Surprisingly high public support for yesterdays strikes

ei.sdraob

Hootanany wrote: »

Im glad it was Pissin Down

didnt people in Athlone council (west meath?) kept striking while their city is flooding?

ei.sdraob

murphaph wrote: »

Cos 31k isn't bad money either?

when coupled with a secure job and cushy pension it certainly aint bad at all

Hootanany

My Heart Bleeds for them NOT

gandalf

Liam79 wrote: »

So now you feel sorry for the lower paid PS worker :rolleyes:

Depends what you classify as a lower paid worker.

The majority of those interviewed that I have seen are certainly not low paid.

I feel for people like those described above, bullied into a day of action by a minority of militants.

P. Breathnach

bridgitt wrote: »

Shre was carefully picked to try to gather sympathy support for the public sector....the poor girl bought an apartment at the height of the market etc....ghow could she now live on only 55k etc
The other two people on prime time were carefully picked to be among the lowest paid public sector workers. Prime time beforehand asked us to listen to both sides of the argument with an open mind.....but there was nobody else. The average salary ( of the 3 ) quoted / shown was well below the statistical public sector average. RTE propoganda.

Has jimmmy been banned?

Sizzler

As for the c.€30k workers. Chap texted newstalk this morning and said he was on the bottom rung of the public service ladder on 28k a year and said he was disgusted with the strikes yesterday, had no interest but couldnt work yesterday because of the unions.He said the majority of his colleagues on similar pay scales just want to "get on with it".

seangal

ei.sdraob wrote: »

:rolleyes: hahahaha oooohhhhhhhhh funny



they can think whatever they want to think,
PS workers are already in their own little insulated bubble world


actually im all for them striking more, if they keep up this up for another few days thatll save the country alot of money

The might have saved 50 million by not paying us but it cost the county around 400 million and you want more strikes
Grow up man

Amhran Nua

Nobody among the people I have spoken to (and thats quite a lot) support the strike, rather I'm getting the feeling of a riptide of anger just below the surface for many. Indeed, even public sector workers themselves don't appear to support the pickets:

'Every teacher in Ireland is here' as tills ring out

The tills were ringing north of the border as southern shoppers, including droves of striking public servants, used the national day of action to migrate in search of a bargain.

When they finally managed to extricate themselves from the massive traffic jam on the motorway, shopping centre car parks in Newry were filled with southern registration plates.

The Quays Shopping Centre, the first opportunity for southerners to part themselves from their cash, was full of parents leading their bored-looking children round the shops. Most youngsters had probably hoped to be spending their windfall day off rather differently.

In Sainsburys, trolleys heaved under slabs of beer and boxes of wine. Even a child's pushchair, now minus its occupant, became a repository for bottles of gin, vodka and rum.

"Look at the crowds," said one woman in a distinctive southern lilt.

"Sure every teacher in Ireland is here," replied her friend, somewhat uncharitably.

Queues for the checkouts snaked down the aisles, with many of the first-timers making a rookie mistake by joining the lines nearest to the drinks section, which are always the longest.

Student Pauline Burke from Lucan in Dublin was making her first foray north of the border thanks to the national day of action.

"I had no classes because of the strike so I thought I'd come up and have a look.

Tigerbaby

I have to feel sorry for those who are agitated against the Public Servants. You have been manipulated by the vested interests of Government, the entire Banking system, ISME, IBEC, several large Media outlets. Your job as useful(less?) idiots is to foist this dissension and division among *all* PAYE workers. You have been primed to hit out at whatever soft and available target is within the short range of your sights ( Public Servants, Thierry Henry,... whatever ). Your mission ( though you dont know it ) is to deflect and distract the identification of the real perpetrators of the THEFT and FRAUD of our Nation.

When are you going to wake up and see that the Public Service is not the problem. The Public service did not create the economic situation in which all taxpayers find themselves. You should be grateful to the PS Unions and their members who are WITHOUT PAY for yesterdays action. They, at least, are the ones who are drawing a line in the sand against the Government, Builders and Bankers. The PS employee did not gain from the largesse of the Celtic Tiger years. They werent the "breakfast roll" man who, like a supermodel, wouldnt get out of bed for less than 10 grand. They werent the Banks, developers, estate agents, building societies etc who talked up this horrific bubble, which is now spewing its escaping poisonous gasses onto the Nation. If you are going to expend your bile and anger, and we all should be very angry, then at least find the real criminals.

In conclusion, please wake up and see that you are victims of a giant scam. Now, Hold onto your anger for election time. Because the real answer is in the overthrow of this shambolic economic system and government. Dont waste your anger by attacking normal people who have already suffered 15-20% pay cuts in the last year.

I am old enough to remember the last time that the Nation suffered. I understand the anger that many of you are expressing. But please, I ask you to stand back and look and look again. Hold onto your anger. dont waste it in attacking innocent people. HOld onto your anger, but think cold and hard. HOLD ONTO YOUR ANGER, and wait for election time.

The PAYE worker will get nothing out of the division that is being sowed. Search for the Guilty, and punish them !

Those of you who genuinely seek a better way will take this message to your hearts and minds. Those of you who are Thatchers Children will doubtless respond with spitting fury. Would the real people of Ireland please stand up.

ei.sdraob

seangal wrote: »

The might have saved 50 million by not paying us but it cost the county around 400 million and you want more strikes
Grow up man

400 million?? source?

jesus yee "union"-ists sound like a bunch of terrorists holding the country ransom

no wonder theres no love for your "class"

irish_bob

Liam79 wrote: »

I joined my wife and her colleagues for their picket action yesterday, 3 hours standing in the lashing rain. I was shocked and delighted at the amount of support they received from passing motorists. I had feared for them so i came to offer morale support but i need not have! They received huge support in the form of cheers, horns and well wishes from the passing public. And listening to the various Vox Pops on the various radio stations yesterday asking the general public for their view on the strikes it was about 60/40 in support.
So well done people of Ireland. I should never have lost faith.

on a superficial level , irish people tend to support what they see as anti goverment stances , we have a very strong anti authoritarian streak in this country and tend to support what we see as STICKIN IT TO THE MAN

i myself feel hopeless when i see such mindless support for what are a bunch of cossetted individuals demanding they be shielded from the effects of the rescession regardless of the cost to everyone else

seangal

ei.sdraob wrote: »

400 million?? source?

jesus yee "union"-ists sound like a bunch of terrorists holding the country ransom

no wonder theres no love for your "class"

And what class are you??????????
It came from IBEC spokeperson yesterday that it would cost the country around 400 million

Tigerbaby

Tigerbaby wrote: »

I have to feel sorry for those who are agitated against the Public Servants. You have been manipulated by the vested interests of Government, the entire Banking system, ISME, IBEC, several large Media outlets. Your job as useful(less?) idiots is to foist this dissension and division among *all* PAYE workers. You have been primed to hit out at whatever soft and available target is within the short range of your sights ( Public Servants, Thierry Henry,... whatever ). Your mission ( though you dont know it ) is to deflect and distract the identification of the real perpetrators of the THEFT and FRAUD of our Nation.

When are you going to wake up and see that the Public Service is not the problem. The Public service did not create the economic situation in which all taxpayers find themselves. You should be grateful to the PS Unions and their members who are WITHOUT PAY for yesterdays action. They, at least, are the ones who are drawing a line in the sand against the Government, Builders and Bankers. The PS employee did not gain from the largesse of the Celtic Tiger years. They werent the "breakfast roll" man who, like a supermodel, wouldnt get out of bed for less than 10 grand. They werent the Banks, developers, estate agents, building societies etc who talked up this horrific bubble, which is now spewing its escaping poisonous gasses onto the Nation. If you are going to expend your bile and anger, and we all should be very angry, then at least find the real criminals.

In conclusion, please wake up and see that you are victims of a giant scam. Now, Hold onto your anger for election time. Because the real answer is in the overthrow of this shambolic economic system and government. Dont waste your anger by attacking normal people who have already suffered 15-20% pay cuts in the last year.

Bull.
If it can't be paid for then it goes.Simple.
If it's not efficient then make it efficient-not so simple without sackings.

I am old enough to remember the last time that the Nation suffered. I understand the anger that many of you are expressing. But please, I ask you to stand back and look and look again. Hold onto your anger. dont waste it in attacking innocent people. HOld onto your anger, but think cold and hard. HOLD ONTO YOUR ANGER, and wait for election time.

Oh yeah...wait 3 years borrowing 500 million a week...
Your logic is astounding.
Incidentally have you heard Fine Gaels opinion on bloat in the public services? You wouldn't like it..

As for your memory of the last big recession in the 80's...do you remember the very high taxes that destroyed incentives and caused 100's of 1000's to emigrate? Oh and the huge escalating borrowings that brought thta on because ...well governments didn't grasp the nettle in time.

The IMF will.

The PAYE worker will get nothing out of the division that is being sowed. Search for the Guilty, and punish them !

Those of you who genuinely seek a better way will take this message to your hearts and minds. Those of you who are Thatchers Children will doubtless respond with spitting fury. Would the real people of Ireland please stand up.

Lol at the superfluous waffle.

akaredtop

She probably has a nice life with 3 or 4 foreign holidays every year and does'nt want anyone to upset it.

Amhran Nua

Tigerbaby wrote: »

When are you going to wake up and see that the Public Service is not the problem. The Public service did not create the economic situation in which all taxpayers find themselves.

Is the financial regulator in the public sector?

Tigerbaby wrote: »

They werent the Banks, developers, estate agents, building societies etc who talked up this horrific bubble, which is now spewing its escaping poisonous gasses onto the Nation.

Em, then how is it that the union line is that public sector wages shouldn't be cut because of all the mortgages they need to pay? Secure government jobs were very attractive to banks during the boom years.

Tigerbaby wrote: »

The PS employee did not gain from the largesse of the Celtic Tiger years.

Sure they did. Whats the public pay bill today as opposed to in 2001?

irish_bob

P. Breathnach wrote: »

Has jimmmy been banned?

yeah , he got a two week stint in the can for expressing an opinion

irish_bob

Tigerbaby wrote: »

I have to feel sorry for those who are agitated against the Public Servants. You have been manipulated by the vested interests of Government, the entire Banking system, ISME, IBEC, several large Media outlets. Your job as useful(less?) idiots is to foist this dissension and division among *all* PAYE workers. You have been primed to hit out at whatever soft and available target is within the short range of your sights ( Public Servants, Thierry Henry,... whatever ). Your mission ( though you dont know it ) is to deflect and distract the identification of the real perpetrators of the THEFT and FRAUD of our Nation.

When are you going to wake up and see that the Public Service is not the problem. The Public service did not create the economic situation in which all taxpayers find themselves. You should be grateful to the PS Unions and their members who are WITHOUT PAY for yesterdays action. They, at least, are the ones who are drawing a line in the sand against the Government, Builders and Bankers. The PS employee did not gain from the largesse of the Celtic Tiger years. They werent the "breakfast roll" man who, like a supermodel, wouldnt get out of bed for less than 10 grand. They werent the Banks, developers, estate agents, building societies etc who talked up this horrific bubble, which is now spewing its escaping poisonous gasses onto the Nation. If you are going to expend your bile and anger, and we all should be very angry, then at least find the real criminals.

In conclusion, please wake up and see that you are victims of a giant scam. Now, Hold onto your anger for election time. Because the real answer is in the overthrow of this shambolic economic system and government. Dont waste your anger by attacking normal people who have already suffered 15-20% pay cuts in the last year.

I am old enough to remember the last time that the Nation suffered. I understand the anger that many of you are expressing. But please, I ask you to stand back and look and look again. Hold onto your anger. dont waste it in attacking innocent people. HOld onto your anger, but think cold and hard. HOLD ONTO YOUR ANGER, and wait for election time.

The PAYE worker will get nothing out of the division that is being sowed. Search for the Guilty, and punish them !

Those of you who genuinely seek a better way will take this message to your hearts and minds. Those of you who are Thatchers Children will doubtless respond with spitting fury. Would the real people of Ireland please stand up.

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

ei.sdraob

seangal wrote: »

And what class are you??????????
It came from IBEC spokeperson yesterday that it would cost the country around 400 million

the class thats getting shafted up the arse to pay your (higher) wages

the class that doesnt get to strike because some of us live in real world

brianthebard

meditraitor wrote: »

"suprisingly high public support for yesterdays strikes"


No there wasnt!

Poll to prove this?

I'd say there's much higher support for the strikes than boards would lead us to believe. Its just that those who are against the strikes shout the loudest here.

ei.sdraob

brianthebard wrote: »

Poll to prove this?

I'd say there's much higher support for the strikes than boards would lead us to believe. Its just that those who are against the strikes shout the loudest here.

could it be that people on boards are more information savvy

and hence can see the big picture

the picture in which a huge hole is being dug by ginarmous government expenditure and debt

MikeC101

brianthebard wrote: »

Poll to prove this?

I'd say there's much higher support for the strikes than boards would lead us to believe. Its just that those who are against the strikes shout the loudest here.

Interestingly enough I seem to remember the same idea as this being put across before Lisbon 2 - lots of personal accounts of how everyone was going to vote no, and it was just that Boards had a pro Lisbon agenda and the yes voters were shouting the loudest, etc...

While I'd keep an open mind about the possibility of higher public support than posts here would suggest, the original poster is in no way an impartial observer, and claims of "huge support in the form of cheers, horns and well wishes from the passing public" are questionable at best.

brianthebard

The Op is not impartial but was also in a better position to observe than most of the people here. I would take their word over most of the anti-union posters here at the minute.

P. Breathnach

ei.sdraob wrote: »

could it be that people on boards are more information savvy...

It would be difficult to convince me of that.

wilson10

Tigerbaby wrote: »

I have to feel sorry for those who are agitated against the Public Servants. You have been manipulated by the vested interests of Government, the entire Banking system, ISME, IBEC, several large Media outlets. Your job as useful(less?) idiots is to foist this dissension and division among *all* PAYE workers. You have been primed to hit out at whatever soft and available target is within the short range of your sights ( Public Servants, Thierry Henry,... whatever ). Your mission ( though you dont know it ) is to deflect and distract the identification of the real perpetrators of the THEFT and FRAUD of our Nation.

When are you going to wake up and see that the Public Service is not the problem. The Public service did not create the economic situation in which all taxpayers find themselves. You should be grateful to the PS Unions and their members who are WITHOUT PAY for yesterdays action. They, at least, are the ones who are drawing a line in the sand against the Government, Builders and Bankers. The PS employee did not gain from the largesse of the Celtic Tiger years. They werent the "breakfast roll" man who, like a supermodel, wouldnt get out of bed for less than 10 grand. They werent the Banks, developers, estate agents, building societies etc who talked up this horrific bubble, which is now spewing its escaping poisonous gasses onto the Nation. If you are going to expend your bile and anger, and we all should be very angry, then at least find the real criminals.

In conclusion, please wake up and see that you are victims of a giant scam. Now, Hold onto your anger for election time. Because the real answer is in the overthrow of this shambolic economic system and government. Dont waste your anger by attacking normal people who have already suffered 15-20% pay cuts in the last year.

I am old enough to remember the last time that the Nation suffered. I understand the anger that many of you are expressing. But please, I ask you to stand back and look and look again. Hold onto your anger. dont waste it in attacking innocent people. HOld onto your anger, but think cold and hard. HOLD ONTO YOUR ANGER, and wait for election time.

The PAYE worker will get nothing out of the division that is being sowed. Search for the Guilty, and punish them !

Those of you who genuinely seek a better way will take this message to your hearts and minds. Those of you who are Thatchers Children will doubtless respond with spitting fury. Would the real people of Ireland please stand up.

It's wake up time alright.
I don't blame the public service workers or their unions.
I blame the government who brought in the benchmarking smokescreen to give the PS unions what they wanted over the last 10 years rather than have the annual public battle with the unions.
The money was rolling in from Stamp Duty, VAT & income tax, mainly fuelled by the housing boom, so they just shelled it out like confetti, without any thought for the future.
I'm not being brainwashed. I've been boring friends to death with this view since benchmarking was introduced.
I know what it's like to try to take sweets from a child but I don't blame the child. I blame the adult who gave them the sweets.

MikeC101

brianthebard wrote: »

The Op is not impartial but was also in a better position to observe than most of the people here. I would take their word over most of the anti-union posters here at the minute.

The issue is that if you're a public servant, and you're asking people (who are aware you are a public servant) their feelings on the strike, they're not going to tell you their true feelings. I've got friends in both, and while I'm falling into the same trap of extrapolating personal experiences to accurately reflect the big picture, the majority of them don't support the strikes. Certainly they're not as extreme as some of the anti public service stuff here, but I think Boards may be reflecting the current attitude (whether justified or not, and manipulated to a certain extent by the media though it may be) to the public sector pretty well.

If it matters, a parent of mine was on the picket lines, and said that no one approached them with good wishes, nor was there any real support from the public. However, their department isn't in a busy location, and it was lashing rain all day.

dan_d

The problem is that holding onto our anger til election time means waiting and leaving things as they are......sooooooo....more borrowing and more debt?
Of course we'll be angry at election time.But that's not for a while yet and in the meantime, the PS wagebill is costing the country far more than we can afford. So cuts have to happen.
My anger is towards the PS unions for apparently living in another reality AND towards the various bankers and politicians

bridgitt

dan_d wrote: »

The problem is that holding onto our anger til election time means waiting and leaving things as they are......sooooooo....more borrowing and more debt?
Of course we'll be angry at election time.But that's not for a while yet and in the meantime, the PS wagebill is costing the country far more than we can afford. So cuts have to happen.
My anger is towards the PS unions for apparently living in another reality AND towards the various bankers and politicians

True , but unfortunately the opposition parties do not want so cut public sector pay and pensions in a proper manner either, so basically the country is in a bad way and getting worse. Our borrowing will go through the roof yet.

livinsane

I'm working in the public service for almost 4 years, trained in almost every area of my office, very hardworking and earning €410 per week, which is the wage of the majority of the 60 people working here. And there is a proposed 21% paycut to hit that wage over the next few years. Can anyone really say that is fair?

I support cuts in the public service, but not in the lower paid areas (which are not €40,000 or whatever crap rags like the Independant are reporting - the reality is €25,000).

The media are doing a fine job turning this recession into a battle between the private sector and the public sector.

The average public servant is not the enemy. We're not getting paid for the strikes. Speaking on behalf of alot of my collegues, we don't want to strike and cause disruption, but we're standing up for all the people giving out about the government online, or in the pub.

Whether you're public service or private or whatever label you want to put on it, the bottom line is I've no sympathy for people in financial difficulty because they borrowed a fortune for their house and car and whatever luxuries the Irish landscape is littered with.

F*ck the banks, tough **** to the people who overspent all through the years and are up to their eyeballs in credit. Stop blaming everyone else for your own financial stupidity.

ei.sdraob

livinsane wrote: »

I'm working in the public service for almost 4 years, trained in almost every area of my office, very hardworking and earning €410 per week, which is the wage of the majority of the 60 people working here. And there is a proposed 21% paycut to hit that wage over the next few years. Can anyone really say that is fair?

I support cuts in the public service, but not in the lower paid areas (which are not €40,000 or whatever crap rags like the Independant are reporting - the reality is €25,000).

The media are doing a fine job turning this recession into a battle between the private sector and the public sector.

The average public servant is not the enemy. We're not getting paid for the strikes. Speaking on behalf of alot of my collegues, we don't want to strike and cause disruption, but we're standing up for all the people giving out about the government online, or in the pub.

Whether you're public service or private or whatever label you want to put on it, the bottom line is I've no sympathy for people in financial difficulty because they borrowed a fortune for their house and car and whatever luxuries the Irish landscape is littered with.

F*ck the banks, tough **** to the people who overspent all through the years and are up to their eyeballs in credit. Stop blaming everyone else for your own financial stupidity.

yeh statistics being used for journalism leads to sensationalism


i would love to see proper stats for PS wages

stats like: mean,median, interquartile distribution, distribution by sector

Tipp Man

ei.sdraob wrote: »

yeh statistics being used for journalism leads to sensationalism


i would love to see proper stats for PS wages

stats like: mean,median, interquartile distribution, distribution by sector

Nesf and Scofflaw have done some excellent (which you will enjoy reading). Its the sticky thread at the top of the irish economy