Public-sector strike: does it get your support? Please vote in our Facebook poll

[HelenMumsnet]

Morning.

We'd love to know how you feel about Wednesday's public-sector strike action. Does it get your support - or not?

We've put up a little poll on our Facebook page to help us find out. Please do click and vote.

Thanks v much, MNHQ

also I don't want a 68 year old teaching my kids thanks very much, nor being a fireman or paramedic or nurse or ....

Sorry can't bring myself to support it - DH is a public servant, but not allowed to strike as he's in the military and parts of the military (yet again!) are being called in to possibly cover other public servants on strike, yet they too have had a pay freeze, pension changes and massive redundancy threats, and very low wages for lower ranked soldiers at least!

But more importantly, will school buses generally be running tomorrow, does anyone know?

The only people I have ever known with subsidised biscuits are teachers and lecturers. Nobody in any of the private sector firms I have worked in. And nor do most people get bonuses. Or even decent 'going beyond stat min' maternity. Unlike those in the public sector. It's a complete myth, just like the claim that any public sector worker could earn 3 times as much in the private sector (no. That's almost always not true).

Having said that I support the strikes in the sense that there are a range of things this awful government is getting wrong and focussing on that can only be a good thing. The fact that both sides are peddling misinformation in the pension debate pales into insignificance beside the state the country is in and the way Osborne and Cameron seem determined to smash pretty much everything except their own privileged clique of cronies in pursuit of ideological aims masquerading as economic ones.

Absolute support all the way

I support them. I use public services every single day and I AM SICK and TIRED of seeing the morale of hard working, decent people eroded TIME AFTER TIME AFTER TIME, through cut backs, 'reforms', yadda yadda yadda. YES, there's waste and YES there are some lazy incompetent bums but the overwhelming majority of people in the public sector have studied hard, work hard and don't deserve to be bullied into submission by a bunch of thieving politicians with their own family fortunes in OFF SHORE BANK ACCOUNTS so they don't have to PAY THEIR TAXES to support the country they are "running" into the ground

I LOVE THIS COUNTRY and the public sector keeps it going. I am not a public sector worker but I have worked with lots of public sector workers who are comparatively poorly paid for doing nigh on impossible jobs sometimes (teacher in a lambeth school with a non-exclusion policy anyone?? A+E nurse fighting off drunks on a saturday night dodging the blood and spew?) they've got my support 100% - stuff the 'inconvenience' - they have EVERY RIGHT to withdraw their labour.

Could anyone suggest a family friendly strike support action?

Support it and will be striking.

Support it, although not striking myself, although DH is. As has been said a few times, the pension pots are in the black, its pure spin to try and convince the general public otherwise. Its not a myth that private sector workers earn more. I do my job along side private sector colleagues and they earn considerably more than I do for the same job, plus expenses & benefits. What I have, which is why I work in the public sector, is more job security and a better pension. I made the decision that those benefits were worth the lower pay, and that the whole package was what I had to consider. I don't have a massive problem with upping from 6.5 to 8.5 % contributions, as the state of the economy and longer lifespans probably makes this inevitable. What I object to is the career average rather than final salary calculations as this actively disadvantages women who often take a dip mid careers because of childcare responsibilities. This should be challenged more. As for private sector pensions - private sector workers should be fighting the reductions in their pensions also, and I would support them. Bring your deal up, down drag ours down!

Fully in support.

totally behind it

Final salary schemes are pro-rata for part-time years as are career average so please folks this is not disproprtionately against woman. It would be extremely unfair on men and women who continue to work full-time with children or do not have children and it makes no difference whether career average or final salary.

"Could anyone suggest a family friendly strike support action?"

Just campaign and vote for a political party which will ensure all tax payers fund the public services you require.

If we want a Scandinavian level of public services we have to be prepared to pay for them. And that means a decent increase in the basic rate of tax for us now and for our children in the future.

Long term heavy reliance on bankers, 'the rich' or Chinese pension funds isn't sustainable.

Those looking to protect the public sector need to have a mature debate about how.

www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/jun/29/bbc-bectu-pension-scheme. Career average schemes are actually worse for people who progress through the many ranks of management and end on a much higher salary and therefore not as bad for people who put their kids first such as many women including myself.

The Chancellor stated today that the State Pension was going to increase to 67 for all workers from 2026 and this will have a major impact on lower-paid private sector workers and the self-employed. Not one peep from the unions who are supporting 'Fair pensions for All'. so much for the working man or woman when the unions would prefer to support the better paid in the workforce!

One last point as I am getting very angry by comments from public sector workers telling private sector workers that it is their own fault and they should challenge the pensions given. Have you audited the books of private companies recently. Many directors in firms with 1000s of employees earn less than Head Teachers and doctors but work 60+ hours a week and never have complete holidays. Yes there are some millionaires and some banking execs who have earned a fortune but they are few and far between. I do not support the strikes when I read the misleading info by the unions and some of the misled comments I read. Yes the Govt could have done things differently but there is no need for the poorer members of society to be the most disadvantaged by this strike and for the army to cover as they did when the firefighters striked years ago. They are far worse paid but always get stuck supporting the better paid than they are.

Losingtrust I rather resent the idea that I don't put my dd first and therefore have a career. I support my family and therefore have had to go for promotions.

So do I Twinkly my comment was not at all against career-orientated people. I am a single parent myself so have no choicee.

My comment was purely in answer to the fact that there have been comments on here that career average schemes proportionaly discriminate against women due to part-work when actually career average is worse for those who go for promotions. Apologies if this sounds resentful. It was not intended that way.

Not on Facebook and proud

Do not support!

Gordon brown as exchequer raided pension schemes by taxing dividends earned in them.

This shafted mine & many others in private sector, along with increased taxes, no salary rise for last 3 years & I spend my days training Indians in Bangalore how to do my job.

1% pay cap til 2015? That is so depressing. Our household has been hit with 9% pay cut over all not withstanding stealth taxes like VAT. The pension was offsetting being undervalued and overworked and is the final nail in the coffin. And he is a lecturer so once the frankly idiotic fees are in place his conditions of work will change - making it harder to achieve.

This was not what we signed up for.

Currently searching international job vacancies. Which is a fucking shame for the UK might I add - he is bloody talented. Idiots.

I do whole heartedly support the strike.

I believe that fair pay and pensions to keep a great public service alive and kicking, is well worth it.

God help us if and when this government turn the public sector into a private one, which is it's unltimate aim.

Any sensible and intelligent person knows that private sector work conditions are in big part, determined by conditions in the public service. If we get rid of all their conditions we are all doomed. We should all be standing up for them tomorrow if we care about our healthcare and education etc etc and indeed, if we want our conditions to be better in the private sector.

NO i don't support.

Poster who encouraged others to strike every week or 2, you are damaging children's education.

sweetsandbaby - It is educating our children that standing up for yourself and others is a good thing. It is an opportunity to talk to them about politics, history and economics (also pretty educational). When our children have finished their time in education, it is making it more likely that they will have a choice of fulfiling occupations open to them including teaching, nursing, etc. that have decent pay and conditions, as well as good teachers for their own children and a health service for their families.