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so we end up paying more for a bunch of people too idle to seek either better jobs or better qualifications.
Quote from: Snoopy on July 16, 2008, 08:06:39 AM so we end up paying more for a bunch of people too idle to seek either better jobs or better qualifications. I work fffing hard I'll have you know - as in any place of employment, whether in the public or private sector, there will always be those that don't. In fact dealing with the public on a daily basis and not being on manslaughter charges already is something I am quite proud of.Do I agree with the strike action - no - I don't think there is much leverage to get more than has been offered and now is not the time to take a stand. I appreciate how the strike action may inconvenience many but to be honest there are not many times when people or services from the 'Clownschool' are appreciated anyway.
Thousands of council staff are striking over pay in their biggest campaign of industrial unrest for years, forcing schools to close and hitting services.Employers say 100,000 Unison and Unite members in England, Wales and N Ireland have joined the 48-hour action - but the unions put the figure at 500,000.Unions say the rising cost of food and petrol effectively makes a 2.45% pay offer a pay cut, and they want 6%.Council employers say they have reached the "limit of what is affordable".Meanwhile, members of the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS), who include driving test examiners and coastguard control room staff, are also striking in a separate row over their below-inflation pay offer.The union estimates up to 5,000 driving tests across the UK may have been cancelled by the end of Wednesday.Town hall servicesThe Local Government Association (LGA), the organisation representing local councils, said it estimated that about 8% of the workforce directly affected by the pay dispute was on strike - or just over 100,000 people. The pounds in local government workers' pockets are turning to penniesDave PrentisUnisonIs your council hit by the strike?Send us your commentsStrikes hit services countrywideIt said a snapshot survey of councils showed north-east and north-west England were suffering the greatest disruption to services.Unison estimated that a total of about 11,000 schools had been shut, but the LGA said just 452 were completely closed and 159 partially closed.Services affected across England, Wales and Northern Ireland include: * One in three schools in Wales closed * A third of all households in Southampton will not have their rubbish collected this week * Flights cancelled at Northern Ireland's council-run City of Derry Airport * Bristol City Museum and Art Gallery closed * Main libraries in Leicester and Leeds city centres closed * Torpoint to Plymouth ferry service cancelled Hundreds of workers have also taken part in protest marches in cities including Brighton, Bristol, Cardiff and Newcastle.Workers in Scotland are not on strike, but the Scottish secretary of Unison, Matt Smith, said a walkout was planned unless councils agreed to renegotiate their pay offer.BBC News employment correspondent Martin Shankleman said the strikes were the biggest challenge yet to the government's tough line on public sector pay.'Breadline'Average basic salaries in councils in England and Wales vary greatly. Figures from the LGA show a cleaner earns £12,732 a year, a refuse collector £15,685, and a planning officer £27,561. AVERAGE ANNUAL SALARIESRoad sweeper: £14,430Teaching assistant: £15,530Care worker: £17,088Sports coach: £21,411Librarian: £22,388Building control officer: £29,840*LGA figures for England and WalesUnison general secretary Dave Prentis said more than 250,000 of its members earned less than the basic rate of £6 per hour."The pounds in local government workers' pockets are turning to pennies," he said."The cost of everyday essentials like milk, bread, petrol, gas and electricity are going through the roof - our members cannot afford to take another cut in their pay."Unite national officer Peter Allenson said its members were "living on the breadline".But one council worker in south-east England, who broke the picket line and did not want to be named, said the pay offer was good in the "current economic climate"."In local government we are guaranteed a pay rise every year and over the last 10 years, it has varied between 2.5% and 3% - people in the private sector don't get anywhere near that."The RPI inflation measure - often used as a benchmark in pay negotiations - is currently 4.6%.Service cutsJan Parkinson, managing director of Local Government Employers (LGE), which was created by the LGA in 2006, said: "Our greatest asset is our staff but we have simply reached the limit of what is affordable.Council workers on strike"We remain willing to talk to the unions on a constructive basis about the future employment conditions of our workforce but this week's strikes will not change the fact that our last offer was our final offer."John Ransford, LGA deputy chief executive, said councils would have to put up council tax or cut services in order to meet the pay demand.
Shall I bring you back something stronger than a stick of rock
