Anyone else fearful that the 5% pay cut given to Cabinet ministers will be passed down to all public sector workers?

[JackiePaper]

It's not looking good is it, both me and DH work in the public sector, and if we get 5% pay cuts, NI goes up 1%, Tax credits are cut and VAT increases to 20% i don't actually think we will be able to afford food

give an example nancy? what sort of jobs are over staffed?

A quick google suggests Nurses are on 17-26K (Bands 4 and 5 so I'm only including what to my uneducated eye looks like non-specialist but fully qualified nurses)

Not a fortune granted, but in line with private sector salaries I would say.

www.rcn.org.uk/support/pay_and_conditions/pay_rates_2009_-_2010

www.nhscareers. nhs.uk/details/Default.aspx?Id=4

sorry linky
www.rcn.org.uk/support/payand_conditions/pay_rates_2009_-2010

nhs.uk/details/Default.aspx?Id=4

It was in the news this morning:

Spending on police overtime in England and Wales increased by 90% over the past decade, the independent Centre for Crime and Justice Studies says.

The overtime bill was nearly £400m last year, even though there has been a record rise in the number of officers.

Because public services have had more money, they haven't had to get more efficient. That is what they will need to do now. It will be very difficult.

Haven't Spain's public sector workers been had a 5% pay cut. Guess it will come here too.

I would strongly advise anyone who works in the public sector to join a union pdq. I suspect large chunks of the public sector will be privatised (and pay and terms and conditions reduced).

Both tories and lib dems said they would reduce public sector pensions so expect your pension to be raided sometime soon as a way of reducing spending.

I don't think all public sector pay is equal. Unfortunately it is the traditional female jobs - like nurses and care workers who are still on horribly low pay. Whereas senior management in hospitals are earning six figure salaries. I hope they do get pay cuts. I haven't had a pay rise for three years, no bonus and many of my colleagues have either been made redundant or forced to work a four day week to keep their jobs. And don't even talk to me about pensions.

The public sector has carried on as if the recession hasn't happened when it comes to senior jobs which is a bloody joke.

here we go - what happened to protecting the NHS

LadyBiscuit - it is the traditionally female jobs in the private sector that skew the wage comparisons so much. If you remove the hospitality and catering jobs from the figures, then the private sector average is massively higher than the public sector.

I'll try and find the link to the stats...

tory policies are not worth the paper they are written on.

exactly riven

not all public sector jobs earn more than their private sector equivalents - in our part of the public sector our pay is a lot less than the private sector. the pensions thing is a myth too as the majority of us are in our 30's so don't benefit like our older colleagues from old pension deals. no bonuses here either and other benefits such as cars went years ago.

and not all parts of the public sector are overstaffed - we've had a recruitment freeze for ages, and even before that we had problems recruiting because of the rubbish terms compared with the private sector.

we've had job losses too

it makes me so cross when people think we've got it easy when we haven't

But it pees me off when private sector workers say 'yes well we have had cuts' etc etc
well so have we in the public sector!
Feels like head is banging against brick wall

Agree entirely with auntiemaggie

We've got civil service pensions, we've already been told that they've changed the terms and it'll be back dated IYSWIM so we've put up with rubbish pay for years and now no longer get the benefit of a fab pension at the end!

We don't even get many more days holidays than the legal minimum now that's been increased. It does upset me when joe public doesn't realise that the lower paid public sector workers have had their pay, pensions, and "perks" eaten away for years already.

The "subsidised" out sourced canteen is more expensive than the pub!

dp and I both work in the NHS and I was assuming we'd get a 5% cut from the next financial year - have already worked out what it would be and therefore mean to mortgage payments etc - which is coming up for renewal in Feb 2011... I think it's going to be a tough 3 - 4 years in the NHS. We've got a recruitment freeze now on all jobs for the forseeable future - I'm covering 3 jobs at the moment and the organisation definitely expects us to do more for less...

Oh here we go - the over-priced public sector.

I have never had a bonus EVER - not something that many in the private sector can say. I get no privarte health insurance (as many in the private sector do).

The public sector are nurses, teachers, dustmen etc etc etc. You choose where the cuts should fall.

Yes only my friends in private sector have had bonuses, I've never ever had a bonus
they don't happen if you work for the council

We don't even get a christmas do, never mind a bonus , have to pay for own drinks etc etc etc Our boss wouldn't even let us buy tea towels out of petty cash!

Won't ever be made redundant either will get offered a post elsewhere and if you can't take it then it's voluntary!

On our publicised list of "perks" there is listed the free parking (but there aren't enough spaces), the subsidised canteen (see above) and the gym (er 3 machines in a hut)

the mod, the home office, defra...

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