One third of people in employment in Newcastle are employed by the state..

[SixtyFootDoll]

How can we as a Country keep going if most of us are State employees?
Esp when the Councils start haveing to make cuts.

"moving some departments to the ne are quite as described by atlantis"

I did not describe it I quoted it.

"I don't think it's a bad thing that such jobs are brought to areas where the traditional industries have vanished. "

And what about the people in the other areas who have lost there jobs because they moved the north? The i'm alright jack mentality?

the south east is over populated and under pressure interms of land, water etc.

the newcastle is in the ne which has lost lots of traditional industry. i think moving public sector jobs to an area that needs jobs and where the workers can afford to live is a no brainer.

Atlantis, Err - you quoted it.

The situation in the 90s was that there was high unemployment in the North but a surplus of jobs in the South. That may have changed a bit for the moment, but when jobs are moved the workforce has the option to move too.

"That may have changed a bit for the moment, but when jobs are moved the workforce has the option to move too. "

No one gave that option to the employees where my sister worked, and how easy is it to move with your job, especially when the housing market is in downturn and if your council how easy is it to get an exchange?
Then you need to uproot the family etc.

It's a nice idea in theory but in practise it don't work.

So, was she made redundant? If yes, they can't just relocate the same jobs to a different area.

I do know all about relocating. Norman Tebbit famously told us if we couldn't get a job we would have to get on our bikes. I hated him for that statement and the smirk he delivered with it, but sadly, many of us had no option but to do it.

"So, was she made redundant? If yes, they can't just relocate the same jobs to a different area."

She was made redundant and they did relocate the same jobs because they had bus loads of people come down they had to train to do the same jobs. Are you saying she can sue? Would be very interested in this as at 52 she hasn't been able to find a new job.

Well, my understanding is that the same job cannot be offered to someone else. Unless, of course she took voluntary redundancy because she didn't want to move. If you want advice on that, then post again in employment for someone who might know.

So the fact that she is 52 and living in a council property is a major factor in her not wanting to relocate, entirely understandable but the government departments must do what is better for the economy as a whole not individuals.
Shit happens and unfortunately she was relying on the state for both her income and her home, never a good position to be in.

Atlantis, none of what happened to you sister is particular to the public sector. Private companies merge, get taken over, move, collapse all the time. The difference is that she would have had at least some compensation, unlike many private companies who often have a 'so sue me' attitude to their employees' terms and conditions.

Not quite the "I'm alright jack mentality", thanks atlantis. I'm coming to the end of my specialty training as a doctor, all done in the ne so far. If I can't find a job here at the end of my training, and it's looking uncertain at the moment, then I will have to move to where the work is.

LaDidadi sorry to pounce on you but did you combine medical school with a young family ?
Am just looking to chat to somebody who has survived the experience as I am due to start in September and am terrified.

Hello MMM, no I started med school straight from school and grad in 2001. Will be back to this thread later but must dash now .

On our local news this week it stated that over a 1/3 of workers in Wales are employed by the state.

I am surprised it is so low tbh as everyone seems to be a health worker / teacher / council worker here.

Cuts are going to hit Wales hard.

"living in a council property"

She's not a council tenant she owns her home which is why I mentioned the housing downturn first and then decided to add council tenants as they are in just as bad a position if the government decides to move north where the votes are, which they did.

We need to bring back investment into this country that three terms of labour have run off and if it's one thing the conservatives know how to do it's to bring in investment.

Sorry I misunderstood.

Didn't the tories sell off all the council housing stock in the first place ?

"Didn't the tories sell off all the council housing stock in the first place ? "

Not all, but yes under Maggie Thatcher, Thatcher decided that people deserved to owe the homes that they had been living in and paying for and upkeeping all those years, she understood that people wanted to get on the housing ladder and decided to do something to help the working class achieve this, which is why you could get up to 70% off under the conservatives , labour changed this when they got in to a maximum of £34.000 I think, which meant a lot of first time buyers couldn't then afford to buy the houses.

The money raised was supposed to build new council housing but labour scrapped that and only let the housing associations built.

PMSL - you couldn't be more wrong I'm afraid, Mrs T deregulated the banks which has allowed the lending to get out of control and inflated house prices.
I'm no fan of Gordon Brown but do not believe the Conservative would have done anything differently and nor will they make the cuts. There will be riots in the streets.
I've said before the only natural conclusion to this whole mess is inflation and as the pound has spectacularly tanked I think it's coming sooner rather than later.

Labour moved jobs to it's core areas in a cynical fit of pork barrel politics, and to punish the south for voting tory.

I'm not sure what the downturn in the housing market has to do with relocation harder. If you live in the north and want to move south to a private sector job, then houses down south are still too expensive. If you're an owner-occupier in the south, chances are that even if your house price has gone down you can still find something bigger up north for less.

'squeaver it is 24% in scotland. which given its relatively low population is fairly acceptable.'

That's a quarter! One in four jobs funded by taxes? Acceptable?

In the thirties, when Britain governed a quarter of the population of the world there were around 6000 civil servants in total.

Yup, I bet that the state hardly employs anybody in the SE. Especially not in London.

Paranoia-tastic thread, good going

reactionary tossers

what the hell is the problem with people working in the public sector???

i personally quite like having my bins emptied and my children taught and healthcare professionals to treat me when i need them

i would also prefer my bins to be emptied by someone paid by my taxes directly and NOT by a private company who will take my tax money AND pay huge salaries to its directors and make a profit for its shareholders out of my tax money!