We may have already done this so apologies

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-13329634

Sort of flies in the face of recieved wisdom that the public sector’s benefits are justified due to the lower levels of basic pay, or is this all a right wing plot to justify cutting public sector spending…………..

I don’t feel richer, not with a 2 year pay freeze in place. Don’t think this average is comparing ‘like for like’ jobs, in terms of reponsibility, qualifications, workload etc…

<awaits the bitter rants from the usual suspects>

EDIT: Oh it does do a like for like comparison, supposedly. So what are they comparing my job as a secondary school teacher to? Being in charge of the fruit and veg department at Tesco?

Can someone put the kettle on? I’ll just pop out for some biscuits and a lemon. Can’t go drinking Earl Grey without lemon, you know.

This regular get trotted out in papers but it’s not usually that simple.

A little blog entry here from Ben Goldacre not on this particular press release but a very similar one last year.

If you want to be trusted more: claim less

Captain be a dear and get me some jaffa cakes x

It’s been common knowledge for a few years hasn’t it?

Proper Yorkshire tea for me, ta.

Gets some rich tea (can’t afford hobnobs anymore)

Another thoroughly researched and detailed ‘survey’ for you:

Apples are more like pears than oranges

Anyway

*grabs the STW Conch Shell of Indigence to summon the usual suspects to the forum*

The centre-right Policy Exchange said…

Would that be the same Policy Exchange who also suggested:

There is no realistic prospect that our [Northern] regeneration towns can converge with London and the South East. There is, however, a very real prospect of encouraging significant numbers of people to move from those towns to London and the South East…Britain will be unambiguously richer if we allow more people to live in London and its hinterland

It said the gap between equivalent workers in both sectors was more than 30% when based on hourly pay.

gawd bless Unions
GRUM what you on about anyway footie Sunday 😆

What a load of bollocks (and no I don’t work in the public sector).

Junkyard – I think you’ve pasted a bit into the wrong thread 😉

My peer in ‘green’ issues at Bolton council earned £12k more than me I saw her job advertised, BUT, she now has no job and mine is funded for another 3 years by BIG so its actually safer in the 3rd sector these days I don’t envy the uncertainty.

My friend who’s a town planner had everyone in her office choose to go down 4 days so she didn’t lose her job and they could stay as team, not sure I’d have got that from my colleagues when I worked in the private sector…..BUT there are a lot of ring fenced jobs there who still get full salary till retirement age even if they get rid of them do they still do that??? surely not???

From Policy Exchange’s About Us page:

We are particularly interested in free market and localist solutions to public policy questions.

Bet they love Dave’s plans for the NHS too.

I’m sure the survey is indeed a load of bollocks, as most of them seem to be, but it’s not all peachy in the private sector. As far as I can tell, most of us in this large blue-chip have had bugger all by way of a pay rise for 5+ years, though we have received a steady erosion of benefits, which was nice.

“Hello, Policy Exchange. Oh hello Dave”

“ok, ok, yes, I think we can do that. You want us to conduct a survey to reach the following conclusions. Obviously we won’t be too fussy about how we arrive at them as they won’t be analysed anyway. Its just to give more fuel to the mentallists at the Mail and the Telegraph”

“Yep, no problem. We’ll have that sorted by the end of the week. Invoice to Lord Acshcroft at the usual Belize address?”

I work for a charity, and we haven’t had a pay rise (even an inflationary one) in 2 and a bit years – we have just had to reapply for our jobs with worse contracts – but I know loads of people in similar positions in the public sector who have been laid off, and the rest have had pay freezes, reduced hours etc.

Direct front line staff, like nurses, police, teachers, social workers etc, are all worth their salaries IMO. Its meddling faceless back-room staff at Councils that I have no sympathy for. Sorry. All council salaries should be made public, so we can see exactly where our money goes. For every £30k salary thats 20 lots of council tax, just to pay that salary.

But, I cant help but think the BBC have these self-critical stories in a slow-news story bank for promoting discussion occasionally.

I’m going to get laughed at for saying this, but many people in the public sector work much harder than their peers (on a similar wage) in the private sector.

Mrs Daz is a social worker and she comes home exhausted, and doesn’t every have time for a lunch break, whereas I work for a consultancy programming computers and rarely go home thinking ‘that was a hard day’. I know what you’re thinking, that I’m a lazy git but I assure you that’s not the case (spouting rubbish on here notwhithstanding!). Same goes for teachers, how many people in the private sector work 12-13 hour days?

Must be another attack on Public Sector T&Cs on the way, or another wave of redundancies.

Amazingly enough, that’s when this sort of “survey” or “report” usually floats to the surface.

Usual Tory ‘Divide and Conquer’ guff. The fact is we’re ALL getting shafted by this lot, and they’ve barely started yet. The last thing they would want is any solidarity between the private and public sector employees

Expect a lot more of this drivel. Probably saying the exact opposite when they’ve finished with the public sector and they move their attention back to riding rough-shod over workers rights in the private sector. Namely, after they’ve privatised everything.

You don’t have to be very bright to see the (not-very) hidden machinations at work here

How can you have solidarity? The public sector is paid out of the private sector’s tax bill.

If the public sector earns more than the private sector there isn’t enough money in the system.

Pretty basic stuff.

That artcile seems very much like manipulating some vaguely related statistics to try to make a point to justify further incoming cuts to jobs in the public sector.

there isn’t enough money in the system.

Pretty basic stuff.

FTFY.

Now, tea?

one sweetener for me please dear…

How can you have solidarity? The public sector is paid out of the private sector’s tax bill.

If the public sector earns more than the private sector there isn’t enough money in the system.

Pretty basic stuff.

Dont public sector workers pay tax then?

What a thoroughly in depth report. 🙄

PSW, who attend their place of work are onto a good little earner, with early retirement, nice comfy offices and all and everything supplied to them and funded by the tax payer.

Then we have the tradesman, who provides his own tools, his own training, his own health and safety clothing, and possibly even his ownb transport and pension.

Nearly all council services can and should be privatised, at market rate wages.

Dont public sector workers pay tax then?

No, they don’t contribute to tax. How can they? They’re paid from tax revenue.

If the public sector earns more than the private sector there isn’t enough money in the system.

If your arithmetic skills are this weak then this may be one debate to stay away from.

No, they don’t contribute to tax. How can they? They’re paid from tax revenue.

Tell that to my wife 😀

5th elefant I take it you never use any public sector services, like say schools hospitals roads etc?

Who pays these “think tanks”?

5th elefant I take it you never use any public sector services, like say schools hospitals roads etc?

I’m not sure what that’s got to do with anything?

No, they don’t contribute to tax. How can they? They’re paid from tax revenue.

Tell that to my wife

In fairness if your wages are paid for out of tax then paying tax is a bit meaningless as you are just returning money back to the people who paid it to you in the first place. I’ve sometimes wondered if it might not be simpler (and cheaper) for those in the public sector to be paid less but just not bother with the whole paying tax for precisely this reason. There are no doubt good reasons that I’ve not thought of as to why this isn’t a good idea.

I agree with you on this bit though Dazh

If your arithmetic skills are this weak then this may be one debate to stay away from.

I’m not sure what that’s got to do with anything?

If you object to “your” tax paying public sector wages you should also object to funding public services, no?
It amount to the same thing you know.

er….so?

I’ve sometimes wondered if it might not be simpler (and cheaper) for those in the public sector to be paid less but just not bother with the whole paying tax for precisely this reason.

It would make a lot more sense.

Don’t public sector bodies have to pay fuel duty too (public cars/ambulances etc)? Barking mad.

If you object to “your” tax paying public sector wages you should also object to funding public services, no?

I haven’t said I object. I’ve suggested there’s a finite amount of money available proportional to the tax paid by the public sector.

I’m a Paramedic. My sister in law works in a call centre. We get paid the same. Public sector managers may be grossly overpaid, but you can’t beat the workers with that stick.

pedalhead – Member

I’m sure the survey is indeed a load of bollocks, as most of them seem to be, but it’s not all peachy in the private sector. As far as I can tell, most of us in this large blue-chip have had bugger all by way of a pay rise for 5+ years, though we have received a steady erosion of benefits, which was nice.

Sound like we work in the same place