Sunday 27 November 2011

School's Out for, er... Wednesday

So, the public sector strikes en-masse, comme  Les Français on Wednesday? There is an expectation that nine in ten schools will close for the day, medical operations will be postponed and the UK entry process may grind to a crawl. Town halls throughout the land will ring with the sound of absolutely nothing being achieved, so at least there's little change there.

I think it is brilliant! How absolutely wonderful that so many people are prepared to give up a day's pay to help in the recovery. I am assuming, of course, that the nation's few remaining actual tax payers are not expected to fund what for many will simply be a day at home, or an opportunity to take their kids Christmas shopping. The turnout for strike ballots has been remarkably low, as if the majority sense the public mood is against them, as indeed it is. Many will strike simply because they've been told to, by confrontational, scaremongering union officials, scared for their own future.

The notion of jobs for life is gone forever and it's dog-eat-dog out there. If I had a relatively secure - compared to the private sector - job, at a reasonable rate, with a bloody good, if not exactly opulent, pension at the end of it, I reckon I'd be selfish and keep damned quiet about it. Because if I were a public sector boss, I'd be keeping a very close eye on what actually results from Wednesday's stoppages.

We definitely need public servants - privatising everything would be a huge mistake - but we don't need half of those we've got. Any non-front-line NHS staff, 'diversity' workers, or anybody with 'coordinator' tacked onto their job title ought to be in real fear next week. The clever bosses should monitor the disruption - clearly, some patients may be put at a tiny risk (very few operations are really that urgent), public transport deficiencies may enrage travellers and delayed bin collections will upset a few - but I guarantee a whole lot of absences will go utterly unnoticed.

The kids will miss nothing at all - at this time of year all they do at school is wait for Christmas. And while many hands-on administrators in other areas may be missed, they may well wish a second day off for their leaders, as they will catch up so much more quickly without their interference. Relatively few public sector workers fulfil such urgent functions that a day's absence will cause any genuine hardship - just examine the sickie-count for a start.

But those whose petulant, pouting, shouting day off causes no problems, no loss of productivity, or is not even noticed should return to find their door locked and a redundancy notice pinned to it. This action could be a greatest opportunity yet to work out exactly where to trim the fat off the the bloated corpse of Britain's public sector.

Mr Cameron, take note. You could easily apply the same principle in Westminster; I bet you, nobody would miss Nick Clegg for a month, let alone a day.

10 comments:

  1. I already got a text to complain. That's brilliant; somebody actually read it! So, I've revised my plan. When you strike you effectively resign and you don't get to come back to work until you're asked.

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  2. "The kids will miss nothing at all - at this time of year all they do at school is wait for Christmas."

    Not true at all.

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  3. "Not true at all.!"

    Oh yes it is! (Panto season coming up.)
    Really, a day off school will not change a thing for them.

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  4. Anyway, it's not like anything I say makes a blind bit of difference, but it's fun when folk want to argue!

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  5. When you are King can I please come and work in your primary schools where, three weeks till the end of term the children are doing nothing? Itd be great to not have to teach millions of objectives in too short s time, imaginatively and creatively with no resources.
    Spare a thought though for those children who come from such crappy backgrounds with crappy excuses for patents who will miss out on the one place they feel secure, wanted and will have a ( fairly, thanks Jamie) healthy hot meal without bring screamed at, ignored or locked out of the house.

    For that reason alone the strike should be called off. Mind you not being in school means I won't be at risk from verbal/ physical attack from afore mentioned parents or their offspring - yes the same ones who spit at you and rebel against you one day, collapsing in tears on you the next because they realise what shit parents they have. I love my job and wouldn't change it for the world, I know I am lucky to have a job, for which I trained bloody hard which goes for a lot of the folks taking this action. But also almost all of my
    Colleagues and myself would prefer not to be closed as we have too much to do! Pantomimes and nativies to prepare etc. Oh and reading and writing and maths.

    I don't know how this will scan as I'm trying to do it on my iPhone so apologies for typos.
    Notice none of your German readers comment.

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  6. Blimey Rache, hold hard there old girl! As it happens I think teaching is one of the hardest things anybody can do (I do it). I don't doubt for a second the commitment of most teachers, but I do, strongly, oppose a lot of what passes for education. In any case, you may have noticed I have no real sacred cows and you just got caught up in my thoughts about the pointlessness of striking for a day.

    But passion is good. Why not direct your well-expressed anger on a national forum? (Nobody reads this, really and I'm sure 'The Germans' is just a 'bot.)

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  7. I also oppose a lot of what passes for education!
    Also I spelled nativites wrong I think! ( I was lucky to be taught in the 70s and 80s! )
    Also, it takes me long enough to comment and blog myself ( not written in aaaages) so I think the Forums are safe!

    Ever stuck for educational outrage material may I suggest you go to the TES website- it's always good for a laugh!!!
    Sorry for taking your post off track!

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  8. None taken! I can't read the TES, my teeth wear down far too quickly!

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  9. PS it is rude not to follow back bloggily speaking etc!

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  10. Whoops, sorry Rache. I'll have a gander and see what I can do. It's not a girlie blog, is it?

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