DWP & Home Office workers in Sheffield, prepare to take you pay cuts

[I1L2T3]

is there any evidence that we do have a disproportionally high number of public sector workers here and that they are paid highly enough to be able to afford a house let alone drive prices up?

 

In 2008 it was 25% of the working population in the city. The national average was 20%.

 

I'm not saying we have too many but there is an argument that some are paid far too much.

[tinfoilhat]

Osborne proposes regionalised pay for public sector workers

 

http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2012/mar/16/public-servants-poorer-regions-lower-pay

 

I don't think this is necessarily a bad thing if it is done carefully and fairly. It is obviously much more expensive to live in the SE and other areas and that should be reflected. Other public sector workers already have pay scales that reflect this, nurses and police for example.

 

From a Sheffield perspective we have very overpriced housing in many areas of the city, no doubt driven up by the high pay of the disproportionately high number of public sector workers we have. The house prices need to be normalised a bit.

 

What do others think?

 

There is overpriced housing here but not a patch on the south east. I was talking to someone whose partner was a fireman in Sussex and he'd just relocated from Leeds. His wages hadn't changed much, if at all, but the price of a 3 bed semi was pretty much double. That doesn't seem fair but what will happen is that it will be a race to the bottom rather than the top.

[I1L2T3]

There is overpriced housing here but not a patch on the south east. I was talking to someone whose partner was a fireman in Sussex and he'd just relocated from Leeds. His wages hadn't changed much, if at all, but the price of a 3 bed semi was pretty much double. That doesn't seem fair but what will happen is that it will be a race to the bottom rather than the top.

 

Yes, prices are even more insane down south.

 

But the average house price in Sheffield is £153k. Average advertised salaries in 2008 were £27k.

 

I make that house prices almost 6 times average salary in Sheffield. Clearly unsustainable. The average house price here should be £100k approx. No more.

[muddycoffee]

.....

In the long run it would then make sense for the government to relocate jobs to the cheaper regions. At the moment there is no real incentive to do that.

 

We are a cheaper region, why do you think home office offices, and other government jobs were moved here in the first place ?

[muddycoffee]

Yes, prices are even more insane down south.

 

But the average house price in Sheffield is £153k. Average advertised salaries in 2008 were £27k.

 

I make that house prices almost 6 times average salary in Sheffield. Clearly unsustainable. The average house price here should be £100k approx. No more.

 

From my personal experience, local to sheffield 8 and with my close friends. in the last 20 years house prices have gone up to 4x the original while wages have only doubled.

[green]

George Osborne will say that public sector employees in poorer parts of the country should have their pay frozen until it is brought into line with local private sector workers.

 

However, for as long as i can remember, the public sector has stated that they pay their chiefs what the private sector pay.

 

Whose fooling who?

[muddycoffee]

..should have their pay frozen until it is brought into line with local private sector workers...

 

But that statement does not make any sense because it does not clarify which public sector workers or which private sector workers.

 

For instance, MPs are extremely fond of aligning themselves with GPs. Over the last ten years they have increased GPs pay to 100k levels. They should really be aligning themselves with nurses and social workers. who earn more like 30k.

[Balpin]

Band 5

Point 16 21,176

Point 17 21,798

Point 18 22,676

Point 19 23,589

Point 20 24,554

Point 21 25,528

Point 22 26,556

Point 23 27,625

 

The above figures are the pay rates in the NHS, and now the PFI companies, for Engineering Technicians qualified to HNC level and being responsible all the engineering function, supervising up to 20 or 30 men, of all disciplines.

They are not film star wages by any means.

Nurses and Domestic Supervisors are also paid similar rates.

All with great responsibility.

[green]

But that statement does not make any sense because it does not clarify which public sector workers or which private sector workers.

 

For instance, MPs are extremely fond of aligning themselves with GPs. Over the last ten years they have increased GPs pay to 100k levels. They should really be aligning themselves with nurses and social workers. who earn more like 30k.

 

I concur with you. My information was taken from the Telegraph & Guardian articles.

 

This will be yet another policy that will go bad quickly, when there are so many other pressing problems that our politicians should be dealing with.

[Guest]

Civil Servants in London already get paid more.

 

In some departments they work less hours - 36 as opposed to the standard 37 (works out at about 1 1/2 weeks less over the year that they work) plus up to £3500 London weighting allowance.