To the muppets picketing at Distillery Road, Newcastle (NUIG) today....

ceepeedee

Intimidator wrote: »

I was at Distillery Road picketing. Try it man, you'll see where it gets you.

Potentially a lifetime of angst over a needless death or maiming, but I think he understands that already. Nice handle, btw.

HarryD

No sympathy for public sector workers. The public sector is notorioulsy inefficient.
Now getting paid more than their counterparts in the private sector. All the folk that were harping on about benchmarking have suddenly become quiet. One-way benchmarking ???

mike kelly

Will the muppets be on Distillery road again today? I'll go along for a look as I haven't seen them in years. It would be great to see the Swedish Chef being run over by an irate motorist, I can't stand him.

PomBear

po0k wrote: »

Why aren't the unions calling for a sliding scale of paycuts?

ie. an administrator on 200,000 takes a 25% paycut, a cleaner on 20,000 takes a 2% cut?

As for frontline staff, I have every sympathy for them. I wouldn't do their job, couldn't put up with the stuff they face day in, day out.
Compare board meetings with cutting kids out of wreckage.

This thread is in danger of being locked.

John, did you wind down your window and tell em where you were trying to go?
Or did you communicate via morse-horn?

People were calling to be treated fairly.

I support Sinn Féin's pre budget submission, worth a read

mike kelly

These protestors are more interested in Me Fein than Sinn Fein

PomBear

mike kelly wrote: »

These protestors are more interested in Me Fein than Sinn Fein

aren't we all to be honest?
it's not as if you wouldn't take a public sector job because of the benefits they get.

mike kelly

Exactly. Everyone needs to fight their own corner. What's the point in helping to get the country back on it's feet if the government and it's speculator and banker frineds are just going to start robbing us all over again. Cuts needs to start at the top.
Sinn fein have no interest in helping ordinary people, these are just using the economic crisis for their own ends.

PomBear

mike kelly wrote: »

Exactly. Everyone needs to fight their own corner. What's the point in helping to get the country back on it's feet if the government and it's speculator and banker frineds are just going to start robbing us all over again. Cuts needs to start at the top.
Sinn fein have no interest in helping ordinary people, these are just using the economic crisis for their own ends.

How exactly aren't they helping ordinary people or atleast trying to?

You should read the submission

Madame Razz

JohnCleary wrote: »

Oh the irony.

At least she didn't have far to go :pac:

For shame this made me LOL:p

PomBear wrote: »

They're getting pay cuts and redundancies like the rest of us

A permanent public sector worker can't be made redundant.

PomBear

Madame Razz wrote: »

A permanent public sector worker can't be made redundant.

Thats simply untrue

take your pick
http://www.google.ie/search?hl=en&q=public+sector+redundancies&start=0&sa=N

Webbs

HarryD wrote: »

No sympathy for public sector workers. The public sector is notorioulsy inefficient.
Now getting paid more than their counterparts in the private sector. All the folk that were harping on about benchmarking have suddenly become quiet. One-way benchmarking ???

Just a quick question and this is genuine as I couldnt see the info I wanted on that link.
What is the average level of education attained within the industrial compared to public sector as this would have a large effect on any direct pay comparisons?

Webbs

Jack Daniels I wrote: »

i have zero sympathy for public sector workers.ive had savage tax increases and have no job security.
Tax increases were for all, thats why the tax system is the most equitable way of generating income for the state. Not everyone in the public sector has job security

i cant plan my future.the whole public system is a joke.departments opening at 9 or 10,going for an hour or more break and then closing at 2 or 3!!schoolkids work harder than that for christ sake.
I am usually in work before 8.30 and leave somewhere around 6ish quite often leaving after 7 (and no I dont get any overtime). Which departments open the hours you describe?

its so inefficient from top to bottom.FAS is an absolute disgrace for example all the money they have wasted.
Couldnt agree more FAS was run by individuals who played the system in a corrupt manner, that doesnt mean that everyone who works for that organisation was of a similar mind. Inefficiencies are endemic throughout Public Sectors and the majority of employees would prefer a simpler more streamlined system - that should have been done when there were good times but FF prefered to buy votes from all sectors with their budgetry promises

i work in an industry with lean six sigma as the core basis.this is basically eliminating any waste from a business or manufacturing process.we could use this for cost reduction, improved cycle time and delivery right across the entire public sector.yes its not pretty but it means these guys will work for their wage.
I assume from this that you believe that no one in the public sector works at all and that all they do is sit around and play solitaire all day.
Isnt that just media spin, ask yourself why something like Newstalk has the agenda it does playing one sector off against the other by constant critiscism of the public sector! Within most work environments there are people who don't pull their weight and admittedly in an organisation with perceived job security there are those that will hide away and not do their work, do you think that these people are liked within their own departments etc? There is need for a major overhaul of the system but that is not going to happen overnight and many people within the system would welcome it.

the easy ride is over guys.its time to muck in like the rest of us.i work 12 hour shifts and from start to finish its hammer and tongs.this is how wil get this country going again,hard work.yu guys make me sick and watch out for me at the picket lines in my car
May I just ask, how many hours do you work a week and is any of that overtime or bonus related?

Its this generalisation of a situation that serves no purpose apart from providing the media with fodder to boost their ratings etc.
There are good and bad in most organisations, there are people in the private sector who have lost jobs and had swingeing pay cuts, there are also some people in the private sector who have been in the lucky position of receiving pay increases, bonuses, and other perks (healthcare, cars etc).
Likewise the public sector have received pay cuts, contrary to what people think there have been many people in the public sector who have lost jobs, and on the flip side there is job security and a decent pension.

Madame Razz

PomBear wrote: »

Thats simply untrue

take your pick
http://www.google.ie/search?hl=en&q=public+sector+redundancies&start=0&sa=N

Not proper redundancies like those implemented in the public sector; and mostly not implemented because of the large pay outs involved.

The government could never 'do a Dell'; that's the main issue that private sector workers have with the public sector, and that's why the government are targetting public sector workers the most; because of their job security.

JohnCleary

po0k wrote: »

John, did you wind down your window and tell em where you were trying to go?
Or did you communicate via morse-horn?

Yeah, when the person wouldn't let me past, I rolled down the window and said "Get out of the way would ya, do you realise this is a public road and we're not all going into the college". No response from the sheep blocking me ,so next line was "Get out of the fcuking way you idiot, there's a Right Of Way through here". Then some smart arse just gave a smart grunt and said "Oh, right of way" trying to be smart or something ... I just drove on then as the road was clear by then

Intimidator wrote: »

I was at Distillery Road picketing. Try it man, you'll see where it gets you.

Nice username, pitty it doesn't exist in real life as all I saw as Distillery Road was weedy little fellas holding signs and old hags that looked like they'd have a heart attack if they saw a day of fun; Which one were you?


You know the sad thing about this? The reason I was driving down that road was to collect my dry-suit as I thought i'd be getting a call to go to Athlone to help with protecting houses against the floods. I was in my own car (so obv didn't have blue lights/sirens) - Imagine if I was actually in a rush, AFTER getting a call to attend an emergency.... this is what frustrates me so much... fecking eejits blocking a public road giving out about their wages, when other poor feckers only 60 miles away are after having their lives torn to pieces because their home is 5ft under water

HarryD

Webbs wrote: »

What is the average level of education attained within the industrial compared to public sector as this would have a large effect on any direct pay comparisons?

I don't know to be honest, but it seems eductaion is not so important (like many things) in the public sector.
Some uneducated park ranger on Joe Duffy thinks he is underpaid at £50k per year.

Webbs

HarryD wrote: »

I don't know to be honest, but it seems eductaion is not so important (like many things) in the public sector.
Some uneducated park ranger on Joe Duffy thinks he is underpaid at £50k per year.

Is that like a banker who thinks 500k a year isnt enough

Tedole

I agree with John, I was driving along Newcastle Road yesterday, got caught in traffic, wondered what was going on, when I passed Distillery Road turn for uni I got my answer - people involved in the strike, some walking back and forth very very slowly, others just standing in themiddle of the road. They have EVERY right to strike, but NO RIGHT to block a public road like they did, and especially in the clearly arrogant way (imo) they did

mike kelly

Tedole wrote: »

I agree with John, I was driving along Newcastle Road yesterday, got caught in traffic, wondered what was going on, when I passed Distillery Road turn for uni I got my answer - people involved in the strike, some walking back and forth very very slowly, others just standing in themiddle of the road. They have EVERY right to strike, but NO RIGHT to block a public road like they did, and especially in the clearly arrogant way (imo) they did

did anyone call the gardia about this?

JohnCleary

mike kelly wrote: »

did anyone call the gardia about this?

Um, weren't they on strike too? :pac: Think they were only tending to emergencies yesterday. I wasn't going calling the Garda over something like this when there could have been an emergency happening.

mike kelly

JohnCleary wrote: »

Um, weren't they on strike too? :pac: Think they were only tending to emergencies yesterday. I wasn't going calling the Garda over something like this when there could have been an emergency happening.

I thought they were not allowed to strike?

JohnCleary

mike kelly wrote: »

I thought they were not allowed to strike?

Couldn't tell ya tbh

Tedole

Gardaí are not allowed to strike, hence the 'Blu Flu' action a few years ago. And as John said, I'm sure they had more important things to worry about given the weather, and may not have taken to kindly to such a, in the circumstances, 'trivial' matter

mike kelly

Tedole wrote: »

Gardaí are not allowed to strike, hence the 'Blu Flu' action a few years ago. And as John said, I'm sure they had more important things to worry about given the weather, and may not have taken to kindly to such a, in the circumstances, 'trivial' matter

Says a lot about this country when people are too afraid to report illegal activity to the police

Tedole

Afraid? No. Conscious of their work load with roads blocked and houses flooded? Yes

JohnCleary

mike kelly wrote: »

Says a lot about this country when people are too afraid to report illegal activity to the police

As said above..

'Afraid'? Are you having a laugh? Gardai have much more important things to be dealing with at the moment such as re-directing traffic, helping with floods etc. - Personally i'd just prefer to get a JCB and push the picketers off the road. "If you want something done right, do it yourself" :pac:

Webbs

Webbs wrote: »

Is that like a banker who thinks 500k a year isnt enough

Who are you to judge if he's worth that or not? If he is, he is. Stupid fuking country making a big deal out of it.

alibabba

the road to Newry yesterday

i suppose they will argue its a mass picket line ?

mike kelly

JohnCleary wrote: »

"If you want something done right, do it yourself" :pac:

agree with you entirely, however all illegal activity should be reported to the police. We should also have publicly available stats on how many calls they do not respond to.

KevR

Jack Daniels I wrote: »

i have zero sympathy for public sector workers.ive had savage tax increases and have no job security..i cant plan my future.the whole public system is a joke.departments opening at 9 or 10,going for an hour or more break and then closing at 2 or 3!!schoolkids work harder than that for christ sake.its so inefficient from top to bottom.FAS is an absolute disgrace for example all the money they have wasted.i work in an industry with lean six sigma as the core basis.this is basically eliminating any waste from a business or manufacturing process.we could use this for cost reduction, improved cycle time and delivery right across the entire public sector.yes its not pretty but it means these guys will work for their wage.the easy ride is over guys.its time to muck in like the rest of us.i work 12 hour shifts and from start to finish its hammer and tongs.this is how wil get this country going again,hard work.yu guys make me sick and watch out for me at the picket lines in my car

Everyone agrees that the public sector is very ineffecient, even people in the public sector will tell you that. Most of the people on the frontline would love to see serious changes to make the public sector more productive and effecient. It's the middle and senior management who are responsible for this ineffeciency. And these are the people who can afford a pay cut more than anyone. They're also the people who deserve to be sacked the most or at least they should be living in fear of being sacked more than others.

The frontline staff are going to get punished for mistakes made by senior management. While I think that public sector pay cuts are unavoidable/necessary I do feel sympathy for the front line staff.

I know someone who works in the HSE and they used to get their payslips handed to them at work. A few years ago they started posting out the payslips to everyone's home - an example of stupid, needless waste of money. The same person, on a low wage, has already had a pay cut and is earning less than she was in 2005. She has to pay the higher rate of tax and if there is a big pay cut in the upcoming budget it probably won't be worth her while working. I'm sorry if her protesting makes you feel sick.


PS - I don't work and never have worked in the public sector. I have worked in the private sector for the last 5 years, recently quit because I am in my final year of college and want to give it my best shot. I don't get any dole, grants and have to pay my fee. There are people here in college who are getting grants, full dole, rent allowance and totally free fees. It does make me a bit mad that they are getting everything handed to them without having to lift a finger but it doesn't make me physically sick..

joeKel73

I was ranting about that picket line over on the NUIG forum yesterday, just seeing this thread now!

I think the big problem with the public sector pay cheque is it's being spread too thinly... there are people in the public sector (teachers, engineers, gardai etc etc) who really earn their wages, but there is now also a lot of dead weight in there that needs to be weeded out.

Let me give an example.... The council came to resurface a footpath outside my house recently. It's about a 60m stretch, it's around a green and nobody really uses it, it's not the main footpath. It didn't need resurfacing so it looks like a "use all our budget our it'll get cut next year" job. It's a small part of some daft new cycle route I hear, but not sure.
...
Anyway, a standard digger, a proper JCB, a large truck, a smaller truck, and 5 men. How long does it take to rip up a concrete footpath and lay a tarmac one? Well if this was a private sector construction team... maybe half a day then let it set for a day? Well it took them 3 WEEKS.:mad: And remember the council don't usually own the diggers and JCBs, they rent them. They'd arrive at half nine, do a bit of work until 11. Take lunch then in the truck from 11 until maybe 2 (yeap, 3hrs)... then work until about half three, start finishing up and be gone before 4. Even watched some ridiculous things, like spending the day leveling out the gravel base, then driving over, ripping it up, on the way home. They made a mess of the green area too and never fixed it up again. I don't mind public sector workers getting a good wage if their job justifies it, there are a lot of honest hard-working people in the public sector, but sack these sort of lads. Councils employed a load of people when estates were poping up everywhere and connecting roads had to be laid, water connections done, planning applications processed etc... this work is gone so the workers should be too.

JohnCleary wrote: »

It's not the 2/3 seconds that i'm held up.

I walked though there at about 8.30am and there was about 20 protesters on every gate, they were holding up cars for a lot longer than 2/3 seconds (maybe a minute, then letting a run of cars through before blocking again). The number of protesters seemed to drop a lot over the afternoon.

dloob wrote: »

Yeah John you'll regret it, It'll take days to get all the splatter off the car.
Only the power hose at the filling station is a winner here.

It's grand, Statoil was just around the corner!