6 hour day? How do you think the lessons get planned, how do you think the work gets marked? I have worked in an office job and as a teacher and I can tell you which one is more demanding without hesitation. Come and do my job teaching 18 lessons in one week including the planning, preparation and marking of the 125 essays as well. Let me know how you get on.
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6 hour day? How do you think the lessons get planned, how do you think the work gets marked? I have worked in an office job and as a teacher and I can tell you which one is more demanding without hesitation. Come and do my job teaching 18 lessons in one week including the planning, preparation and marking of the 125 essays as well. Let me know how you get on.
Simon Morgan
New member
I work at a Grammar School as a kind of History department photocopying/textbook-fixing/cupboard-tidying slave. My boss (HoD) has gone on strike, as have a few of the other teachers in the dept. I technically can't as I'm not part of any Unions (not that I would have done anyway). Oh well, what better way to enjoy the sun than sit in an office guillotining pieces of card for Sports Day for hours on end! 
Postman Pat
Well-known member
beorhthelm
A. Virgo, Football Genius
- Jul 21, 2003
- 35,860
which highlights the real question: why do the teachers unions not campaign and go on strike over the issues of working practices and methods, which dont help the profession and are slowly deteriorating the eduction standards.
Spiros
Well-known member
The black hole in the countries finances which now needs to be filled was largely created in the years up to 2010, when the tories were not in power. The coalition - for that's what it is, not a tory government - are now trying to prevent us going the way of Greece. Also the tories did not bail out the banks, Labour did. Given that many thousands of people work in the banking sector in this country, a sector which generates money into the UK economy it was probably best that they did so. However some of their actions also cost many thousands of people a lot of money. Unlike the cossetted public sector workers those of us in the private sector have to make our own provisions for pension. A large slice of that depends on the stock market including the banking shares which took such a hammering. So please spare us the 'public sector, we're so hard done by' crap. I had my pension slashed in 1998 and retirement date put back steadily over the last few years and have had to pay more for less for more than 10 years now. The reality is that we are ALL living longer so ALL need to work some of that extra time to fund it properly - wake up and smell the coffee.
Mileoakman
Well-known member
Sorry but thats bollocks. Yes I can decide to go to Sainsburys instead of Tesco's but its the same result wherever I shop. As my family will still need to eat I will be paying towards financing whoever it is, even the local greengrocer down the road! Perhaps you could tell me how I can fill up my car without paying something towards the pension schemes of Oil companies, use electricity or gas without 'subsidising' their pension pot, etc, etc.
Anyway according to the latest figures the current Public Sector pension schemes cost 1.9% of GDP. Doing nothing towards altering them it automatically falls to 1.3% over the next 60 years. Seems like theirs no need to do anything then.
15,000 of them are losing their jobs which to me seems a bit of a sacrifice.
EDIT - beaten to it !
sten_super
Brain Surgeon
Er, you've completely missed the point, or I haven't explained myself very well. I'm not saying you don't need to eat (that would be weird), but that you have a choice over which company you give your business to. If you don't like the behaviour of one firm you can avoid them. You can't chose to fund only the 'good' or 'worthwhile' parts of the public sector, the choice is taken away from you.
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Gazwag
5 millionth post poster
Well done, my wife works in the health sector and left at 7am for work this morning (she only works about 8 miles away so not much traveliing time) and I'm not expecting her home until 8pm tonight, if she's lucky, and the same tomorrow, she had her final salary pension taken away three years ago, so forgive me for not feeling sorry for your wife.
alan partridge
Active member
This is quite weird. Glad I don't live on your street.
Deportivo Seagull
I should coco
Haven't the time to trawl through all the posts so apologies if this has already been mentioned. For every five pounds I pay council tax one pound goes directly to providing pensions, that is unsustainable. I speak as an ex pension fund trusty, something has to change because if it doesn't future government will be in a position where they will have significant issues in honouring peoples pensions. Private DB schemes have been closed or shutdown because if they weren't companies could go the wall. The running joke is the BA is a pension fund with an airline attached. The Post Office deficit is in the region of 8 billion pounds, the public sector is no different accept it is paid for by the tax payer. Normally I'm very sympathetic to the 'workers' but in this case you've picked the wrong fight.
BTW, politics should be kept out of this, it is more important than that. For what it's worth I wouldn't let this government run a bath. Completely clueless
BTW, politics should be kept out of this, it is more important than that. For what it's worth I wouldn't let this government run a bath. Completely clueless
There are many private sector companies that are effective monopolies though. We all know that a combination of ignorance, lethargy and high switching costs mean that consumers rarely switch their banks, utilities etc, and when I travel to work each day I have no choice but to use the one rail company providing a service.
Gordon the Gopher
Active member
My wife is also a teacher and just left for the level. It is the first time her union has gone on strike in their 127 year old history. She easily works 60 hours in a week, The govt have said they are going to do the following to our family without any negotiation.
Put up her contributions by more than 50 per cent – from 6.4 per cent to 9.8 per cent of salary = £100 a month
Make her work to 68
Cut her total pot by 1/5
Refuse to provide proof that the teacher's pension even runs with a deficit.
Carry on giving tax breaks to the top 1% of earners in this country that if reapplied would equate to a bloody big chunk of your average public sector workers recent pay cuts.
Well she's got my support!
Put up her contributions by more than 50 per cent – from 6.4 per cent to 9.8 per cent of salary = £100 a month
Make her work to 68
Cut her total pot by 1/5
Refuse to provide proof that the teacher's pension even runs with a deficit.
Carry on giving tax breaks to the top 1% of earners in this country that if reapplied would equate to a bloody big chunk of your average public sector workers recent pay cuts.
Well she's got my support!
severnside gull
Well-known member
Great thread! NSC at its best. Totally polarised. Balance of informed and uninformed. Passionate. Opinionated. Even some considered arguments. It's got everything...................................... looking forward to it running and running.
MikeySmall
Well-known member
I don't expect anyone to feel sorry for her! Just people need to get facts right before slating. IMHO these strikes are ridiculous. But then again I work for myself so have to sort out my own pension!
Mileoakman
Well-known member
No sorry but you've still lost me. As I have to eat, drive a car and use power/water etc I don't have a choice. Whoever I end up using I pay towards their pension scheme. I therefore do not have a choice if I want to live a normal existence. How on earth can I choose anyway between the 'good' and 'bad' private companies as they don't supply enough detail for me to make that choice even if I could.
Ask the 15000 Lloyds employees losing their jobs this year... after ther 25000 in the last couple of years.
Tesco in Disguise
Where do we go from here?
yes, me.