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Imminent Industrial Action

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theblackwatch

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This is a perfect example of the Public Sector at work.

I didn't imagine you would refer to Directly Operated Railways as an example of the Public Sector at work!

Most "redundancies" are not Redundancies but are in effect going to result from not filling posts as they become vacant through natural wastage. Something already notified to the Trade Unions but seemingly not passed down to their members - unless of course you are are deliberately witholding this in order to make a disingenuous comment ?

How come that in at least one large government organisation, a voluntary exit scheme has been offered to employees to tempt them to leave in an attempt to reduce the workforce by a large number? If it was all being done through natural wastage, it wouldn't be necessary to have to offer severance package.
 
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To be fair, OT, someone picked on a comment made by ONE Conservative MP regarding Mrs Thatcher, and you replied with something along the lines of 'you can always find one dissenting voice'. So is it fair for you to pick out one dissenting voice here?s.
With respect, this was no dissenting voice. These words were spoken by the then Chancellor of the Exchequer, explaining the level and depth of the cuts necessary when challenged by an interviewer.

.That's still vacancies that won't be filled which could be, which means the unemployment total won't fall. And it means that those that are still in the role have to work harder. We have a team of sixty-five which currently has eight vacancies (and that's without long-term sickness, which are not being recruited for. So, a workforce reduced by almost 15%, but expected to still perform all the same duties.
Vacancies are not the issue. What is the issue is these vacancies being dressed up in emotional Political language that disingenuously sends out the message that people are going to be pulled from the workplace and instantly dismissed.



To be honest I find many of your posts on here quite offensive (you'll come back with some rubbish about not wanting to hear the truth or some such). You have me down as a supporter of Brown when he was PM. To be honest I am/was no fan of Brown so perhaps you can withdraw that one.

You have all the traits of a rapid right winger who feel he can talk down to those who don't agree with him.

You quote various figures many of which will have come from the Con/Dems own propaganda. So forgive me if I ignore those figures in the same way you ignore mine.

Still tomorrow I will start a work to rule as instructed by my union. Perhaps you'll tell me about how little teachers work and have loads of holidays and the usual claptrap which papers like the Daily Mail come out with. Maybe you should try teaching?
I am very disappointed, but not surprised, that you have replied in the way that you have.

You have never once brought any single instance of fact to your arguments. I have merely pointed out the inaccuracies in your posts, and in every case shown them to be wrong.

If you brought factual figures, rather than the mythical "I shall be £100 per month worse off after these changes" and explained how you had reached this figure then fine, but you did not. I proved to you that you could never be that worse off even if you were on the highest teaching salary (outside London). I even explained that by using a 1/60ths rather than a final salary 1/80ths calculation most people (other than the high earners that is - maybe you are one of them ?) would be better of under the new proposals.

These are not "propoganda", they come from the DWP.

I have you down as a Brown supporter on the basis of arguments you have had with others both on here and at other websites over the longer term where you have openly made that assertion in the past. You clearly do not like the Lib Dems and definitely do not like the Conservatives so who do you like ? (Rhetorical question).

If you came back with a reasoned and factually based response then I would have been happier, but you have chosen not to. I can only conclude therefore that you do not have one.

I suggest we leave things at this point, it is not my intention to harrass you but simply to put over a counter-argument challenge to what you have said backed up by facts, mostly NOT from the Government but from sources including your own Union.

Oh I nearly forgot, its useless trying to brand me as a Daily Mail reader. The DM has for a long time gone downmarket under its present Editor who was a big friend of Brown and desperate for an Honour. In fact for most of the last few years, the DM has done much to support Brown, obviously something of which you are not aware but I am sure the many DM haters who live on here and read it avidly anyway will be aware.



I didn't imagine you would refer to Directly Operated Railways as an example of the Public Sector at work!

Somewhat disingenuous, my friend, given the context of the topic. That was in response to your post which stated
Interestingly I have just been looking at the 2010-2011 accounts of one public body. Of the four Directors, three made no pension contributions at all (despite receiving salary/fees varying from £25k to £88k). One rule for some...

May I refer you to the legal definition of a public body ?

  • A public body is “essentially a reference to a body whose nature was governmental in the broad sense of that expression” (Aston Canlow and Wilmcote with Billesley Parochial Church Council v Wallbank [2003] 3 All ER 1213).
How come that in at least one large government organisation, a voluntary exit scheme has been offered to employees to tempt them to leave in an attempt to reduce the workforce by a large number? If it was all being done through natural wastage, it wouldn't be necessary to have to offer severance package
The scare story being bandied about infers compulsory redundancies. In a voluntary redundancy situation, there is no compulsion, which surely goes to the heart of matters. Anyway if life in the public sector is SO bad then I am sure that everyone will be rushing to grab what would be a quite benficial package - based on the current public sector scheme which is generous in comparison to the private sector -so that thye can take advantage of all these so called better terms and conditions in the private sector. The fact that there are usually few people applying for these voluntary schemes says much about public sector employees willingness to go into the wide privatised world where they insist we are all rich I would suggest.
 
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SS4

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the fact that there are usually few people applying for these voluntary schemes says much about public sector employees willingness to go into the wide privatised world where they insist we are all rich I would suggest.

Only a fool would leave their job in the current climate. Unless of course the golden handshake is sufficient and/or daddy left you enough money to live the high life.

The strike will not work because the media have conspired to play it down. Listen to any news report today and you'll get my point. Which political party does Murdoch, arguably the biggest media baron, support?

On a slightly related matter I wonder how long before the Leverson enquiry is swept under the rug since Cameron will want to keep Murdoch happy (note how the cabinet have kept their distance?)
 

theblackwatch

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May I refer you to the legal definition of a public body ?

http://www.dft.gov.uk/transport-bodies/ndpb
The Department sponsors the following executive non-departmental public bodies:

Directly Operated Railways Ltd



The scare story being bandied about infers compulsory redundancies.

Does it? I've not seen that anywhere (any evidence?) - although I am sure that if there were not enough volunteers, there would be compulsory redundancies - so it is quite possible there could be. It is of course sensible to offer a voluntary package to start with as a) it costs less (better VFM for the taxpayer) and b) it offers people who may want to go a chance to, rather than forcing people out.
 

Butts

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Only a fool would leave their job in the current climate. Unless of course the golden handshake is sufficient and/or daddy left you enough money to live the high life.

The strike will not work because the media have conspired to play it down. Listen to any news report today and you'll get my point. Which political party does Murdoch, arguably the biggest media baron, support?

On a slightly related matter I wonder how long before the Leverson enquiry is swept under the rug since Cameron will want to keep Murdoch happy (note how the cabinet have kept their distance?)

I don't think you can blame the media if the strike does fail its aims - unless you are suggesting that everyone believes what they read in The Daily Mail or The Sun.

Even left leaning papers such as The Independent have come out against the action.

It's a case of bad timing and lack of endorsement by the Union members judging by the turnout in the ballots. If members felt as strongly as you suggest there would have been a 90% turnout which would have added a great deal of credibilty to your cause.

Mentioning the Leverson enquiry strikes me as grasping at straws as it bears no direct relation to the question unless you are suggesting the two sides are hacking into each others communications.

Face up to it you have had a reasonable compromise offered by the Government which I believe will be accepted before Christmas - today is all about posturing.

I don't think the public are behind you and a Labour adiministration would have made no difference.
 

SS4

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Mentioning the Leverson enquiry strikes me as grasping at straws as it bears no direct relation to the question unless you are suggesting the two sides are hacking into each others communications.

I'm suggesting Cameron wants to keep the media on side. The Leverson enquiry has the potential for these outlets to turn on the government sanctioning the enquiry. Sections of the media are a powerful, if unreliable, ally of the Tories.

I don't think the public are behind you and a Labour adiministration would have made no difference.

The public aren't behind it because they've been conditioned for weeks about the damage it will do to services, about the problems it will cause the public sector, how life as we know it is over, how delays will be endemic, how the country may have to shut down with typical media hyperbole and totally neglecting to mention that by no means all staff are on gold plated pensions, that because private sector don't the public sector doesn't.
On the other side of the argument we're told that unions want to protect the [implied gold plated] pensions.


True, because Labour are Tory Lite. Do we forget that the NHS was created when Britain had a huge deficit? We all agree that money needs to be saved and the deficit reduced but not when the top of society appear to be getting away with it without ill effect. I just want Cameron and Osborne to prove we're all in it together
 
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Butts

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I'm suggesting Cameron wants to keep the media on side. The Leverson enquiry has the potential for these outlets to turn on the government sanctioning the enquiry. Sections of the media are a powerful, if unreliable, ally of the Tories.



True, because Labour are Tory Lite. Do we forget that the NHS was created when Britain had a huge deficit? We all agree that money needs to be saved and the deficit reduced but not when the top of society appear to be getting away with it without ill effect


When you refer to the top members of society do you include footballers and media types and singers and actors within the scope of your restraint and not just bankers?

The unfortunate facts are taxing the rich is not where the serious money comes from, or the poor. The "average joe" is where the biggest spoils are available and hence the tax measures directed.

Are you a Marxist - I would have great respect for you if you "came out". By the sound of your views none of the mainstream parties represent your aspirations which sounds like a more equal playing field for all. I cannot disagree with that aim as you will see from my earlier post.:p
 

SS4

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When you refer to the top members of society do you include footballers and media types and singers and actors within the scope of your restraint and not just bankers?

The unfortunate facts are taxing the rich is not where the serious money comes from, or the poor. The "average joe" is where the biggest spoils are available and hence the tax measures directed.

Up to a point although at least many of those are private sector, I admit there is too much money in football yes but it's more those who have been propped up by the taxpayer. Footballers and media types (ie musicians etc) rarely directly affect millions with their risky business. It does extend a little to those banks who were not bailed out because I feel, and I could be very wrong, that they avoided a bailout by chanc

Are you a Marxist - I would have great respect for you if you "came out". By the sound of your views none of the mainstream parties represent your aspirations which sounds like a more equal playing field for all. I cannot disagree with that aim as you will see from my earlier post.:p

I don't know what label I'd give myself, I'd need to read more before deciding on that but what you've said is certainly true although I also believe human nature is inherently greedy so it would not work in the real world, at least not without coercion.
 

jon0844

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She is also a Science Teacher and has a classroom assistant to help her, she is also on the Board of Governors as well as being Union Rep.She was elected Union Rep as no one else wanted to do it !! She never attends any external Union Meetings and most of the staff are apathetic to the Union.

The Lab Technicians are not the only source of concern, it is common knowledge that are quite a few Teachers not up to the job who are merely TX from school to school with a good reference when they are in fact useless.
The reason again it is very diffilcult to get rid of them - they just go off sick for months at a time. I'm not suggesting all the profession are like this but obviously from her comments a significant minority.

This was the case when I worked for Haringey Council in the early 1990s. The only way to get rid of someone was to give a glowing reference and move them elsewhere.

And the 'pay peanuts get monkeys' argument may work a lot of the time, but not in local authorities where there are set pay scales and jobs (at the time at least) were pretty secure. You could be extremely crap, but if you kept your head down, it was very hard - and extremely time consuming - to be sacked. If you had union membership, it would be even harder still.

I was a Unison member at the time, and our rep spent most of the time having meetings at the pub over the road. Now, this was in the 90s and things may have changed, but I saw just how inefficient local Government could be with my own eyes.

Everyone likes job security, but there were far too many people who were there for life and either weren't good at their job, or had long lost any motivation and ambition. Naturally there were exceptions, with some people dedicated to work in such jobs, but it must be hard to find these people and they're certainly not the majority. So every good person must carry a load of useless colleagues.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Only a fool would leave their job in the current climate. Unless of course the golden handshake is sufficient and/or daddy left you enough money to live the high life.

Depends. My father worked most of his working life for a local authority and when there were big changes being made, he wanted voluntary redundancy.. and most colleagues did. He really had to push to get it.

He got to retire early, on a final salary pension and the council also promoted him shortly before to increase the pension even more. He did incredibly well out of it - and others did too. In fact, you had to work hard to be offered a package before someone else did, or you may not be able to go!

Bear in mind that a lot of people who do take redundancy can go on to get another job fairly easily, or even come back as consultants (in fact, the council did just that - which meant paying people they made redundant at a far higher daily rate!) so it has nothing to do with living off rich parents or anything like that.
 
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Ferret

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I'm sorry, but blaming the media for the public attitude to the strikes seems a little wrong-headed. Much of the media is right-wing with the Guardian, Mirror and Indy as the main dissenting voices against the Mail, Express, Telegraph,and Times. But yet people are capable of thinking for themselves - hence the Tories not gaining a majority despite them kicking at the open goal that was a divided rabble of a Government, with a Prime Minister hopelessly out of his depth and loathed by many of his own party, let alone the electorate. They also failed in spite of overwhelming media support!

I read many contributions from left-wing posters who seem to think that because somebody reads a certain newspaper, they automatically follow the ideals it promotes or believe what they read. A large swathe of public opinion is against the strikes simply because it may not have been the right thing to do! Indeed, I questioned yesterday what the strikes would achieve and whether the dispute was winnable. It appears it achieved very little...
 

LE Greys

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The unfortunate facts are taxing the rich is not where the serious money comes from, or the poor. The "average joe" is where the biggest spoils are available and hence the tax measures directed.

I've been saying for years that the fairest and best method for generating revenue is a thing called Negative Income Tax. This doesn't mean paying people for earning money, it simply means that there is a guarenteed minimum income for everybody (say 1.5 X the current minimum wage equivalent for a year's full-time employment) which is owed to you if you are paid less or do not have an income, and the government pays it back. You have to pay tax on anything above the NIT level, at a flat rate (say 20%) for as high as it goes. There would be no tax credits or exemptions of any kind, instead you would be taxed on gross income. Basically, add up all the income you earn over a year, subtract the NIT minimum income figure and divide by five if it's 20%. It might be worth adding a second "kick" at higher rates, but only if you are paying taxes of at least £10,000. All other taxes on incomes, including Capital Gains, would be abolished. Tax credit and most benefits would disappear as well, although Child Benefit and DLA would stay, for obvious reasons. The system is not fraud-proof, because people can hide their income, but it is a heck of a lot easier to administer, so it is a lot cheaper to operate. An added advantage is that you can do your tax returns on the back of an envelope, so overpayment and underpayment would be very rare. I would apply it to all UK residents, including non-doms, no matter where their main home is.
 

Butts

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I'm sorry, but blaming the media for the public attitude to the strikes seems a little wrong-headed. Much of the media is right-wing with the Guardian, Mirror and Indy as the main dissenting voices against the Mail, Express, Telegraph,and Times. But yet people are capable of thinking for themselves - hence the Tories not gaining a majority despite them kicking at the open goal that was a divided rabble of a Government, with a Prime Minister hopelessly out of his depth and loathed by many of his own party, let alone the electorate. They also failed in spite of overwhelming media support!

I read many contributions from left-wing posters who seem to think that because somebody reads a certain newspaper, they automatically follow the ideals it promotes or believe what they read. A large swathe of public opinion is against the strikes simply because it may not have been the right thing to do! Indeed, I questioned yesterday what the strikes would achieve and whether the dispute was winnable. It appears it achieved very little...

People capable of thinking for themselves would be a requirement when choosing a Newspaper particularly a "Tabloid" one.

Outwith The Times, Telegraph, Guardian, Independent and possibly up here The Herald and Scotsman and I suppose the FT........

The rest are comics :roll:

A sad indictment of British society or intellect ?, is that the biggest selling "comic" sells more copies than all the quality papers put together.
 

LE Greys

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Just heard what Jeremy Stalin (a.k.a. Clarkson) said about the strikers. Ridiculous statement, and he should be ashamed of himself.
 

Butts

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Just heard what Jeremy Stalin (a.k.a. Clarkson) said about the strikers. Ridiculous statement, and he should be ashamed of himself.

Much as you may hate to admit it he often has his finger on the pulse of the nation, and how they are feeling :p
 

table38

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I was reading an article earlier that suggested many on the left seem have had a sense of humour bypass.

Even a certain leader of the opposition has come over all apoplectic. The article suggested they don't call him Millibandwagon for nothing :)

So Jeremy Clarkson says something controversial. In other news, an article on ursine woodland defecation.
 

LE Greys

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I was reading an article earlier that suggested many on the left seem have had a sense of humour bypass.

Even a certain leader of the opposition has come over all apoplectic. The article suggested they don't call him Millibandwagon for nothing :)

So Jeremy Clarkson says something controversial. In other news, an article on ursine woodland defecation.

You have a point. Perhaps he does as well, but I think it's just ridiculous and (frankly) not very funny. Still, the best reaction would be to give the comment all the consideration it deserves, none, so that's my last word on the subject.
 

table38

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I think that was the idea - if he'd just said they should be shot, or be put in prison people might have thought he was being serious.

Suggesting they should be shot in front of there families was so ridiculous that it was obvious to most people without an axe to grind that it was a said in jest.
 

nedchester

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Indeed, I questioned yesterday what the strikes would achieve and whether the dispute was winnable. It appears it achieved very little...

But what would you do if the railway pension scheme was similarly threatened (I think you work for the railway?)
 
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Ferret

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But what would you do if the railway pension scheme was similarly threatened (I think you work for the railway?)

That would depend on what the Union did, and what us members voted for. And, it would depend on what was being done to those pensions. There was a review some years back that resulted in us making increased contributions and the Unions seemed quite content with this!

Still, to kind of answer your question - did the Public sector Unions consider action short of a strike?
 

Lampshade

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Still, to kind of answer your question - did the Public sector Unions consider action short of a strike?

I highly doubt it; the far left had been dying to stick two fingers up to the government for months, this was their big chance.
 

richw

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I've been saying for years that the fairest and best method for generating revenue is a thing called Negative Income Tax. This doesn't mean paying people for earning money, it simply means that there is a guarenteed minimum income for everybody (say 1.5 X the current minimum wage equivalent for a year's full-time employment) which is owed to you if you are paid less or do not have an income, and the government pays it back. You have to pay tax on anything above the NIT level, at a flat rate (say 20%) for as high as it goes. There would be no tax credits or exemptions of any kind, instead you would be taxed on gross income. Basically, add up all the income you earn over a year, subtract the NIT minimum income figure and divide by five if it's 20%. It might be worth adding a second "kick" at higher rates, but only if you are paying taxes of at least £10,000. All other taxes on incomes, including Capital Gains, would be abolished. Tax credit and most benefits would disappear as well, although Child Benefit and DLA would stay, for obvious reasons. The system is not fraud-proof, because people can hide their income, but it is a heck of a lot easier to administer, so it is a lot cheaper to operate. An added advantage is that you can do your tax returns on the back of an envelope, so overpayment and underpayment would be very rare. I would apply it to all UK residents, including non-doms, no matter where their main home is.

Is what you describe in first paragraph pretty much what tax credits is?

Sent from my HTC Sensation Z710e using Tapatalk
 

DarloRich

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I highly doubt it; the far left had been dying to stick two fingers up to the government for months, this was their big chance.

yes becuase that is exactly how an industrial action ballot works (shakes head)

the 2 ballots i have had have both had two options

1 - strike
2 - action short of a strike

but hey dont let the truth spoil things!
 

DarloRich

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No - but only becuase you have already had a ballot on yes or no to industrial action.

(or you could spoil your paper if you wish)

My union, from what i understand, tend to use the first vote as a manadate to go back to the employer and say, essentially, give us a better offer or else. However they are not as militant as some other unions and tend to take a more consensual approach
 

nedchester

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So no option for members to make a NO vote ?

Don't be ridiculous no legal ballot would allow that!

It was Strike action Yes/No
Action short of a strike action Yes/No

The NASUWT ballot was not only in protest against pensions but also against workload of teachers in schools which has risen phenomenally in recent years. I had a meeting cancelled this evening as some staff were 'not available' that gave me an extra 90 mins to plan my lessons/start to mark exam papers so my view is that this action may well benefit pupils' education. :D
 

Pumbaa

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UCU is work to rule from today as well. Liverpool UCU has been since August.
 

jon0844

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The suggestion that this strike was more to save face than anything else seems to be true, given that straight away after it seems like they're back to talking - and a solution may be close. It's as if the strike never happened!

The strike didn't seem to do much harm either, and shops and cinemas seem to have had a good day and maybe a fair bit of money put into the economy.
 
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