Sometimes it’s difficult to grasp exactly what planet some people live on. We’re in the midst of one of the deepest and worst recessions ever, companies are falling down around people’s feet, and unemployment is creeping towards 3 million. The private sector has been hit incredibly hard.
And yet the public sector (or at least the Unions) feel that they should be immune to any such problems, and not only should have their jobs protected, but also feel that pay rises should be honoured.
To coin a phrase my dad might use, it beggars belief.
It’s frankly unbelievable that people can be so myopic. The public sector is over-populated, under-skilled and full of needless bureaucratic layers that have only served to keep people in work. The sector as a whole puts a massive strain on the public purse.
We’re told that taxpayers’ moneypot is running on fumes, that public debt is at an all time high, and that we’re close to bankrupting Great Britain Plc. Yet, despite this, the Trade Unions fail to acknowledge that job losses and even pay cuts are inevitable for their sector.
Get with the real world!
In times like this, job losses and pay cuts are a fact of life. You also expose all the weaknesses of any employment system, and unfortunately the public sector is shining like a beacon in this respect.
It appears that Unions feel that making threats is the way forward. The “you either give us what we want or we’ll cripple you” approach simply shouldn’t be tolerated. Equally, I’m not saying that employers have the right to impose any conditions they want on employees, but it’s important to remember that we have laws to protect the interest of our workforce.
A great example of this happened over the weekend. When faced with the fact that the Royal Mail had recruited 30,000 temps for the Christmas run in to clear up the mess that industrial action has caused (and acknowledging that 80,000 people had applied for the roles), Billy Hayes from the Communication Workers Union said it was bully boy tactics designed to frighten its members.
Well, probably.
However, it’s a stark reality that there are plenty of people out there willing to take their jobs – with the current working conditions – should the strikers lose theirs.
What Billy fails to see is that by ordering his members to strike after a ballot, they are using the very same bully boy tactics to get exactly what they want. These are extraordinary times in an extraordinary situation, however it’s about time that the public sector saw the light.
Striking is not the way to go. All it does is alienate the sector as a whole against the private sector that have suffered a lot over the last 12 months.
Recruitment conditions and the job market have radically changed in recent times. We all want everyone to be in work, but right now that can’t happen. And it’s a competitive market out there for employers looking to snaffle some bargain staff. Which makes the talk of pay rises and long term job security even more baffling!
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Tags: jobs, pubic sector, recruitment, Unemployment
Well said mate! Why should the Public sector be any different to the private? Im with you all the way on this one!
You’ve missed the point that the managers’ union, Unite, yesterday told it’s members that they shouldn’t be acting outside of their contracts of employment in taking on some of the duties of the striking workers to help clear the backlog, as it was ‘below them’.
Absolutely staggering. We’re becoming a very sloppy country where we believe everything should be given to us on a plate. I was made redundant 2 months ago and have struggled to make ends meet – maybe the post workers should try that before striking. They ought to be greatful that they have a job!
As someone who has worked in the public sector over the past 20 years and seeing people with less ability and experience in the private sector receiving more money for doing less – I think it is about time to balance things up. The mess our economy is in is from the private sector overspending and over borrowing – highlighted by the number of companies that have gone bust. Public services are an essential part of the economy and workers need protecting – hence the need for Unions. Whilst I feel that strike action is somewhat over the top and should be prevented wherever possible, threatening and undermining a Union is not the answer.
They know what the wages are when they start, so they shouldn’t strike. If i said i was going on strike i’d get the sack. I would sack the jokers!!!
Im unemployed and will take any job I can! Give me the job they dont want!!!!!