Can we have no more threads about public sector pay

Yorrick said:
While there are genuine hardship cases in all sectors, private, public, and social welfare recipients I can't help but believe that a lot of people could minimise the hurt by cutting out 40 fags a week, or 4 pints a week or maybe even making a lunch at home and bringing it to work a few days a week and forget your 11 o clock cappucino. Cut out newspapers two days a week or more. Also as regards petrol consumption make your littlle brats walk to football practice. They will eat whats put on the table then.
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Thanks for the helpful tips:rolleyes:. I bring in my lunch 4 days a week and only 'treat' myself to a take away sandwich once a week. Don't drive to work and only use my small car, which I bought second hand a few years ago, for shopping and visiting friends/family. Shopping is done in aldi, no leftovers are wasted. I freeze everything or else throw stuff into a stirfry or curry. I only socialise in peoples houses, rarely go to the pub anymore. My 11 o clock cuppa consists of own brand coffee, brought in from home. Only buy a newspaper on a saturday. Don't have sky or anything like that. Can't remember the last time I was in a restaurant. Thankfully, my employer pays my monthly line rental on my mobile and there are no charges for calls or texts. Small consolation for the fact that I'm "unofficially" on call 24/7. I don't get allowances or overtime to compensate for this. The only expense I can cut is my broadband. Frankly, I don't see what other savings I can make to "minimise the hurt". So forgive me if I feel aggrieved at the way my wages have been hit today. At least I have my "rolls royce" pension to look forward to in 30 years.

I've been listening to the moral outrage about how good I have it with my public sector job over the last year. I hope todays announcement will at least put an end to the pontificating from the likes of Fionnan Sheehan and Jim Power about the public sector. But please, allow us to express our frustration in LOS withot being patronised. If I need further tips on budget living, I'll take myself off to the money makeover forum.
 
aonfocaleile said:
Thanks for the helpful tips:rolleyes:. I bring in my lunch 4 days a week and only 'treat' myself to a take away sandwich once a week. Don't drive to work and only use my small car, which I bought second hand a few years ago, for shopping and visiting friends/family. Shopping is done in aldi, no leftovers are wasted. I freeze everything or else throw stuff into a stirfry or curry. I only socialise in peoples houses, rarely go to the pub anymore. My 11 o clock cuppa consists of own brand coffee, brought in from home. Only buy a newspaper on a saturday. Don't have sky or anything like that. Can't remember the last time I was in a restaurant. Thankfully, my employer pays my monthly line rental on my mobile and there are no charges for calls or texts. Small consolation for the fact that I'm "unofficially" on call 24/7. I don't get allowances or overtime to compensate for this. The only expense I can cut is my broadband. Frankly, I don't see what other savings I can make to "minimise the hurt". So forgive me if I feel aggrieved at the way my wages have been hit today. At least I have my "rolls royce" pension to look forward to in 30 years.

I've been listening to the moral outrage about how good I have it with my public sector job over the last year. I hope todays announcement will at least put an end to the pontificating from the likes of Fionnan Sheehan and Jim Power about the public sector. But please, allow us to express our frustration in LOS withot being patronised. If I need further tips on budget living, I'll take myself off to the money makeover forum.
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Outstanding post, Aonfocaleile.
 
Thanks for the helpful tips:rolleyes:. I bring in my lunch 4 days a week and only 'treat' myself to a take away sandwich once a week. Don't drive to work and only use my small car, which I bought second hand a few years ago, for shopping and visiting friends/family. Shopping is done in aldi, no leftovers are wasted. I freeze everything or else throw stuff into a stirfry or curry. I only socialise in peoples houses, rarely go to the pub anymore. My 11 o clock cuppa consists of own brand coffee, brought in from home. Only buy a newspaper on a saturday. Don't have sky or anything like that. Can't remember the last time I was in a restaurant. Thankfully, my employer pays my monthly line rental on my mobile and there are no charges for calls or texts. Small consolation for the fact that I'm "unofficially" on call 24/7. I don't get allowances or overtime to compensate for this. The only expense I can cut is my broadband. Frankly, I don't see what other savings I can make to "minimise the hurt". So forgive me if I feel aggrieved at the way my wages have been hit today. At least I have my "rolls royce" pension to look forward to in 30 years.

I've been listening to the moral outrage about how good I have it with my public sector job over the last year. I hope todays announcement will at least put an end to the pontificating from the likes of Fionnan Sheehan and Jim Power about the public sector. But please, allow us to express our frustration in LOS withot being patronised. If I need further tips on budget living, I'll take myself off to the money makeover forum.
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I make my own lunch 7 days of the week, and would never buy sandwiches. My small car is over 12 years old. I don't waste food, don't have sky, don't even drink anymore. I've being going to lidl since it opened in Ireland, so I don't find this is a sacrifice. Most (non-food) stuff I buy off of the internet to get the very best deal possible. I don't buy newspapers, but read them second hand and I also share a bin. I have to pay for all my phone calls, and broadband etc.
Oh, and I can't afford a pension, never mind a rolls royce one.

However, I'm happy I've still got a job.
 
This is starting to sound like a certain Monty Python sketch.

"When I were a lad..."
 
aonfocaleile said:
Thanks for the helpful tips:rolleyes:. I bring in my lunch 4 days a week and only 'treat' myself to a take away sandwich once a week. Don't drive to work and only use my small car, which I bought second hand a few years ago, for shopping and visiting friends/family. Shopping is done in aldi, no leftovers are wasted. I freeze everything or else throw stuff into a stirfry or curry. I only socialise in peoples houses, rarely go to the pub anymore. My 11 o clock cuppa consists of own brand coffee, brought in from home. Only buy a newspaper on a saturday. Don't have sky or anything like that. Can't remember the last time I was in a restaurant. Thankfully, my employer pays my monthly line rental on my mobile and there are no charges for calls or texts. Small consolation for the fact that I'm "unofficially" on call 24/7. I don't get allowances or overtime to compensate for this. The only expense I can cut is my broadband. Frankly, I don't see what other savings I can make to "minimise the hurt". So forgive me if I feel aggrieved at the way my wages have been hit today. At least I have my "rolls royce" pension to look forward to in 30 years.

I've been listening to the moral outrage about how good I have it with my public sector job over the last year. I hope todays announcement will at least put an end to the pontificating from the likes of Fionnan Sheehan and Jim Power about the public sector. But please, allow us to express our frustration in LOS withot being patronised. If I need further tips on budget living, I'll take myself off to the money makeover forum.
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To be honest I usually skip passed the ps threads because they are predictable and usually quickly descend into complete rants but I am interested today given the budget we had. I can't for the life of me see how ps workers could have expected anything else, but do sympathise with those who have to make do with less income. I don't agree with the lazy labeling of ps workers as drones but do personally feel that the ps should be more efficient and that has still to change.
Since last year my income has dropped almost 40% with no overtime paid, bank holidays worked and no days in lieu so while your current predicament isn't nice for you and your colleagues I hope that in time (soon) services will continue as usual.
It would be great if we could continue as before but as the whole economic landscape has dramatically changed, everyone else has to fall into line accordingly.
 
Like MrMan above, I don't normally post in this forum but read it every day. I feel some sympathy for the public sector posters among us on this forum (and elsewhere), as they have had their jobs/pay/conditions etc. ridiculed for the last year. I agree that the Public v Private argument has gotten out of hand on occasion, and can be fairly bitter between the 2 sides. But if we are to be logical and calculating about it all, this budget had to happen. The pay cuts had to happen. We have to think of our kids and the mess they will inherit if action like this is not taken now. Nobody likes to take a hit in their pay packet, but I can't foresee this pushing anyone over the poverty line in fairness. Hopefully it should only mean a slight re-adjustment in expenditure..but nothing major.

By the way I am a private sector worker who has taken a 7% pay cut and a salary freeze. My company will do well to survive 2010.

I would also like to see the end of public sector threads. It's time to move on now.
 
liaconn said:
I hope there won't be any more threads on public sector pay but people have been screaming for PS cuts for months so why suddenly say 'oh dear, this must be really hard. Let's stop it now'. Why didn't you do it last month or even last week?
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Because the cuts had to be made. I am glad the Government had the bottle to follow through. Doesn't mean I don't appreciate how hard it is for people. Believe it or not, I don't enjoy family members and friends earning less money. However, I don't believe there is any more blood in public sector pay especially at low and middle income earners. Still plenty to do on the reform side including over overall public sector numbers.
 
I certainly did not mean my comments to be a criticism of anyone. I was pointing out where people who have not already done son could make some savings.
Every case is is an individual case. There are as a many wasters in the private sector as in the public sectore.g. dodgy builders, double glazing salesment etc
But I'm am fed up of people saying " its not fair" Please show me in the Constitution where it says it should be fair. And don't fool yourself that Gilmore, Kenny, Adams and the rest would have done anything different.
 
Sunny said:
Still plenty to do on the reform side including over overall public sector numbers.
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Of course.

But according to Impact, 'sand has been kicked in their members faces one too many times' and they are refusing to co-operate with the government on public sector reform. Beautiful.
 
Caveat said:
Of course.

But according to Impact, 'sand has been kicked in their members faces one too many times' and they are refusing to co-operate with the government on public sector reform. Beautiful.
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+1 I fear that without reform there will be unecessary cuts made next year.
 
I will admit to having a new found respect for the Govt - they did what was necessary in terms of the public pay bill, which will hopefully be for the greater good in the long term (although I do expect short term resistance). That doesn't mean individuals like myself will be thrilled with the effect it has on our bottom line or that we won't have to make appropriate "adjustments", to quote that oft-used phrase.

I think anyone working at the moment is grateful to have a job. I certainly am and I work all the harder to keep it. I won't apologise for having the job I have, but I also have genuine sympathy for those out of work. Hopefully Lenihan is right when he says we have turned a corner. This budget should put an end to the public v private debate, for now at least. Signs of this are already appearing;
http://www.independent.ie/opinion/c...tor-is-hit-with-vicious-pay-cuts-1969456.html

This headline made me smile this morning, even if it was a wry smile. Mr. Sheahan, you have a brass neck, I'll give you that!
 
Sunny said:
...in the interests of this Country.
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I agree with all you said Sunny except for the last 6 words above. The PS have certainly taken a cut. However, it is not a large cut and it's not like they heroically came forward and offered the reduction. Far from it actually.

It would have made more sense to say that the unemployed have taken a cut " in the interests of this country". JA is reduced by 4%.
 
VOR said:
I agree with all you said Sunny except for the last 6 words above. The PS have certainly taken a cut. However, it is not a large cut and it's not like they heroically came forward and offered the reduction. Far from it actually.

It would have made more sense to say that the unemployed have taken a cut " in the interests of this country". JA is reduced by 4%.
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What a mean minded post. Out of interest, do people in the private sector take a cut in the interests of their employer or in the interest of saving their job and because they have no other choice.
 
The net effect of the cut will be more competition for the few private sector jobs out there. From talking to PS workers I know there are a lot with one eye on the door.
 
liaconn said:
Out of interest, do people in the private sector take a cut in the interests of their employer or in the interest of saving their job and because they have no other choice.
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In the private sector that's all the same thing.
 
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