Myth 3: civil and public servants are secure in their jobs
The myth
There is a misconception that civil and public servants are immune from the recession and have safe and cushy jobs.
The facts
The picture across the civil service has been one of job cuts resulting in a deterioration of services since the Gershon review in 2004. 80,000 jobs have gone under Gershon with more to follow in some areas as a result of the comprehensive spending review in 2007.
As a result of this year’s budget and the publication of the ‘Operational efficiency programme’ the government have announced a further round of ‘efficiency savings’ totalling £9 billion. This is bound to result in more job losses.
For example there are plans for the Land Registry to be halved over the next 5 years at a cost of up to 4,000 jobs.
Examples of job losses and their impact
Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs
- 18,000 jobs have already been cut with a total of 25,000 planned by 2011 in addition to over 200 offices axed.
- The impact so far has been a reduction in service, increased errors and backlogs in post. Debts less than £20,000 aren’t being pursued.
- Insufficient staffing in contact centes has meant that only half the calls from the public can be dealt with causing long delays for the public and stress to staff.
- Job losses have made it impossible to chase the £21.5 billion worth of uncollected tax and £25 billion lost through tax evasion. Money that could be ploughed into public services and stimulating the economy. This will only get worse as further cuts are made.
Ministry of Defence
- 14,000 jobs have been cut so far with another 8,000 to come.
- The job losses have impacted on the support given to the armed forces and the supply of everything from ‘bog rolls to bullets’.
Department for Work and Pensions
- 30,000 jobs across the department were axed as a result of Gershon. 18,000 of these were in jobcentres. 500 jobcentres and benefit offices have closed over the last five years.
- As a result of the recession the department has halted further closures (apart from three in London) and are recruiting staff again, to cope with the rising unemployed. Staffing will be taken back to 2005 levels but this is unlikely to be adequate to deal with the current level of unemployment.
- Elsewhere in the DWP cuts are still continuing with 1,100 staff in the pension and disability carers service transferring to jobcentres and not being replaced.
Past experience has shown that ‘efficiency savings’ have resulted in cuts. With more and more people relying on public services it makes no sense to pursue further cuts.
The government should not be putting people on the dole, but stimulating the economy through increased investment.
6 Comments CherryPie on May 11th 2009
It’s a shallow life that doesn’t give a person a few scars.
Garrison Keillor
12 Comments CherryPie on May 10th 2009
Thiepval memorial stands in an isolated windswept position and is the largest memorial in the world and was opened on 31st July 1932 by the Prince of Wales. It contains over 72,000 names of British and Commonwealth men with no known graves, who fell on the Somme between July 1916 and March 1918. Most of these died during the first battle of the Somme. An inscription on the memorial reads:
Here are recorded names of officers and men of the British Armies who fell on the Somme battlefields July 1915 February 1918 but to whom the fortune of war denied the known and honoured burial given to their comrades in death.
To the rear of the memorial is cemetery which unusually contains both British and French burials (300 of each). This commemorates the joint Anglo-French action that took place in the Somme. The French are buried to the left and the British on the right
For more of this weeks PhotoHunt pictures check out tnchick.
17 Comments CherryPie on May 8th 2009
Myth 2: civil service pensions are ‘gold plated’
The myth
Parts of the media have pushed the idea of an ‘apartheid’ between public sector pensions and private sector pensions has grown with the public sector enjoying generous pensions which are gold plated. Public sector pensions need to be reformed as a result, it is claimed.
The facts
Pensions in the civil service are far from generous and have been recently changed to a career average scheme.
- In 2007/8 the average civil service pension was £6,500. For dependents this was £2,900.
- Excluding high earners this average drops as low as £4,200.
- The average civil servant accesses their pension at roughly the same time as the public at large i.e. 62/63 years of age.
- A civil service pension of less than £1,000 per year is being received by 40,191 pensioners.
- A gross pension of between £1000-£2000 per year is being received by a further 60,830 pensioners.
- The average length of service for the majority of civil servants is 15 years.
The civil service is covered by a collection of several different pension schemes which have developed over the years. These are:
- 1972 scheme (now called Classic) – As at 31 March 2008 there are 334,600 members.
- 2002 scheme (Premium) – For new entrants from 1/10/2002. There are currently 207,720 members.
- 2002 scheme (Classic plus) – A hybrid between Classic and Premium and only available to those staff in post 1/10/2002. This covers 17,310 members
- 2002 scheme (Partnership scheme) – A money purchase scheme available as an alternative to premium/nuvos, from 7,000 members.
- 2007 scheme (nuvos) – a defined benefit whole career base scheme for new entrants from 30/7/2007, 17,310 members.
8 Comments CherryPie on May 7th 2009
This is the first of a series of 4 articles that highlight some of the myths that the media and politicians spread about civil and public services. The information was originally published on the PCS website and I thought they would benefit from a wider airing:
Public spending growth will be cut from 1.1% next year to 0.7% from 2011-12. Alongside this real term spending cut, the government also announced further ‘efficiency savings’ of £9 billion across the public sector in addition to the £5 billion announced in November.
PCS members know all too well the disastrous impact on services that past so called “efficiency programmes” have had. Over 80,000 civil and public service jobs have already been axed, with offices closed in their hundreds and outsourcing and privatisation a continual threat.
It is against this backdrop that the media and some politicians are trying to create a division between the public and private sectors.
Divisive myths about job security, pay and pensions in civil and public services have been voiced in an attempt to portray the public sector as “having it easy” compared to the private sector.
Myth 1: civil and public servants are well paid
The myth
Some people think that civil and public servants are well paid and have enjoyed better pay rises than the private sector.
The facts
Civil and public servants are amongst the lowest paid in the public sector and wider economy. They have seen their pay cut in real terms with large numbers suffering pay freezes in the lead up to the recession.
The notion that civil and public servants have enjoyed and continue to enjoy bumper pay rises is false. PCS members like other low paid workers elsewhere continue to bear the brunt of the recession in terms of pay.
Facts and figures
- Civil servants average earnings growth has lagged behind other sectors for 10 years.
- Over 100,000, almost 20% are paid less than £15,000 a year.
- In the culture sector the vast majority of staff earn between £12-£17,000 a year
- Nearly half of the civil service or approximately 250,000 people earn less than £20,000 a year.
- More than half the civil service earn less than the national average UK salary which is over £23,000.
- Coastguard watch assistants who assist in co-ordinating search and rescue earn just above the minimum wage.
- In the last three years pay in the civil service has increased by 6% whilst the cost of living has increased by 12.8%. Fuel and lighting rose by 35% last year, fares and travel went up by 10.2% and food costs rose by 10%.
- Approximately 40,000 people working for the Department for Work and Pensions, which includes jobcentres and benefit offices received no pay rise at all.
- Apparent differences in average earnings between public and private sector in the annual survey of hours and earnings is explained by structural changes in the public sector such as the transfer of lower paid support roles to the private sector resulting from patterns of privatisation.
12 Comments CherryPie on May 6th 2009
As far as weather is concerned today was rather disappointing for a bank holiday Monday. I was hoping to get back out into my garden which is in need of some TLC. But due to the aches and pains after yesterday’s work it is probably just as well the weather intervened 
So to cheer us all up despite the weather here are some pictures from Sissinghurst.
14 Comments CherryPie on May 4th 2009
…in History.
From the BBC Website:
On This Day
- 1942: The first ’selection’ for gassing takes place at the Nazi extermination camp of Auschwitz-Birkenau.
- 1979: Margaret Thatcher becomes Britain’s first female prime minister following a landslide election victory.
- 1980: Josip Broz Tito, whose rule had held the ethnic factions of Yugoslavia together since 1945, dies.
Comments Off CherryPie on May 4th 2009
