Every Cloud Has A Silver Lining
15-06-11
Wilt Portfolio
Oh boy – will these people never learn? Going on strike never works these days. Public sector finance and the overall UK budget are in a complete mess and we have public sector workers, teachers et al going out on strike to achieve what exactly?
The response of these public sector workers http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-13772326 will have no effect – really. Take it from Wilt the public sector pensions and service conditions are beyond the dreams of those in the private sector. And who funds the public sector? The private sector of course, unless someone can tell Wilt otherwise.
This goes beyond social work concerns – perhaps social care is a special case (Wilt admits it is) but something has to give. Wilt for one is fed up of hearing teachers who work only half a year complaining and of civil servants and local government officers thinking that the public will have sympathy with them – they won’t believe me.
Wilt Portfolio
What will be achieved will be a massive saving in salaries on those days they go on strike – I suppose every cloud has a silver lining.
The crisis in social care, in the public sector at least, is far less to do with economics and far more to do with the simple fact that it is a difficult profession to work within and hindered by a hostile public and, particularly, media environment. Yes we can blame the press and a few twats of the likes of Calleja and Plaskitt to a certain extent, but in reality the profession needs to sort out its own image.
Bringing local authority pensions, salaries and conditions of service into line with the private sector will not impact upon social care recruitment or retention (in the long term) in social care. Those who ‘can’, just get on with it, those who ‘cannot’ just wait out their days claiming sick leave for recurrent six month stints on full pay.
Wilt Portfolio
Do social workers need more sick leave? Well, if they do then solve the core issue and do not pass on the bill to Wilt who does not enjoy the opportunity to take sick leave, on full pay for six months – if he goes sick there is no money. No paid holidays either or his salary if he needs to do, for example, jury service. Least of all will his private pension be gold plated and when on holiday do you think he can claim off the taxpayer his equivalent earnings?
There is statutory sick pay and statutory minimum holidays – that is excellent but Wilt cannot understand why someone in local/central government service have far superior conditions of service to those in the private sector? No longer can it be argued that public sector workers are lower paid because that is a simple untruth. In fact, if anything, the opposite is true.
The prospective summer-autumn-winter of discontent will be, well, a mild irritation, we suspect. Civil servants and local authority staff do not hold the same kind of power that the miners had in the years prior to the Thatcher era – think on Brethren and Sisters before inviting even more stringent legislation to govern ‘industrial’ and trade union ‘powers.’ Scargill (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Scargill) failed – take note.
Wilt Portfolio
Wilt
Here we go again with the usual Wilt right wing Tory line on the public sector and their pay and conditions. Singling out teachers as working only half a year is facile and inaccurate. My experience of teachers is that they work damned hard in the face of substantial pressures. They also spend vast amounts of time out of hours in all manner of school activities and are often in school for part of their “holidays”. On the surface the holidays look a real perk but many would not trade in their more flexible time off for the longer traditional holidays. Teachers can’t just take a day off when they like and swan off to North Wales at a moment’s notice.
The changes to public service pensions are unacceptable and excessive – far better that changes should have been made much more gradually if really necessary. The fact that private sector pensions have “taken a beating” as Francis Maude put it, does not provide justification for downgrading the pension rights of others on the basis that public sector pensions should be made poorer to match the poor ones in the private sector. “Make everyone’s pensions as crap as possible” should the Tory mantra.
Quite honestly the idea that many professionals in the public sector, particularly in teaching and social work, should work to 65 and above is laughable. Both jobs are hugely stressful and few normal people could manage to perform these jobs for 40 or more years. The ludicrous changes to the proposed pension ages mean that, at precisely the time that people’s elderly parents will require help from their children, those same people will be having to work and will be unable to provide care for them.
Wilt has an uncharitable and reactionary view of the vast majority in the public sector. Yes some staff do take regular periods off on sick leave. If wilt was working in the public sector today he would not recognise the level of pressure and stress being felt by people in all types of jobs. It has become hugely worse recently and people who are up against it suffer ill health. Wilt has the good fortune to be working for himself, not some arsehole senior management bean counter in the public sector who makes his staff’s lives a misery. That might just explain the sick leave levels.
Wilt did say there may be a special case for social workers as there will be for the police, army and fire service: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-13800573 However, what Watchful has not explained is who he thinks are going to pay for these superior pensions?
Putting aside social workers, local government work aint no more stressful than the average jobs Joe Public does every day – but they do not get a huge holiday entitlement, seemingly endless fucking sick days and a whole host of other favourable conditions of service.
It has to stop and Wilt predicts it will stop – public servants are taking the piss.
And as for being out of touch, Wilt keeps in close touch with his wide range of work including being an interim manager on occasions and acting as a guardian – not all guardians are grounded but this one is.
Furthermore, you try running a business – do you think it is easy or without stress? Who pays him when he is sick or on holiday? The answer is no one. Does Watchful perhaps think that Wilt has relentlessly driven up his fees throughout this recession? He has not is the simple and short answer – indeed social work expert fees have been virtually halve by the legal aid people and hence much offers of work are declined.
Who pays for Wilt’s office, the electricity the heating and business rates? Oh look its Wilt again putting his hand in his wallet.
Oh and while you are it Wilt we want you to pay more tax so that we can continue to allow unsustainable central/local government pension schemes.
The answer is – take social work out of local government. Float it off into the private sector or the so called ‘third’ sector and let market forces determine its worth. All that a local authority should be is a commissioning agent (for all services) and that only requires a fraction of the workforce. That way the town hall could be turned into a museum where people can be amazed at the antiquated workings and the few remaining staff could be relocated to the bike shed.
Problem solved – then everyone can have the same kinds of pensions and conditions of service.
Wilt’s wallet aint a bottomless pit.
Wilt
Wilt I love it when you get angry. I also like the idea of you as a long haired socialist and angry young man. It just goes to show how we can change as we get older. I do appreciate that you work hard, that it isn’t a bed of roses for you in your work and that you stand on your own two feet.
The main thrust of my argument is that because private sector pensions have been made inferior and will leave many poorly off, this does not mean that public sector pensions should be related to the lowest common denominator, made inferior and relatively worthless too. Public pensions should set a high standard not reduce it in my opinion.
I disagree about allowing market forces to rule in local government and especially in the NHS. What would happen is that greedy people like the Southern Cross management would asset strip the whole business and then expect the government to take it back on because it was deemed too big to fail. It would just cost more in the end. I know where you are coming from but I disagree.
Keep up the good work. Might we have a posting soon from our Northern Ireland correspondent?
Wilt
I am slightly reticent about the technical aspects of trying to add a posting but mainly it is that I am so wrecked by the day’s travails at the coal face and with the impact all of the organisational changes that have been taking place that I don’t have the energy to strike out on my own as yet. All in good time. While I am here by the way my apologies to you for straying into giving you a touch of personal grief for your views on the public sector. I was slightly piqued as well as rather tired and fell below the standards of rational debate. No offence intended you are assured.
Actually it keeps the blood flowing Watchful – so keep it up. No apology required. The whole point is to throw around insults – this is where Wilt can vent some of his frustration or mock those who need it. Indeed, call it cathartic therapy!
Believe it not it also keeps those fools at the GSCC et al in order – they do read these postings, even without the help of Calleja. Other regulars are Ofsted, SCIE, the BBC and an assortment of newspapers – occasionally they even seek Wilt’s views.
So, carry on Old Chap.
Wilt