Public sector workers must look at the larger picture

WITH the whole financial system on the verge of collapse, well-heeled, public sector union bosses are once again rattling all those old rhetorical sabres, ranting on about strikes and mayhem into the foreseeable future. They, and most of their members do truly live in a bubble all of their own.

Public sector workers already occupy a privileged and cocooned position in society – their jobs, wages and pensions are virtually guaranteed for life.

Unlike all other sections of society. Unlike private sector workers whose jobs are at the mercy of competition and the vagaries of the market place. Unlike the thousands of young people who cannot get a job of any kind. Unlike thousands of pensioners, who never had the opportunity to contribute to any pension fund at all.

Now these fortunate members of our (un)equal society are quibbling at being asked to contribute a bit more to their own already generous pensions.

I suppose they would rather the aforementioned less privileged taxpayers stumped it up instead while they bathe themselves in their injured sense of entitlement. I can already hear the howls of anger – which however will only resonate with their own kind.

To keep them all in the manner to which they have become accustomed would require something which no longer exists, a super successful and buoyant private sector to pay for it all. They all need to take a step back and look at the bigger picture which affects us all.

From: Ken Holmes, Cliffe Common, Selby, York.

BUSINESS Secretary Vince Cable is perfectly correct in his attempt to stop “irresponsible” companies rewarding failures (Yorkshire Post, September 19).

Failure in high-flying jobs should either be demoted or shown the door. Rewarding them is immoral and an affront to decent, loyal, hardworking people, who at the end of their careers, if lucky, receive a gold watch and a reduced Government raided pension pot.

From: Brian Sheridan, Redmires Road, Sheffield.

SEVENTY per cent of respondents to Question of the Day (Yorkshire Post. September 19) think the Lib Dems have too much influence in government.

My word, they have come a long way. I was under the impression that what the Lib Dems said didn’t matter anyway.

From: Tim Mickleburgh, Boulevard Avenue, Grimsby.

IT is good to read (Yorkshire Post, September 19) that the minimum wage will rise next month, to £6.08 an hour for adults and to £4.98 for those aged 18-20.

But why should someone get paid less when doing the same job simply because they are younger? That used to be the case in the Civil Service, where it was possible for an older clerical assistant to take home more than a younger clerical officer, despite the latter holding a higher grade.