paraphrased) announcements off the back of 'we will do everything we can to keep children in schools as its the best place for them' (paraphrased)

Wasting money on one thing doesn't mean we should spend it on another. The country is on its knees, much of NHS has been no where near a Covid patient.

'Stay home, protect the NHS' was an actual official slogan for the lockdown periods.

So was “Schools are Safe”

CBUK22

Wasting money on one thing doesn't mean we should spend it on another.

I'm not advocating that we should, but don't you find it at all strange that money can be found for things that invariably put money in the pockets of government officials and their friends yet not in areas where it would do some actual good?