Public Servants Against Industrial Action

manafana

Hi Guys

Its good hear other side of the PS, unions make it out you all want to strike, my question is this is you are not in the union, that would mean you would lose out on your no vote then, so action would be more likely.

I do find it pointless to be unionised in a government job, your well treated and bar the lower end of the scale theirs little need for the trouble makers. Im glad you realise that 90% of people are taking a hit, and that a half decent pay check is better than none.

Liam79

RobbieTheRobber wrote: »

I very much doubt that any further industrial action the union calls for will be for a strike.
There is no support for either public or from the members

Work to rule perhaps!

Anyway the way to change the union isn't to quit. Unions are not a bad thing the idea to protect workers is always a good thing. Many public servants will feel some sense of dissapointment at the union and thats normal after something like this.

The current unions leaders are no good that much is clear.
For the lower grade union the CPSU, the ICTU became a burden rather than a benefit, all that talk of equal cuts form the union is bullcrap to the CPSU members they are the lowest paid and their wages would see them struggle to feed and home themselves dont mind any dependants, so equality in cuts would never be a good thing for them. They needed to distance themselves from the overpaid grades not associate themselves with them.

As for the GPRA and the nurses unions they again could have argued their case better without the ICTU too, if on nothing else, then the risks involved in their jobs.

But unions are good things if people are feeling disappointed now thats a good thing just like we need to with the government remember that feeling and use your right to vote and get these people out. Thats the unions chiefs, thats our elected representatives. Quiting the union is a failure, trying to change it for your betterment by voting and going to union meetings is the right way. If you want your voice to be heard it is better not to stand alone

Not quitting Unions, just quitting IMPACT. Going to join the CPSU.
Find Blair Horan a much more trustworthy and genuine face of union than Peter "FAS" McLoon!

redfacedbear

Count me in too! The cuts in my wages are going to be painful - add in the cuts in my wifes wages and child benefit and we're going to have our backs against the wall for the next while. I'm so pissed off that it has come to this and will be waiting in the long grass for a FF canvasser who ever dares darken my door again.

But, I also recognise how very necessary all of this is and in the national interest I'll bend over and take it (along with any modernising reforms that the Government has the balls to drive through in spite of union resistance).

The union's propsals to lengthen the period of adjustment are unconvincing and realistically a short sharp shock is what's needed - look at the turn around that happened from 1989 to 1996 compared to the miserable run in the years beforehand.

Dirk Gently

Liam79 wrote: »

i know i know........:o

But trust me Frman, i was given much more creedence in here when people thought I was a Private Sector worker. Being a PS worker on boards for the last 2 weeks has been like being a leper.....

.

Fair play to you for being willing to take a hit but maybe grow a bit of backbone too. Don't mean to sound harsh but by saying you're ashamed to be a public worker you're more or less accepting bullying. It's a well orchestrated campaign by gov and media and the intention is to shame you and round up the zombie hordes into hating you too. You've no reason to be ashamed.

The fact that you had to pretend to be a private worker to escape critism here on boards is testiment only to the success of the propaganda campaign being led against you and the simplicity of it's execution in motivating the arm chair commentators against you. Every one loves a focus point to vent irrational anger and the government and the banking sector are more than happy to project that blame onto you.

Your "outing" is almost like a criminal confessing his crimes and begging for forgiveness. You didn't commit any crime, you're just a victim of state organised and media executed bullying.

Liam79

Am glad I came out now! Feels like a weight off my shoulders. Glad everyone accepts me for who I really am..... Even my father was supportive......

Liam79

clown bag wrote: »

Fair play to you for being willing to take a hit but maybe grow a bit of backbone too. Don't mean to sound harsh but by saying you're ashamed to be a public worker you're more or less accepting bullying. It's a well orchestrated campaign by gov and media and the intention is to shame you and round up the zombie hordes into hating you too. You've no reason to be ashamed.

The fact that you had to pretend to be a private worker to escape critism here on boards is testiment only to the success of the propaganda campaign being led against you and the simplicity of it's execution in motivating the arm chair commentators against you. Every one loves a focus point to vent irrational anger and the government and the banking sector are more than happy to project that blame onto you.

Your "outing" is almost like a criminal confessing his crimes and begging for forgiveness. You didn't commit any crime, you're just a victim of state organised and media executed bullying.

Your spot on Clown Bag. Cheers for that

sweetie

totally agree with you. I refused to strike the last day due to not even being
balloted by my union and am leaving them now. I'm in the emergency services
and while I do feel I do a worthwhile job, my wife is private sector and she
certanly earns the 50% extra in her paycheck.

Liam79

I still wont pass a picket mind.............

Emme

I'm a public sector worker and I'd rather not strike, I don't see the point and I can't afford to go on strike anyway. The way I see it if we strike some of us are hurting the general public and we're playing into the government's hands by giving up our wages. I think that the guys at the top of unions are totally disconnected from rank and file members. With the salaries they earn they haven't a clue what it's like to live on a low salary. It makes them look good when we all go out on strike, but at the end of the day we're paying their wages via our union dues and we're getting very little for it. I said to my shop steward (these guys are ok, it's the guys at the top that bother me) that I would only go on strike the second time if the savings in our wages went directly to the flood victims in Ireland.

Someone said to me that we were wasting our time going on strike and that the government and union top brass were in cohoots - getting us to strike and saving the country money into the bargain. I don't agree with that but I don't see the point in going on strike - we'll p*** everyone off, lose more of our diminishing earnings and probably achieve nothing anyway. If the government and the union top brass want a fight they can do it in a boxing ring, just don't use rank and file union members as pawns.

Unfortunately some public sector workers DO need to be in a union, particularly those of us at the lower level as we get pushed around a lot. There's a good bit of mushroom management going on - keep them in the dark, throw manure on them and if things go wrong blame them and tell them it was their fault for not doing their job properly.

As long as I'm in a union I won't pass a picket, but I'm beginning to think that union membership is costing me more than it's worth.

tunney

clown bag wrote: »

Fair play to you for being willing to take a hit but maybe grow a bit of backbone too. Don't mean to sound harsh but by saying you're ashamed to be a public worker you're more or less accepting bullying. It's a well orchestrated campaign by gov and media and the intention is to shame you and round up the zombie hordes into hating you too. You've no reason to be ashamed.

The fact that you had to pretend to be a private worker to escape critism here on boards is testiment only to the success of the propaganda campaign being led against you and the simplicity of it's execution in motivating the arm chair commentators against you. Every one loves a focus point to vent irrational anger and the government and the banking sector are more than happy to project that blame onto you.

Your "outing" is almost like a criminal confessing his crimes and begging for forgiveness. You didn't commit any crime, you're just a victim of state organised and media executed bullying.

Pure tripe..............

So if there wasn't this "well orchestrated campaign by gov and media " there would be money to be able to afford the PS at its present cost?

Liam79

tunney wrote: »

Pure tripe..............

So if there wasn't this "well orchestrated campaign by gov and media " there would be money to be able to afford the PS at its present cost?

Please everyone....please.....dont!
This has been one of the few threads on here that hasnt descended to farce so far....

Just let Tunneys comment go

Zynks

Liam79 wrote: »

Originally Posted by Stark
Are you still a library assistant? With the whole librarian chic thing going on? With glasses? Glasses on a chain? Hawt.

Are you still a Moderator?

With ginger hair, E=MC2 Tshirt, Spotty chin, Sure Roll-on as a shower substitute and Dennis Taylor Glasses?

Hawt

So it is a yes then

Liam79

Zynks wrote: »

So it is a yes then

It is, 100%
And proud of it too

tunney

Liam79 wrote: »

Please everyone....please.....dont!
This has been one of the few threads on here that hasnt descended to farce so far....

Just let Tunneys comment go

Does the sand not get in your ears?

Dirk Gently

tunney wrote: »

Pure tripe..............

So if there wasn't this "well orchestrated campaign by gov and media " there would be money to be able to afford the PS at its present cost?

Im talking about the demonisation of public service workers to the point that they're ashamed to even admit they work in the public sector. I accept cuts need to be made, I welcome them, as a private worker I've taken a 20% hit already but the hate and anger directed against the public service is nothing short of shameful. Maybe direct some of your drunken rage at government and banks instead???

Liam79

Here we go......

I am off for a pint.......

G'luck

tunney

clown bag wrote: »

Im talking about the demonisation of public service workers to the point that they're ashamed to even admit they work in the public sector. I accept cuts need to be made, I welcome them, as a private worker I've taken a 20% hit already but the hate and anger directed against the public service is nothing short of shameful. Maybe direct some of your drunken rage at government and banks instead???

I have no rage for the PS. I feel for them as a pay cut is never a nice thing no matter how unavoidable it is.

Banks, government, general greed on behalf of the people of Ireland. Yes these things got us here. But we are here and rage solves nothing.

dan_d

Well done mate. Don't be ashamed of your job, theres's nothing wrong with it. You will lose your vote if you leave the union, but if you feel it's costing more than it's worth then go for it. You don't owe them anything, remember that.
Thank god for people with a bit of common sense.We're all in this together. And yes, the media have absolutley demonised the 2 sectors.

meditraitor

NIce post Liam

Inspector Coptoor

Industrial action will prove nothing.
It'll only cost us more pay while the **** in the unions like John White continue to pocket 6 figure salaries.

I'm a secondary teacher against any more strikes.
I have leaving cert students under enough pressure without this.

There is also the possibility that the unions will ask union members to withdraw voluntary extra-curricular activities like training football teams at lunch times and after schools.
If this happens, I will quit the union and continue training the football team.
Dont they realise that for many students who aren't academics, the only thing that makes achool bearable is sport?

paraletic

I said it on a differant thread, but i'll repeat my self:
i hope we don't strike, because The economic problems of this country don't just affect union members.

yes, we need reform of public sector, but the budget was unfair, because it targeted ONLY the pay and not the duplicate jobs, and managers, etc that don't serve an actual function in providing SERVICES (we do need managers and admin, but at a realistic number.)

i also don't want a strike because emergency workers, whether in the union or not, will probably work for nothing any way. i do my job because i want to help people, not for the money (True). but i am gutted that i am now targeted as greedy or overpayed, 'cause im not.

overpaid are those who do nothing and get paid loads. when we get rid of those we can have value in the public service.

new government? or fight amongst our selves?
(in my opinion)

dvpower

clown bag wrote: »

You didn't commit any crime, you're just a victim of state organised and media executed bullying.

There has been a lot of unfair vitriol aimed at PS workers of late, but I think it was based on a real anger that PS workers seemed to have had a better deal than everyone else. I also think that most fair people will accept that PS workers have taken a massive hit over the last year or so.

I don't think industrial action, especially strikes, would be productive at all. The government simply do not have the resources to cave in to the unions and the public, for once, seem to be behind the government on this. The last thing the PS unions need is to be beaten badly in an industrial dispute and then have to face their victors in the upcoming reform negotiations.

JodTT

RobbieTheRobber wrote: »

I very much doubt that any further industrial action the union calls for will be for a strike.
There is no support for either public or from the members

Work to rule perhaps!

Anyway the way to change the union isn't to quit. Unions are not a bad thing the idea to protect workers is always a good thing. Many public servants will feel some sense of dissapointment at the union and thats normal after something like this.

The current unions leaders are no good that much is clear.
For the lower grade union the CPSU, the ICTU became a burden rather than a benefit, all that talk of equal cuts form the union is bullcrap to the CPSU members they are the lowest paid and their wages would see them struggle to feed and home themselves dont mind any dependants, so equality in cuts would never be a good thing for them. They needed to distance themselves from the overpaid grades not associate themselves with them.

As for the GPRA and the nurses unions they again could have argued their case better without the ICTU too, if on nothing else, then the risks involved in their jobs.

But unions are good things if people are feeling disappointed now thats a good thing just like we need to with the government remember that feeling and use your right to vote and get these people out. Thats the unions chiefs, thats our elected representatives. Quiting the union is a failure, trying to change it for your betterment by voting and going to union meetings is the right way. If you want your voice to be heard it is better not to stand alone

You make some fair points and that's why I'm going to wait until January to make my final decision about leaving my Union. I don't agree with strike action in this regard, but I do know I may need them for other reasons in the future and would hate to lose their backing. I will say that if further strike action is announced (and I believe the previous ballot still stands), I will be resigning immediately.

BTW, I really like the tone of this thread. As has been mentioned by others, it has been very hard in recent weeks to be a PS worker, and in most cases I just keep my head down and say nothing. It's nice to see that fellow PS workers feel the same way as me (both in that regard, and in relation to not wanting to strike), and that not every non PS worker wants our blood for whatever reason.

gerry28

I'm a public servant and i deff don't want to strike. It will achieve nothing but lower my income further.

After hearing mary hanifan threatening more paycuts for public servants if they do not go along with reform - i wouldn't be inclined to cooperate with threats.

I will be waiting for the next election to vote against Fianna Fail... the party who i have voted for since i turned 18.

BMurr

I'm a PS too and think that striking is futile and financial suicide. If there is an appetite for industrial action then I think that work to rule is the way to go whereby you do the job you are paid for and no more. This country has gone too soft on the welfare, Prime Time programme this week would have you believe that the coffers are being raided by al sorts of undesirables who think it Ok to defraud the taxpayer of money. The welfare system needs overhauling as it still seems to be by and large behaving as if we were still in the tiger years. Today on Joe Duffy some cretin rang in to say that his nine month s pregnant wife and himself would have no food as a result of weelfare missing his paymemnt this week. He drove to the welfare office to try and sort it out. I mean come on if things are that bad why have a bleeding car with tax , fuel, insurance, NCt, sertvicing etc to pay for- use the bus or get a bicycle for fecks sake. And to cap it all St Vincent De Paul were distraught to hear such a story, must be a lot of dosh there to be dished out.

Absurdum

I agree fully with OP and others here, I'm a PS worker too. Cuts had to be made, simple as that. I don't think it would do any harm to let your Govt. TDs know how you feel, since the unions are encouraging their members to contact them in protest against cuts. I also have no objection to radical reforms that deliver better services for less.

mikemac

Purely out of interest what are sub fees for a union? I'm interested to know but I've no idea. I know it differs among unions and there is tax relief available.

Well I was in SIPTU years ago in the private sector but I can't be sure what I was paying.

What does a worker on maybe 30k pay in union fees?
I genuinely have no idea but would like to know and it's relevant for this thread.

Liam79, you have a good job, you passed an aptitude test and interview to get it. Be proud of your job and post your views here.

Absurdum

I paid just over €13 per fortnight before I copped on that it was nicer in my pocket than in McLoone's.

waitingforBB

Fair play to the contributors on this thread. Its one of the few that hasnt descended into pettiness and victimisation.

I applaud the OP and he shouldnt be ashamed to be doing the job he is doing. There is pain being felt by the whole country. The quicker we collectively accept this and move on the better shot we have at recovery.
Strikes will serve absoloutely no benefit and only increase the vitriolic sentiments that have only been too evident in these threads.

GoldenTickets

Liam79 wrote: »

Anyone with me on this one?

(yes i admit it, even tho i claimed it was my wife was a PS, its me. Just goes to show how embarassed and almost ashamed I was made to feel for being a PS in the current climate!:o)

But anyway, I am a PS 100% against any further industrial action.

Just let it be lads, let it be.......

This is such a frustrating post to see. Not just because you blatantly flip-flopped over an issue which you claimed to feel very strongly about or that you are now looking for credit for doing so; but because everything you ever wrote was total bs and you wasted the time of everyone who bothered to engage you on the topic. What is the point of even having a boards account if you're just going to post lies, get everyone riled up and then defect from your supposed beliefs? This is exactly what is NOT needed in the public sector pay debate - hot air. What a pointless waste of time.