Public sector still wasting money on non-jobs, jollies and needless PR

[mj.scuba]

Seems the economic climate hasn't quite caught up with some of Britain's local councils and quangos:

 

http://www.taxpayersalliance.com/waste/2010/07/nonjob-of-the-week-2.html

 

http://www.taxpayersalliance.com/westmidlands/2010/07/pointless-golf-junket-for-council-staff.html

 

http://www.taxpayersalliance.com/westmidlands/2010/07/petrol-pump-publicity-for-local-quango.html

 

 

Perhaps if they still have money to waste they should have their budgets cut further?

 

 

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[alchresearch]

The last link was pretty weak.

[Wildcat]

All the links were pretty weak.

 

If you want to rage about overpaid non-jobs then why not start with some of these:

 

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/jun/11/chief-executives-pay-bonuses

 

And as one society points out:

 

“However, the Tax Payers’ Alliance and others should worry more about the salaries of private sector contractors and consultants whose inflated pay drains valuable money out of the public sector. Precisely as the government’s Fair Pay Review acknowledges in its terms of reference: ‘distortions and market failures in private sector pay create pressure for unfair pay multiples in the public sector’. Only once we have transparent and fair pay – including wage ratios – in the private sector will real change (and savings) in the public sector be possible.”

 

http://www.onesociety.org.uk/news/36/88/Pay-restraint-starts-but-doesn-t-end-at-home.htm

 

It would be interesting to know how the taxpayers alliance spends the millions in donations it gets on its staff? Surely they can't spend all of it on exploiting Tax loopholes to claim they are non-political and a charitable organisation? If they want pay transparency why not start with themselves, then perhaps we will see some real overpaid non-jobs.

[alchresearch]

I recall they were also moaning about speed cameras. I don't see what it has to do with them because it's not a tax I have to pay.

[Funky_Gibbon]

There's no such thing as a non-job. There are jobs with silly titles and there are jobs that some people are ideologically opposed to, like Equality Officers. This old canard comes up every few years and it often takes little more than looking at the job description to reveal that the jobs being attacked have a worthwhile purpose.

 

It was either Michael Howard or Iain Duncan Smith who when leader of the Conservatives went on the offensive over 'non-jobs', getting outraged over a job with the title of Director Of Plant Health (or something similar) and another one that had something to do with horses. Then someone on Radio 4 Today programme pointed out that the Plant Health job was responsible for preventing national outbreaks of disease that would cripple the farmers like the plant equivalent of Foot & Mouth and the horse job was valued by the racing industry. They never mentioned them again.

 

All this non-job bull**** at the moment is nothing more than spin designed to make people accept the fact that a million people are going to be made redundant. It tries to make them accept it by demonising those who are being targetted and belittling (or totally ignoring) the work they've been doing so that nobody will care when they're sacked.

 

Let's take for example what the Taxpayers Alliance says should have won the 'non-job of the week' award, Skate Supervisor. 30 seconds worth of Googling finds the job description. The actual job title is Session Supervisor working at Rollercity (presumably a council-owned sports centre) but was obviously change in the advert to make it a little more obvious what you'd be supervising. The pay is £7.18 an hour (which put it just above minimum wage) and the job description is:

 

- To lead & organise the following:

a) The issuing of roller skates

b) The maintenance of roller skates for safe use

c) All Health & Safety measures are met whilst Rollercity is open to the public

d) That safety practices are carried out during organised games

e) Administration of First Aid procedures when required to do so

f) Cleaning and maintenance of all areas in Rollercity

g) Administer skate equipment and ticket checks in Rollercity on entry to session

 

- To be responsible for all customers and staff in Rollercity with support from the Duty Manager.

 

- To be conversant with the “Fire and Emergency Evacuation” procedures and be ready to act upon them if required to do so.

 

 

So it's basically a job working in a leisure centre and supervising the activities and safety of the kids who go there. Hmm.... doesn't seem quite so non-jobish now does it?

[Bloomdido]

What about a trip to Soeul, South Korea by councillors to look at developing links between there and Rotherham?

[mj.scuba]

All the links were pretty weak.

 

If you want to rage about overpaid non-jobs then why not start with some of these:

 

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/jun/11/chief-executives-pay-bonuses

 

And as one society points out:

 

 

 

http://www.onesociety.org.uk/news/36/88/Pay-restraint-starts-but-doesn-t-end-at-home.htm

 

It would be interesting to know how the taxpayers alliance spends the millions in donations it gets on its staff? Surely they can't spend all of it on exploiting Tax loopholes to claim they are non-political and a charitable organisation? If they want pay transparency why not start with themselves, then perhaps we will see some real overpaid non-jobs.

 

Private sector executives like Sir Stuart Rose are not funded out of the taxpayer purse!

It is the prerogative of the Shareholders (ie the owners) to approve their pay.

[Funky_Gibbon]

What about a trip to Soeul, South Korea by councillors to look at developing links between there and Rotherham?

 

Depends on whether the trip results in some South Korean company providing business or jobs to Rotherham. If it was just about twinning Rotherham with Seoul then that's a waste. Bring in business worth more than the trip cost isn't.

[studentbob]

The Taxpayers Alliance remind me of a bloke I used to work with - never had a good word for anyone - miserable old git wasted his life moaning about things that, for the most part, had no effect on him.

 

The man was a joke - and so are the Taxpayers Alliance.

[HayleyJayne]

Seems the economic climate hasn't quite caught up with some of Britain's local councils and quangos:

 

http://www.taxpayersalliance.com/waste/2010/07/nonjob-of-the-week-2.html

 

http://www.taxpayersalliance.com/westmidlands/2010/07/pointless-golf-junket-for-council-staff.html

 

http://www.taxpayersalliance.com/westmidlands/2010/07/petrol-pump-publicity-for-local-quango.html

 

 

Perhaps if they still have money to waste they should have their budgets cut further?

 

 

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If they didnt have communications people how would you know what was going on... I agree there are lots of pointless jobs and that communications jobs should be streamlined but its not totally a non-job!