I think I’ll go on strike

[Complainer]

Re: I think Ill go on strike

As regards the pension, and I am not whinging on this, I'm still only 27, so moving to cash now would probably be counter productive . Just trying to point out I guess, that many people in the private sector are feeling this pain. I never experienced those 10-15% equity growths, strangely enough (must have a word with the pensions man on that one!).

So its ok for you to moan about your pension losses that arise from your chosen investment strategy, but it is not ok for me to moan about an imposed and unbalanced cut? Nice balanced view there, my friend.

 

[PaddyW]

Where did I moan about my pension losses? Could you point that out to me, because I can't see it, my friend.

 

[Caveat]

What about the many many thousands of private sector workers who are sitting cosily unaffected, no pay cut, no short time working, when are they going to be "targeted" and do their bit/share the pain etc. I do have some sympathy for the public sector workers as every one of them is going to be losing pay while this is clearly not the case in the private sector.

What on earth is this obsession with being "targeted" ??

The government pays public sector wages. The government do not have enough money. Therefore public sector workers are affected.

I and many others are paid by our own private employers. Currently, my employer can afford the pay/benefits I have enjoyed up to now - if they couldn't afford it I would (like many) obviously have to take a pay cut or worse - which as has been pointed out many many times, is happening all over the country already. The government does not have to pay private sector workers so why should they be affected?

There is no "targeting". It's very simple.

Put it this way - if, for argument's sake the SFA or some group met and decided on a recommendation that all SMEs should reduce the contribution they make to their employees pensions, and this recommendation was taken up across the board - would it be thought that this group was being "targeted"?

I doubt it.

 

[JP1234]

What on earth is this obsession with being "targeted" ??

um No obession here, it's the first comment I have posted about the matter so I hope you were generalising there!

My point was simply that I am sick to my eye teeth of reading/hearing the argument that "the private sector are suffering" - parts of it are, parts of it are not, even within individual companies ( such as where I work) there is no fair share of the burden, meanwhile, almost all public sector workers are going to suffer a reduction in their take home pay. They have good reason to complain, in my opinion.

Good luck to you and anyone who has managed to keep hold of a full time job, but believe me it is hard not to feel slightly bitter and yes, targeted, when I look around and see, as in my place of work, dozens of people let go, or on short hours and the next minute a new member of management is appointed on a 40K salary, or my co - worker spending probably an hour of her day chatting on the phone to her mum/sister/boyfriend or more time surfing the web and then turning round and slagging off people for striking or marching. The hypocrisy of some in the private sector is quite nauseating at times. ( for the record I am not referring to anyone here, I could weep listening to some people in my workplace though!)

 

[Caveat]

um No obession here, it's the first comment I have posted about the matter so I hope you were generalising there!

Yes. Not directed at you in particular - but the word has been invoked a number of times on this site already.

Good luck to you and anyone who has managed to keep hold of a full time job, but believe me it is hard not to feel slightly bitter and yes, targeted, when I look around and see, as in my place of work, dozens of people let go, or on short hours and the next minute a new member of management is appointed on a 40K salary, or my co - worker spending probably an hour of her day chatting on the phone to her mum/sister/boyfriend or more time surfing the web

I'm sorry but based on this, and the fact that you have said that you do not work in the public sector, I don't understand why you, personally feel targeted.

 

[JP1234]

I'm sorry but based on this, and the fact that you have said that you do not work in the public sector, I don't understand why you, personally feel targeted.

Well, I don't want to get into all my personal details but I work in a small department of 5 (including my manager) the majority of my work involves things that really should be done each day, my personal workload hasn't really reduced, I earn quite a bit less than the others but I am the only one who has been put on short time. The girl who spends time chatting/surfing is the one who's workload is most reduced, and it's not as if she is even covering my work for me, complaining it is "unfair" she should be asked to take it on!, another colleague is the offspring of the owner of the company rolleyes: `nuff said) and the third person genuinely has a huge workload which she struggles to cope with and I was taking on some of her work for her. That's why I personally feel a bit targeted, there are 2 others in my department who could and should be on reduced hours if we were truly "sharing the burden" but it is something I intend to discuss with my manager at our performance review next month in the presence of our HR officer) When I was told I was going on short time my manager actually used the words "everyone is affected" and "it's important we all pull together"......

My feelings on the whole situation really aren't based on the public/private sector debate, though as I said I do see the public sectors point, but rather the inequality within the private sector when it comes to taking pay cuts and so on which seems to be getting overlooked - maybe I am in the wrong thread for this discussion, I couldn't see one that dealt with it though - apologies for taking it OT

 

[PaddyW]

You are being treated unfairly, from my point of view, but this is something you will need to take up direct with the manager. Maybe there are other factors upon which they based their decisions regarding you? I really don't know.

 

[diarmuidc]

What on earth is this obsession with being "targeted" ??

The government pays public sector wages. The government do not have enough money. Therefore public sector workers are affected.

Stop making sense.

This type of logical thinking doesn't fit into the new "fairness" mantra of the unions.

 

[Teatime]

What on earth is this obsession with being "targeted" ??

The government pays public sector wages. The government do not have enough money. Therefore public sector workers are affected.

There is no "targeting". It's very simple.

Yeah I suppose it is that simple to the tune of €20 billion. Despite the levy I think the majority of the private sector would jump at the chance of a public sector job right now.

 

[Complainer]

Where did I moan about my pension losses? Could you point that out to me, because I can't see it, my friend.

Here "You can have my rapidly falling pension"

What on earth is this obsession with being "targeted" ??

The government pays public sector wages. The government do not have enough money. Therefore public sector workers are affected.

I and many others are paid by our own private employers. Currently, my employer can afford the pay/benefits I have enjoyed up to now - if they couldn't afford it I would (like many) obviously have to take a pay cut or worse - which as has been pointed out many many times, is happening all over the country already. The government does not have to pay private sector workers so why should they be affected?

There is no "targeting". It's very simple.

While technically correct, this of course is misleading and inaccurate by virtue of not looking at the full picture. The Govt provides public services. It funds this service through tax. It brings in enough tax to fund the necessary services. It is able to adjust taxation levels to bring in tax through different channels, given that the Govt policies have ensured that property-related taxes have dried up.

Despite the levy I think the majority of the private sector would jump at the chance of a public sector job right now.

Why didn't they jump at this chance last year, or the previous year?

Does the easier pill involve pay cuts? (and bare in mind the need for 4bn cuts next year)

No-one is disputing the need for tax increases. The right-wing media (O'Reilly, Murdoch, the ex-PD club of Geraldine Kennedy and Stephen Collins at the Irish Times) has been spinning wildly the myth that the ICTU/Labour/FG haven't been offering solutions, but this of course is fiction. All those parties have offered solutions involving a range of cuts and tax increases.

Honestly, I have no official qualifications (I know I really should have, that's a story for a different day). I got this job straight from work, so it's pretty much what I know. I doubt, if I had applied for public service work, that I would have been accepted. I may be wrong on this, but that was just my feeling on the matter. Better the devil you know and all that. And I would have moved if I could, I was looking for a job in the ps closer to home, but the ones that were available were specialised, so there was no point in me even considering them.

Well boo hoo hoo! Is this the Celtic Tiger generation that expects the exact job to suit their qualifications and location to be served up to them on the silver platter so they can take the job without leaving the couch? Maybe you should have done what I and many of my colleagues did and studied at night to get the relevant qualifications? Maybe you should have taken a job that isn't in your exact location? I have colleagues commuting into Dublin from south Wicklow, from Dundalk, from Tullamore to keep their jobs. If you really wanted a public sector job, it was there for the taking - but you need to do the work.

By the way, does your 59 hour week include the time spent posting on AAM?

 

[liaconn]

Yeah I suppose it is that simple to the tune of €20 billion. Despite the levy I think the majority of the private sector would jump at the chance of a public sector job right now.

Presumably many of the same people who thought a public sector job wasn't good enough for them, this time last year. We just can't win. When times are good we're unambitious dullards who won't take a chance in life. When times are hard we're jammy beggars who have it all sewn up.

 

[Ron Burgundy]

Presumably many of the same people who thought a public sector job wasn't good enough for them, this time last year. We just can't win. When times are good we're unambitious dullards who won't take a chance in life. When times are hard we're jammy beggars who have it all sewn up.

How true.

 

[PaddyW]

Here "You can have my rapidly falling pension"



By the way, does your 59 hour week include the time spent posting on AAM?

I said rapidly falling pension. I did not moan, I am fully aware that investment involves risks and that this is part of it.

I post on here as I am allowed do so. I do all my work first and when I have the time I post here. I would have more work to do, only it seems that we're in a recession, hence less work.