I had been to the rose centre a number of years ago so I knew roughly where it was. I programmed the postcode into the SatNav to get the exact location and away we went.  On arriving at the village next to the rose centre, the SatNav had other ideas and turned us off down some very narrow (one car width) but very pretty country lanes!  The rose centre was nowhere to be seen and the SatNav went very quiet so I can only think the post code covered a very large area.  Despite the lack of electronic assistance I managed to get back on the main road and navigate my way to the centre. After all that adventure the first port of call was the teashop for that much needed refreshment.

After much deliberation we finally settled on a suitable rose called ‘Remember Me‘.  The decision was made easier because certain colours were ruled out by default.  The rose will be planted behind the conservatory, to be enjoyed in the summer months whatever the weather.

I felt that my own patio was in need of a little addition and took advantage of the opportunity. I settled on Strawberries and Cream, although I had to go back to the drawing board with my choice of pot because the original was deemed too small.

Later in the day when we were leaving Mum’s house ready for an evening meal at Cherie’s Place I heard what I thought was a door shutting upstairs.  When I went to investigate I found that the door to my Dad’s office had blown to…  Which has just reminded me that my mobile phone is playing up in a very unusual way today as well…

So now I am raising my glass to say cheers, the bar in the top photo is well stocked with my Dad’s favourite tipple

No doubt most of you will have read the recent reports in the Daily Telegraph and the Daily Mail stating that MoD civil servants have earned in excess of £47 million in bonuses in the last six months. The Telegraph starts the article with this sensational comment:

Civil servants at the Ministry of Defence have been paid £47 million in performance bonuses so far this year despite claims that troops in Afghanistan lack essential equipment.

Unfortunately the articles don’t tell the whole truth which is that MoD bonuses are imposed on the staff by a cabinet office ruling, which says that a bonus element must be included in any pay deal. What this really means is the minute pay increase for MoD civilians is mostly payed as a bonus which means it is not pensionable.

It is the usual spin & lies by the media to inflame public opinion so that it agrees with the policies to cut public services. What the papers also fail to say is that MoD staff are currently receiving an ‘imposed’ three year pay deal, which in effect has meant a pay cut for many members of the lowest grades.

The following is the PCS response to he Daily Telegraph:

12 November 2009

Dear sir,

If civilian staff in the MoD were receiving huge bonuses, the anger expressed by families of soldiers on the frontline would be understandable, but it’s not true.

Recently over 1,000 MoD civilian staff had to receive an emergency payment because their pay had fallen below the national minimum wage and the department have this year cut the pay and pension of the lowest paid staff.

Most of our 16,000 members earn less than £20,000 per year. After years of pay restraint, the current system means that these low paid civil servants receive paltry, non-pensionable, one-off ‘bonuses’ of between £300 and £400 instead of fair annual pay rises.

No one is more angry than our members about the mismanagement of defence by politicians, private consultants and senior management.

Our members work directly on the frontline alongside the military providing training, security, procurement, storage, distribution and critical support.

MoD civil servants are working around the clock to support the military and will continue to do so despite the impact of the 25,000 arbitrary job cuts imposed by the government over the last six years.

Instead of disgraceful and misleading attacks on low paid staff the focus should instead be on the real waste.

For example the billions of pounds wasted in the MoD equipment programme every year, on the myriad failed privatisation projects and on the employment of thousands on non-deployable military personnel. This is the real scandal in MoD.

Yours sincerely,

Mark Serwotka
PCS general secretary

A recent study into Civil Service pay by Income Data Services (IDS) further exposes the myth that civil servants are paid more than their counterparts in the private sector.  The study reveals that there are gaps of more than £5000 between the Civil Service and the private sector.

The report compares the median salaries of four key grades in the Civil Service against their counterparts in other areas in the private sector.  The PCS website reports on some key findings from the report:

• Administrative officers across the civil service delivering a range of services such as getting people back into work, tax credits and passports are paid £4,608 (21%) less than their colleagues doing comparable jobs in the private sector. Compared to the rest of the public sector the gap is £4,045 (19%) and for the financial sector the figure is £3,330 (16%).
• Executive officers who typically work in a supervisory role or a job which requires a vocational qualification are paid £4,783 (18%) less than the private sector and £3,945 (15%) less than the financial sector. Compared to rest of the public sector the gap is £4,503 (17%).
• Higher executive officers who manage teams of people are paid £5,338 (16%) less than their counterparts in the financial sector and £4,305 (13%) less than those working in the private sector. Compared to rest of the public sector the gap is £1,873 (6%).
• Administrative assistants who typically undertake clerical duties such as processing benefit claims, tax credits and self assessment forms earn £979 (6.5%) less than the private sector and £572 (3.6%) less than the rest of the public sector.

The IDS findings on the eve of this year’s TUC conference come as employer led organisations attempt to portray civil and public servants as ‘having it easy’ compared to the private sector.

The myth is far from the reality with the average pension for civil servants amounting to £6,500 and dropping to £4,200 once high earners are excluded.

Nearly 100,000 civil and public service jobs have gone over the last 5 years and more than half of the civil service earn less than the UK national wage.

Commenting, Mark Serwotka, PCS general secretary, said: “These findings expose the myth that civil servants enjoy better rates of pay than the private sector.

“The notion that dedicated civil servants who do everything from helping people back to work, to tax credits and passports have it easy is false. Civil service pay has increased at a slower rate than the private sector.

“Over 100,000 civil servants earn less than £15,000 with 40% of jobcentre workers getting no pay rise at all last year. PCS members like other low paid workers continue to bear the brunt of the recession in terms of pay.

“Divisive myths about pay, pensions and job security should not be used as a pretext to freeze pay, cut pensions and lay waste to civil and public services.

“Job cuts, low pay and an average pension of £4,200 are the realities for the people who keep this country running. The government needs to see through the divisive myths about civil and public servants and to recognise the important role they play in delivering vital services.”

Media myths about the civil and public services:

• Myth 1: Civil and public servants are well paid
• Myth 2: Civil servant pensions are gold plated
• Myth 3: Civil and public servants are secure in their jobs
• Myth 4: Privatisation
• Myths: Part 5

]]> http://www.cheriesplace.me.uk/blog/index.php/2009/09/17/media-myths-about-civil-public-services-part-6/feed/ 16 http://www.cheriesplace.me.uk/blog/index.php/2009/05/06/media-myths-about-civil-public-services-part-1/ http://www.cheriesplace.me.uk/blog/index.php/2009/05/06/media-myths-about-civil-public-services-part-1/#comments Wed, 06 May 2009 17:54:28 +0000 CherryPie http://www.cheriesplace.me.uk/blog/?p=221 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.

Myths:  Part 2 – Part 3 – Part 4 – Part 5