Strike!!!

[Twinfan]

What a LOT of people don't appreciate is that the company/public sector department IS THE BOSS.  They have to run their company/department as they see fit, and changes in terms and conditions are needed from time to time for companies/departments to survive.  Their job isn't to keep employees happy, it's to run a succesful "business" in whatever form that takes (within the boundaries of UK law).

If you don't like the changes/terms/conditions, put up with it or get another job.  Simple as that.

[MrBump]

What a LOT of people don't appreciate is that the company/public sector department IS THE BOSS.  They have to run their company/department as they see fit, and changes in terms and conditions are needed from time to time for companies/departments to survive.  Their job isn't to keep employees happy, it's to run a succesful "business" in whatever form that takes (within the boundaries of UK law).

If you don't like the changes/terms/conditions, put up with it or get another job.  Simple as that.

I get what you're saying, but it's not entirely correct - often the public sector is enhanced in areas where there's week private sector/other industry to maintain employment.  Otherwise you'd have disproportionately large(r) areas of unemployment in the North/South.

[MisterMuncher]

...get another job.  Simple as that.

Would that it were that simple, eh?

[Transcend]

Right I work for the NHS BSA

We pay all the hositals,dentists,chemists,doctors etc for the work they day and for everything that is prescribed.

Now that i've broken the no#1 work rule of not being allowed to say where i work or what we do ill go on to blag a bit more :D

I myself am striking today purely because the deal is

They want us to pay MORE into the pension fund and get LESS out than we currently would.

It also puts our retirement age up from 45 or 55  to whatever the standard is for everyone else.

We've had massive redundancies and rehiring to cover when they workload increased which seems retarded.

I personally dont see why private pensions should be the same as a state one in terms of what you get out as if everyone isnt happy with the state pension why dont they just go and take out a private one of their own and benefit in the same way? the simple answer is they're lazy bar-stewards and just want everything given to them.

And also these "changes" in terms and conditions are nothing to do with running a succesful business or anything its just the government wanting a bigger cut pure and simple and wanting everyone to be working longer so they can grab more taxes out of them.

As it is im losing £6,000 if these changes come in just from my pension alone not to mention the payrise freeze and the fact all inner promotion has been put on hold for the next five years already which has royally screwed my plans over.

[Transcend]

Another point as well the changes to make the business run better and more succesful have already been made last year.

As in the 300+ staff they made redundant and the fact overtime was canned and payrises stopped.

Oh and there are more cuts coming up again also due to "business needs" but i dont mind those as they are neccesary.

Also i know this affects some people negatively such as myself.

I was meant to be in the hospital today for some screening and consultations regarding my cataract removal. This got cancelled due to the strikes. But i don't really care as it can always be rebooked and i know it's because they are focusing on critical cases only today & i respect why they are doing it.

[nfe]

Quite straightforward. Asking people to accept forced contractual changes without question is wrong. Forcing contrctual changes requiring them to pay more and receive less particularly so.

Upper echelons of the public sector are indeed on extremely high wages (though saying they are paid more highly than equivalent private sector jobs is false) and it'd be nice to see them supporting the strikes and taking part, but offering to take cuts to ease cuts on the lower paid, not that it'll happen. Nor would it be taken seriously by government, sadly cuts to the low-paid-many reduces expenditure far more than cuts to the high-paid-few.

If you don't like the changes/terms/conditions, put up with it or get another job.  Simple as that.

I despair. Presumably we should never complain about any government actions, we can always go to another country.

[Transcend]

Quite straightforward. Asking people to accept forced contractual changes without question is wrong. Forcing contrctual changes requiring them to pay more and receive less particularly so.

Upper echelons of the public sector are indeed on extremely high wages (though saying they are paid more highly than equivalent private sector jobs is false) and it'd be nice to see them supporting the strikes and taking part, but offering to take cuts to ease cuts on the lower paid, not that it'll happen. Nor would it be taken seriously by government, sadly cuts to the low-paid-many reduces expenditure far more than cuts to the high-paid-few.

If you don't like the changes/terms/conditions, put up with it or get another job.  Simple as that.

I despair. Presumably we should never complain about any government actions, we can always go to another country.

The top manager at my place who is on £60k minimum was out there on the picket lines taking part today.

Also the higher paid part is actually being looked into they are having a HUGE reform at the NHS pensions dept as over 50% of the staff are on band 5 payscales which is far too high for the work they do.

These people have actually been asked to negotiations to discuss the problem and most have agreed that they get paid too highly and some have even opted to be moved down 2 bands.

[nfe]

Good stuff.

Still all Public Sector good for nothing, made-up-jobs parasite, of course  :roll:

[Roobubba]

Roo - do you make your Cancer drugs on that science park near Abingdon?  I've got a mate that does similar...

No mate, I work for an academic institution in and near London (but still live in Oxford). We're funded by charities (mainly CRUK) and the usual academic streams such as research councils and Wellcome, also we get a decent proportion of our funding from HEFCE, who have cut our funding for two consecutive periods now, despite us coming top or near-top in every government 'league table' that applies to us.

Hmm maybe I should be going on strike, too... :D

[Twinfan]

Quite straightforward. Asking people to accept forced contractual changes without question is wrong. Forcing contrctual changes requiring them to pay more and receive less particularly so.

If they're not breaking any laws, they have every right to do what's needed to support the "business".  Employees have to realise that the boss is THE BOSS.  They decide what happens within the boundaries of the law, morals or previous arrangements don't come into it.

If you don't like the changes/terms/conditions, put up with it or get another job.  Simple as that.

I despair. Presumably we should never complain about any government actions, we can always go to another country.

Err, yep!  The government was formed as per the voting rules, so they have the power to do what they think is right.

...get another job.  Simple as that.

Would that it were that simple, eh?

I know it's not always that easy, but there are options out there - other companies, other industries, retraining etc.  And at least these striking people have a job, they should be very grateful for that in the current climate.

[nfe]

Quite straightforward. Asking people to accept forced contractual changes without question is wrong. Forcing contrctual changes requiring them to pay more and receive less particularly so.

If they're not breaking any laws, they have every right to do what's needed to support the "business".  Employees have to realise that the boss is THE BOSS.  They decide what happens within the boundaries of the law, morals or previous arrangements don't come into it.

Ah, the glory of capitalism, eh? "The letter of the law allows me to fuck you over, so I'll be damned if I'm not going to make a proper job of it."

If you don't like the changes/terms/conditions, put up with it or get another job.  Simple as that.

I despair. Presumably we should never complain about any government actions, we can always go to another country.

Err, yep!  The government was formed as per the voting rules, so they have the power to do what they think is right.

I find this more than an alarming statement.

[Stevepage]

I didn't see many picket lines today. I did how ever see very busy shops.....

[Doctor X]

If they're not breaking any laws, they have every right to do what's needed to support the "business".  Employees have to realise that the boss is THE BOSS.  They decide what happens within the boundaries of the law, morals or previous arrangements don't come into it.

By the same measure the "employees" are legally entitled to show "the boss" that a) they won't put up with being walked over, and b) the "business" is nothing without them.  After all, if the boss was to disappear tomorrow the business would continue to work as normal.  If all the workers disappeared then it wouldn't.  The workforce has every right to come together to voice their disatisfaction and show their power.  I say good luck to them.

[Elliot]

We should all remember that sanctity of contract was pleaded by the government (admittedly the last one) as the reason why the bankers at banks that the tax payers had to bail out still got their bonuses.  Perhaps the difference is one of magnitude - you can risk taking legal action against the government if the breach of contract is going to pay out £1million but not if it is £6k.

[Twinfan]

Ah, the glory of capitalism, eh? "The letter of the law allows me to fuck you over, so I'll be damned if I'm not going to make a proper job of it."

Them's the rules.

Err, yep!  The government was formed as per the voting rules, so they have the power to do what they think is right.

I find this more than an alarming statement.

I'll admit I'm not interested in politics in the slightest, but to my layman eyes that's how I see it.

So educate me - why is it a "more than alarming statement"?