Do we all have an indisputable right to inflationary or higher annual pay raises? And if we don't get them...

[AtheneNoctua]

is striking a just response?

I'm of course thinking of Thursday's teachers' strike. But, really they are not the only ones to go on stirke because their pay rises are not in line with inflation.

So what do you think?
Do you always get an inflationary pay rise?
What would you do if you didn't?

I'm undecided on whether or not I think the teachers' strike is an appropriate response to their pay rises. I do appreciate they don't make a lot of money. But, then they knew that when they decided to become teachers.

Discuss please...

Join a union Iwantmybed and ask them to negotiate collectively...?

I'd say (but it would be crass) that you are in the wrong job or industry then. I've had a payrise in 7 years and I wasn't even working 7 years ago ('ve temped for longer than I care to think about now but I wasn't working in 2001)! My industry is not a big payer but even so - the staff get annual pay rounds.

I also work in the public sector, by the way.

Which strike fear into the heart of the payroll officer since it takes so long to agree the pay rounds that the backpay needs to be calculated in one go for each year. Cue hours of sitting there with spreadsheets and printouts of hours worked x 300 employees over about 9 mo for one person to sort out.

I thought that teachers salaries were ok, most of my friends and my brother is retraining to teach. Are the salaries inclusive of the holidays? If so, I might train myself.

DH wanted to recruit someone on the graduate trainee scheme (the better funded route into teaching if you've already had a career) but because this man had a family to support he couldn't afford the pay cut, not just down to the training salary but down to the salary at the top of the threshold.

Teachers, like most graduates, are paying back student loans for 6-8 yrs. Their starting salary is commensurate with other graduate professions but it doesn't stay that way.

DH & I am striking on Thursday which means a very lean month money-wise but, for us, it is a stand worth making. We're not militant or particularly political. But if we can't attract good graduates into what is an increasingly tough profession by paying at least a living wage, then that is grim indeed .

One problem is that as the public sector is very large pay rises actually feed into inflation - a big pay rise for one group leads to expectations of rises all around (the comparison issue) which then feeds into inflationay pressures.

I think that there are issues about people hitting their pay ceilings, but I don't agree that experience is necessarily the most important factor for pay. If you use a competencies approach once someone is good at their job there is no particular reason to believe that they will be any better ten years down the line. My experience of the NHS is that this is a really difficult approach anyway - I've yet to hear of anyone actually failing a gateway who wasn't on thei way down disciplinary/competency procedings anyway.

Re. the violence thing I think it is foolish to suggest that nurses face more aggression that police officers. It is really bad that people are increasingly feeling it reasonable to be aggressive to those who are trying to help them, but my experience (from working in an inner London PCT) is that the aggression is rarely serious (mostly shouting and swearing) and looking at staff surveys is reported by less than 10% of staff in any given year (this will be significantly highe than the incidents actually reported btw). Somehow I suspect that a police officer in a comparable area will experience more aggression in a day - certainly our security advisor (ex policeman) has never yet been phased by any of the incidents we have had. Of course if you work in A&E or in a acute psychiatric unit violence will unfortunately be more routine, but this should influence the grade awarded to the role.

The police officer payround from last year is not yet finalised.

A deal was agreed in December, which should have been backdated to September. The Home Secretary reneged on this. Scottish Police had their pay backdated.

I think a judicial review is being sought.

Police, of course, are not allowed to strike under current regulations.

With regard to violence - there is an unacceptable level across the public sector as a whole. There will be obviously be some areas which are worse than others.

I mean some areas in each profession will be worse than others.