Possibly a little premature here, but after watching a Unison rep gloating about bringing the country to a halt later this year ("General Strike" was mentioned), I was wondering if anybody else would face the impossibility of getting to work in That London from the Surrey direction if the trains were out, and what we could do about it?
"Car sharing" springs to mind.
<plots bike route from Surrey to that London>
if practical, bike a couple of days plus work from home the others.
who would want to get to London if there was a general strike ?
shouldn't you be striking too 
Too far for me, allthepies. Got to get to Wapping.
Thanks, monkey. No.
Too far for me also - 37 miles.
Wondered if they'd look at a general strike, oh well I won't do a full strike. Work to rule maybe but never a walk out not in my job.
Still working to 66 that's going to rock.
Can someone set me straight on this please? One of the Tory chaps was mouthing off in parliament the other day, claiming that a "median income" (~£30k) worker in the public sector would retire (at 66 
) with a pension that would cost a private sector worker nearly £500,000 to purchase. Please tell me that isn't correct, cos if it is, I'll lose A HELL of a lot of respect for the people about to strike.
What about now?
FACT CHECK: Financial advisers Hargreaves Lansdown have calculated that private sector employees would need to build up a pension pot of £189,151 - equivalent to £6,300 each year for 30 years - to receive the average annual pension paid to civil servants.It estimates the equivalent comparative figures for NHS workers and teachers are £221,155 and £298,596.
I have no respect for people who strike! Want to be thankful they've got jobs!!
I don't understand the figures. Does that mean that NHS/Teachers need to put in a pot of £221-299k to get the same pension as a private worker with a £189k pot? Or does it mean that NHS/Teachers who pay in £6,300 a year end up with those pension pots?
Never mind. Read the Fact Chack. Cheers.
Does that mean that NHS/Teachers need to put in a pot of £221-299k to get the same pension as a private worker with a £189k pot?
This one, it'll be some Pension scheme to get that for £6.3k per year.
It does go on to say there's more to it than than that but this £500k claim is bold.
If public sector workers have got it all so cushty, why isn't there an avalanche of applications every time a clerks job is advertised in Jobcentre's, Benefits offices, NHS offices etc. I'll tell you why because the jobs themselves are low paid! The figures being bandied about by the Government on Pensions, and financial advisers commisioned by the government are total fiction. Some of them are based on someone drawing a pension until they are over 100, others are being based on Senior Civil Servants pension, of which there are very few compared to 'the masses' The Government will win, they will cut pensions, and they will reduce public sector pay and pensions even more. It will make marvelous headlines in papers like The Daily Fail, and whilst this is going on the farce of moving the services to the Private Sector will increase. I have seen a lot of Public Services move to the private sector, it costs more, produces worse results, particularly for customer service, but it all looks good politically. Soon you will get the public sector service you pay for!
I have no idea how much the average teacher pays into their pot so it's a little bit misleading as a statistic. For me to get the same pension as a teacher I'd need to save the £299k over my working life. It's a way of comparing there's with yours that people can set the general public against those striking (and then maybe towards the government).
The £500k claim will be a figure using index linking or expected increases in wages in line with inflation or similar to make it seem larger.
I have no respect for people who strike! Want to be thankful they've got jobs!!
Erm??? So just because they have jobs means they can't try to prevent their conditions from being eroded? What a strange concept....
If public sector workers have got it all so cushty, why isn't there an avalanche of applications every time a clerks job is advertised in Jobcentre's, Benefits offices, NHS offices etc. I'll tell you why because the jobs themselves are low paid!
This.
If public sector workers have got it all so cushty, why isn't there an avalanche of applications every time a clerks job is advertised in Jobcentre's, Benefits offices, NHS offices etc. I'll tell you why because the jobs themselves are low paid!
Don't remind me. First job, straight out of uni with a Chemistry degree, Admin Assistant with the Immigration Department. The heady heights of a £9,500 annual salary. It was like I'd died and gone to Money No Object Heaven 
I earned more working as a chef in a pub.
Nope not a strange concept to me. Just be thankful they're earning! Must be nice to have a pension!
it is odd most people think the great oension problem is the fact that people in the private sector
I can see why people who dont have as good a pension as a public sector person is jealous or resents the public sector employee for their pension provision. personally you should be petitioning parliament and MPS to make sure you get something decent in your old age rather than begrudging those who have. Still when millionaires who dont need pensions tell poor people it is unaffordable who are we to argue.
As a union rep you can do almost anythin gyou wanttp public sector workers and they will generally see the reason for it and take it on the chin. however when you mess with pensions they ALL become very militant. one of the teachers unions has never even had a strike ballot in over a century for example.
Part of the employment deal was the pension.
I note no one is begrudging or complaining about the army or the police who get far better pension deals than teachers or civil servants/teachers etc....odd that like the politicians realise who they will need onside in the upcoming battle.
I personally think the battle should be to make sure every person has access to decent pension provision which will require movement on all sides. Of course dave wont actually expect his chums in big business to make a contribution though he will go for the easy target of getting folk to hate public sector workers.
It will be messy IMHO.
Just be thankful they're earning!
and you wonder why we get shafted by employers and the private sectro has shit pensions...you let them get away with it. Look at France they dont **** with the workers there as they block the streets of Paris.
Must be nice to have a pension!
It is which is why we don't want it messed with. How many times have we seen Private Sector workers cry out for the Government to help because they're company pensioned failed. This is the same.
A Jobcentre manager with responsibility for literally millions of Pounds of taxpayers money, managing anything up to 70 staff earns less than a Manager of a small MacDonald s outlet (No disrespect to managers of MacDonald's) The outright lies being bandied about by the media under the Tories control is an absolute disgrace, it's nothing more than propaganda being put out by the Government so that the vast majority of the public will not support the Public Sector workers and that will leave the Tory millionaires free to kick the sh!t out of them until there is nothing left.
And anyway, why shouldn't there be well paid jobs with good pensions? Wouldn't you like one??
The Labour Party seems awfully quiet about all this. Why aren't they opposing the proposals ?
Nope not a strange concept to me.
Maybe your short-sightedness is why you apparently don't have one?
The Hutton report found the average pension payments - including workers and dependents - in 2009-10 were as follows:* Local government worker: £4,052
* NHS worker: £7,234
* Civil servant: £6,199
* Teacher: £9,806
* Member of armed forces: £7,722
Thats the reality. Pensions are not that fantastic on average - and all reducing pensions will do is put mote people into poverty and needing benefits. This will have a greater cost to the taxpayer.
Most public sector pension funds including the teachers have been reformed to make them sustainable and to limit the taxpayer contributions.
Its an ideological attack on the public sector - don't be conned.
The right wing media have built up a moral panic over this and have created a bogeyman for the Tories to attack.
the real pensions crisis is the private sector not providing decent pensions - thus the private sector workers will have to live their retirements on benefits ie at cost to the taxpayer. Its not the public sector that will cost the taxpayer in pensions, its the private sector
Why worry, 17% of you might not make it 
The chances of living past age 65 actually *increases* the longer one lives.
In the U.K. one's life expectancy is 77.8 years at birth, but increases to 79.3 by age 30, 79.9 by age 40, 80.9 by age 50, 82.6 by age 60, 85.2 by age 70, 89.2 by age 80, 95.0 by age 90, and 102.6 by age 100.
However, the death rate also increases (which is to be expected). At age 30, the death rate per 100,000 people is 111.4; at age 40, it's 233.4; at age 50,it's 520.8; at age 60, it's 1,136.9; at 70, it's 2,657.6; at age 80, it's 6,712; and at age 85 and older, it's 13,798.6.
Out of 100,000 people born in a given year, 83,057 (or 83.057%) should still be alive at age 65; but only 2,523 (or 2.523%) will be alive at age 100.
Would you not agree tho that the public sector is slightly bloated in some areas?? Surely this is where the cuts should/are/will be taking place?? I'm fortunate to have a reasonably paid job and I've worked hard to get there, but we cannot afford to put into a private pension. I don't sit whining about it, I go to work, don't throw bricks around in a strop and just get on with it!! I have no other choice!!
I'm fortunate to have a reasonably paid job and I've worked hard to get there, but we cannot afford to put into a private pension. I don't sit whining about it,
I'm fortunate to have a reasonably paid job and I've worked hard to get there, but we cannot afford to put into a private pension.
But, if the norm was for greater employer contributions in the private sector, recognising the value of their workforce, you wouldn't have this problem.
I don't sit whining about it, I go to work, don't throw bricks around in a strop and just get on with it!! I have no other choice!!
And that may just be the reason why you do have the problem...
"What Sir? Bend over Sir? Certainly Sir...."
Would you not agree tho that the public sector is slightly bloated in some areas
I'm sure it is, but it's blindingly obviously under-resourced in others. This is also not what the discussion is about.
Double post???
There has to be savings made to pay for the mistakes of the Financial world, but don't be fooled by the very slick Tory propaganda machine. Those savings do not have to come from the pockets of some of the countries most loyal servants, those who make the public services of this country the envy of the world - the public sector workers.
I'm off the Mountain mayhem to de-stress!
Double post???
Nope, just two people, who often seem to have diametrically-opposed views on STW agreeing. Must mean we're serious!
How can a small company as ours is, afford to also pay into a pension. And yes I'll enjoy drawing my pension when I'm entitled to it and for whatever it's worth. I'd love to know what percentage of subbies in the building trade had pensions!! I think you'd find it to be a very small number!!
I'm fortunate to have a reasonably paid job....but we cannot afford to put into a private pensionSurely that is your choice as to how you spend your money, or save!
As for your other comments, don't they equally apply to many/most working the public sector, or do you just assume that public sector workers don't work as hard as you?
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