To the muppets picketing at Distillery Road, Newcastle (NUIG) today....

JohnCleary

You are going to get run-over. You are picketing on a public ROAD that is open to traffic.

1) As said already, you are picketing on a PUBLIC ROAD, crossing and stopping in-front of traffic, blocking it (Are you trying for a Darwin?)
2) There are many private houses BEHIND your picket line, aswell as a boat club and a rowing club. There is a right-of-way on this road. Not everyone on this road is going into NUIG
3) Are you looking for the public's support, or merely to p1ss off drivers?

Next time you're picketing and one of you idiots decides to walk out in-front of me in an attempt to stop me when you clearly can see me approaching, i'm not stopping.

Out of principle, I will do my best to avoid crossing a picket line, BUT, don't try to stop people who are going about their daily business, who are NOT going into the organisation which you are picketing.

Sponge Bob

One of the nurses got hit by a taxi while picketing Inside the hospital today

JohnCleary

Sponge Bob wrote: »

One of the nurses got hit by a taxi while picketing Inside the hospital today

Oh the irony.

At least she didn't have far to go :pac:

dec25532

Gawd, I listened to some of them on the Vincent Browne programme tonight and they were so self righteous and arrogant that they made me sick. Patricularly the teachers. Fcuk it, I have taken a 12% pay cut from a fairly low base and have to grin and bear it in the private sector and hopefully will keep the job. I accept their right to strike but their argument doesn't hold much water to be honest.

biffoman

dec25532 wrote: »

Gawd, I listened to some of them on the Vincent Browne programme tonight and they were so self righteous and arrogant that they made me sick. Patricularly the teachers. Fcuk it, I have taken a 12% pay cut from a fairly low base and have to grin and bear it in the private sector and hopefully will keep the job. I accept their right to strike but their argument doesn't hold much water to be honest.

i watched that program aswell and didnt vinny do well with the questions,concidering how agressive everyone was to him.i had a wee gigle whwn he was asked how much he earned per year.

Mrs OBumble

The long letter in last week's Indo said it all, IMHO.


JohnCleary, I hear where you're coming from, but be careful. Back home a few years back, a truck driver hit a woman on a picket line. He was going very slowly, but she died anyway. Very messy. I worked with the truck driver's son years later, and there were still repercussions going on.

JohnCleary

JustMary wrote: »

The long letter in last week's Indo said it all, IMHO.


JohnCleary, I hear where you're coming from, but be careful. Back home a few years back, a truck driver hit a woman on a picket line. He was going very slowly, but she died anyway. Very messy. I worked with the truck driver's son years later, and there were still repercussions going on.

OK maybe I shouldn't exagurate (sp?) - I'd never drive into/over someone! (intentionally anyway :pac:)

But seriously - where do these idiots get off thinking they can picket on a public road, blocking traffic? If I was 40 years older i'd be on the phone to Keith Finnigan! :pac:

PomBear

I don't understand how u let your political bias be swayed by being held up for two-three seconds for something that is a good cause

JohnCleary

PomBear wrote: »

I don't understand how u let your political bias be swayed by being held up for two-three seconds for something that is a good cause

It's not the 2/3 seconds that i'm held up. It's the arrogange of them, the fact that they think they have the right to stop traffic that has no relationship with the organisation they are picketing against, and finally, that they have the stupidity to purposly walk out in-front of traffic.... How can people of such idiocy be allowed to work in our country's education factilities?

ronnie3585

PomBear wrote: »

I don't understand how u let your political bias be swayed by being held up for two-three seconds for something that is a good cause

Good cause me hole. Ungrateful basta*ds, they should be locked out - Christmas on bread and water would sort them out (or a week in the private sector).

PomBear

JohnCleary wrote: »

It's not the 2/3 seconds that i'm held up. It's the arrogange of them, the fact that they think they have the right to stop traffic that has no relationship with the organisation they are picketing against, and finally, that they have the stupidity to purposly walk out in-front of traffic.... How can people of such idiocy be allowed to work in our country's education factilities?

I don't think they arrogant. They were using an extremely common form of protest. They walked in front of cars to let them know they were crossing a picket line.

They're getting pay cuts and redundancies like the rest of us

We actually had lecturers tell us that they were doing it for our benefit and not their own as if it was some selfless act.

PomBear

ronnie3585 wrote: »

Good cause me hole. Ungrateful basta*ds, they should be locked out - Christmas on bread and water would sort them out (or a week in the private sector).

So they cannot protest against pay cutsand redundancies because you get paid less? I'm on less than €150 a week and think they have every right to protest

PomBear

PomBear wrote: »

So they cannot protest against pay cutsand redundancies because you get paid less? I'm on less than €150 a week and think they have every right to protest

I'm sorry so you think that they have a right to protest something which at the minute is only being proposed. Why should teachers and public sector workers not do their part like the rest of the country. Every other sector is taking the hit so why should they be any different?

Intimidator

I was at Distillery Road picketing. Try it man, you'll see where it gets you.

PomBear

Deleted User wrote: »

I'm sorry so you think that they have a right to protest something which at the minute is only being proposed. Why should teachers and public sector workers not do their part like the rest of the country. Every other sector is taking the hit so why should they be any different?

because like many others are being treated unfairly in terms of pay cuts and redundancies by a mediocre government and are gonna get screwed over in this budget. It's not a question of doing you're part where Fianna Fail are basically letting their super rich buddies keep tax evading

Intimidator

Intimidator wrote: »

I was at Distillery Road picketing. Try it man, you'll see where it gets you.

I hope it gets him a medal. There is no excuse for holding up traffic on a basic public road especially for people who unlike yourself are trying to get to work.

PomBear wrote: »

because like many others are being treated unfairly in terms of pay cuts and redundancies by a mediocre government and are gonna get screwed over in this budget. It's not a question of doing you're part where Fianna Fail are basically letting their super rich buddies keep tax evading

Blame FF all you want and believe you me I do but at the same time I public sector workers have to take a hit just like everyone else. What most people are over looking is that at this stage it's only a proposed cut.

ronnie3585

Deleted User wrote: »

I'm sorry so you think that they have a right to protest something which at the minute is only being proposed. Why should teachers and public sector workers not do their part like the rest of the country. Every other sector is taking the hit so why should they be any different?

Exactly.

I have zero sympathy for the public sector workers. Those of us working in the private sector who are lucky enough to still have a job, have for the most part taken savage pay cut of up to and including 25%, job security is non-existent across all levels of the private sector.

To date the public sector has incurred a 10% pension levy, on a pension which I as a taxpayer contribute towards. Why should I have to take a cut in my wages, contribute towards my own pension and then contribute towards a pension fund for an over staffed, over payed, wholly inefficient public service who's employees have felt nowhere near the pain of the private sector.

The utterly corrupt unions continue to sabre rattle talking about equality and we should all shoulder the burden equally. I agree. We should all share the pain equally. To date this has not happened. The dog on the street knew 18 months ago that massive pay cuts were necessary given the untenable 20bn public sector wage bill however this has not happened due to an incompetent, impotent government unwilling to tackle the problem of the unions head on due to the tradition of FF's acquiescence to the demands of the Social Partners year in year out for the guts of fifteen years. The unions were quick to demand the ugly monster that has become benchmarking when times were good, why now can't public sector pay be benchmarked down the way? It was afterall introduced as a mechanism to create some sort of parity between public and private sector pay. Why now when average private sector pay has fallen well below public can't benchmarking work the other way?

This country has a long way to go before it even starts testing the bottom.

[/rant]

PomBear

Deleted User wrote: »

I hope it gets him a medal. There is no excuse for holding up traffic on a basic public road especially for people who unlike yourself are trying to get to work.



Blame FF all you want and believe you me I do but at the same time I public sector workers have to take a hit just like everyone else. What most people are over looking is that at this stage it's only a proposed cut.

Public Sector wokers have already been taking the hit just like the rest of us
My mother is employed by HSE and has got 15% cuts and a bonus of €5000 thats she's not getting now.
My father has had PhD for 20 years and it took him 2 years to get work as a lecturer and he had to move to England to get work recently.

Jack Daniels I

i have zero sympathy for public sector workers.ive had savage tax increases and have no job security..i cant plan my future.the whole public system is a joke.departments opening at 9 or 10,going for an hour or more break and then closing at 2 or 3!!schoolkids work harder than that for christ sake.its so inefficient from top to bottom.FAS is an absolute disgrace for example all the money they have wasted.i work in an industry with lean six sigma as the core basis.this is basically eliminating any waste from a business or manufacturing process.we could use this for cost reduction, improved cycle time and delivery right across the entire public sector.yes its not pretty but it means these guys will work for their wage.the easy ride is over guys.its time to muck in like the rest of us.i work 12 hour shifts and from start to finish its hammer and tongs.this is how wil get this country going again,hard work.yu guys make me sick and watch out for me at the picket lines in my car

qwytre

I have some sympathy for the public sector workers in so far as it is not nice for any employee to take paycuts.

The private sector has been badly impacted through redundancies and savage salary drops (e.g. if I was to move job now I would be looking at a 25-30% pay cut). Pay cuts don't happen as much in the private sector as the media makes out, a lot of companies prefer the redundancy route.

Public sector workers need to realise that the Govt is an employer too who just cannot keep paying the salaries. By rights there should be redundancies but in lieu of that pay cuts have to happen.

Everyone has a right to protest.

civis_liberalis

qwytre wrote: »

Everyone has a right to protest.

But not by walking in front of traffic on a public road.

AdamantApproach

Sponge Bob wrote: »

One of the nurses got hit by a taxi while picketing Inside the hospital today

How did the taxi get into the building???? Does anyone have a video/pics?

muskyj

Firstly i agree with the point being made by the OP as a picket should not block the access to areas/businesses other than those being targetted by their dispute. but on the point of proposed public sector cuts, the problem is that there needs to be a serious overhaul of how the public sector is run and not a blanket paycut across the sector which in fairness will hurt those on the lower rungs of the system alot more than those further up. the government took the same (stupid) stance during the boom years when the same percentage pay rises went to those on ridiculous salaries as those earning a few hundred euros a week.

majiktripp

AdamantApproach wrote: »

How did the taxi get into the building???? Does anyone have a video/pics?

I think it should say hospital grounds, not hospital. There's a large carpark and road up to the door of the hospital's main entrance to take into account, he didn't launch the cab John McClain-esque into the building.

AdamantApproach

majiktripp wrote: »

I think it should say hospital grounds, not hospital. There's a large carpark and road up to the door of the hospital's main entrance to take into account, he didn't launch the cab John McClain-esque into the building.

Are you sure? The original statement seems pretty clear to me. I'm surprised that there is not more about an incident of this nature in today's news.

here.from.day.1

Intimidator wrote: »

I was at Distillery Road picketing. Try it man, you'll see where it gets you.

A bulldozer might make things easier for this lad OP.

PopeBuckfastXVI

Intimidator wrote: »

I was at Distillery Road picketing. Try it man, you'll see where it gets you.

Careful now...



/moderation

Sponge Bob

majiktripp wrote: »

I think it should say hospital grounds, not hospital.

Yes or level with the footpath on the newcastle road maybe , not out on a PUBLIC ROAD was the real point if you look at the previous post.

dloob

Intimidator wrote: »

I was at Distillery Road picketing. Try it man, you'll see where it gets you.

Yeah John you'll regret it, It'll take days to get all the splatter off the car.
Only the power hose at the filling station is a winner here.

po0k

Why aren't the unions calling for a sliding scale of paycuts?

ie. an administrator on 200,000 takes a 25% paycut, a cleaner on 20,000 takes a 2% cut?

As for frontline staff, I have every sympathy for them. I wouldn't do their job, couldn't put up with the stuff they face day in, day out.
Compare board meetings with cutting kids out of wreckage.

This thread is in danger of being locked.

John, did you wind down your window and tell em where you were trying to go?
Or did you communicate via morse-horn?

ceepeedee

Intimidator wrote: »

I was at Distillery Road picketing. Try it man, you'll see where it gets you.

Potentially a lifetime of angst over a needless death or maiming, but I think he understands that already. Nice handle, btw.

HarryD

No sympathy for public sector workers. The public sector is notorioulsy inefficient.
Now getting paid more than their counterparts in the private sector. All the folk that were harping on about benchmarking have suddenly become quiet. One-way benchmarking ???

mike kelly

Will the muppets be on Distillery road again today? I'll go along for a look as I haven't seen them in years. It would be great to see the Swedish Chef being run over by an irate motorist, I can't stand him.

PomBear

po0k wrote: »

Why aren't the unions calling for a sliding scale of paycuts?

ie. an administrator on 200,000 takes a 25% paycut, a cleaner on 20,000 takes a 2% cut?

As for frontline staff, I have every sympathy for them. I wouldn't do their job, couldn't put up with the stuff they face day in, day out.
Compare board meetings with cutting kids out of wreckage.

This thread is in danger of being locked.

John, did you wind down your window and tell em where you were trying to go?
Or did you communicate via morse-horn?

People were calling to be treated fairly.

I support Sinn Féin's pre budget submission, worth a read

mike kelly

These protestors are more interested in Me Fein than Sinn Fein

PomBear

mike kelly wrote: »

These protestors are more interested in Me Fein than Sinn Fein

aren't we all to be honest?
it's not as if you wouldn't take a public sector job because of the benefits they get.

mike kelly

Exactly. Everyone needs to fight their own corner. What's the point in helping to get the country back on it's feet if the government and it's speculator and banker frineds are just going to start robbing us all over again. Cuts needs to start at the top.
Sinn fein have no interest in helping ordinary people, these are just using the economic crisis for their own ends.

PomBear

mike kelly wrote: »

Exactly. Everyone needs to fight their own corner. What's the point in helping to get the country back on it's feet if the government and it's speculator and banker frineds are just going to start robbing us all over again. Cuts needs to start at the top.
Sinn fein have no interest in helping ordinary people, these are just using the economic crisis for their own ends.

How exactly aren't they helping ordinary people or atleast trying to?

You should read the submission

Madame Razz

JohnCleary wrote: »

Oh the irony.

At least she didn't have far to go :pac:

For shame this made me LOL:p

PomBear wrote: »

They're getting pay cuts and redundancies like the rest of us

A permanent public sector worker can't be made redundant.

PomBear

Madame Razz wrote: »

A permanent public sector worker can't be made redundant.

Thats simply untrue

take your pick
http://www.google.ie/search?hl=en&q=public+sector+redundancies&start=0&sa=N

Webbs

HarryD wrote: »

No sympathy for public sector workers. The public sector is notorioulsy inefficient.
Now getting paid more than their counterparts in the private sector. All the folk that were harping on about benchmarking have suddenly become quiet. One-way benchmarking ???

Just a quick question and this is genuine as I couldnt see the info I wanted on that link.
What is the average level of education attained within the industrial compared to public sector as this would have a large effect on any direct pay comparisons?

Webbs

Jack Daniels I wrote: »

i have zero sympathy for public sector workers.ive had savage tax increases and have no job security.
Tax increases were for all, thats why the tax system is the most equitable way of generating income for the state. Not everyone in the public sector has job security

i cant plan my future.the whole public system is a joke.departments opening at 9 or 10,going for an hour or more break and then closing at 2 or 3!!schoolkids work harder than that for christ sake.
I am usually in work before 8.30 and leave somewhere around 6ish quite often leaving after 7 (and no I dont get any overtime). Which departments open the hours you describe?

its so inefficient from top to bottom.FAS is an absolute disgrace for example all the money they have wasted.
Couldnt agree more FAS was run by individuals who played the system in a corrupt manner, that doesnt mean that everyone who works for that organisation was of a similar mind. Inefficiencies are endemic throughout Public Sectors and the majority of employees would prefer a simpler more streamlined system - that should have been done when there were good times but FF prefered to buy votes from all sectors with their budgetry promises

i work in an industry with lean six sigma as the core basis.this is basically eliminating any waste from a business or manufacturing process.we could use this for cost reduction, improved cycle time and delivery right across the entire public sector.yes its not pretty but it means these guys will work for their wage.
I assume from this that you believe that no one in the public sector works at all and that all they do is sit around and play solitaire all day.
Isnt that just media spin, ask yourself why something like Newstalk has the agenda it does playing one sector off against the other by constant critiscism of the public sector! Within most work environments there are people who don't pull their weight and admittedly in an organisation with perceived job security there are those that will hide away and not do their work, do you think that these people are liked within their own departments etc? There is need for a major overhaul of the system but that is not going to happen overnight and many people within the system would welcome it.

the easy ride is over guys.its time to muck in like the rest of us.i work 12 hour shifts and from start to finish its hammer and tongs.this is how wil get this country going again,hard work.yu guys make me sick and watch out for me at the picket lines in my car
May I just ask, how many hours do you work a week and is any of that overtime or bonus related?

Its this generalisation of a situation that serves no purpose apart from providing the media with fodder to boost their ratings etc.
There are good and bad in most organisations, there are people in the private sector who have lost jobs and had swingeing pay cuts, there are also some people in the private sector who have been in the lucky position of receiving pay increases, bonuses, and other perks (healthcare, cars etc).
Likewise the public sector have received pay cuts, contrary to what people think there have been many people in the public sector who have lost jobs, and on the flip side there is job security and a decent pension.

Madame Razz

PomBear wrote: »

Thats simply untrue

take your pick
http://www.google.ie/search?hl=en&q=public+sector+redundancies&start=0&sa=N

Not proper redundancies like those implemented in the public sector; and mostly not implemented because of the large pay outs involved.

The government could never 'do a Dell'; that's the main issue that private sector workers have with the public sector, and that's why the government are targetting public sector workers the most; because of their job security.

JohnCleary

po0k wrote: »

John, did you wind down your window and tell em where you were trying to go?
Or did you communicate via morse-horn?

Yeah, when the person wouldn't let me past, I rolled down the window and said "Get out of the way would ya, do you realise this is a public road and we're not all going into the college". No response from the sheep blocking me ,so next line was "Get out of the fcuking way you idiot, there's a Right Of Way through here". Then some smart arse just gave a smart grunt and said "Oh, right of way" trying to be smart or something ... I just drove on then as the road was clear by then

Intimidator wrote: »

I was at Distillery Road picketing. Try it man, you'll see where it gets you.

Nice username, pitty it doesn't exist in real life as all I saw as Distillery Road was weedy little fellas holding signs and old hags that looked like they'd have a heart attack if they saw a day of fun; Which one were you?


You know the sad thing about this? The reason I was driving down that road was to collect my dry-suit as I thought i'd be getting a call to go to Athlone to help with protecting houses against the floods. I was in my own car (so obv didn't have blue lights/sirens) - Imagine if I was actually in a rush, AFTER getting a call to attend an emergency.... this is what frustrates me so much... fecking eejits blocking a public road giving out about their wages, when other poor feckers only 60 miles away are after having their lives torn to pieces because their home is 5ft under water

HarryD

Webbs wrote: »

What is the average level of education attained within the industrial compared to public sector as this would have a large effect on any direct pay comparisons?

I don't know to be honest, but it seems eductaion is not so important (like many things) in the public sector.
Some uneducated park ranger on Joe Duffy thinks he is underpaid at £50k per year.

Webbs

HarryD wrote: »

I don't know to be honest, but it seems eductaion is not so important (like many things) in the public sector.
Some uneducated park ranger on Joe Duffy thinks he is underpaid at £50k per year.

Is that like a banker who thinks 500k a year isnt enough

Tedole

I agree with John, I was driving along Newcastle Road yesterday, got caught in traffic, wondered what was going on, when I passed Distillery Road turn for uni I got my answer - people involved in the strike, some walking back and forth very very slowly, others just standing in themiddle of the road. They have EVERY right to strike, but NO RIGHT to block a public road like they did, and especially in the clearly arrogant way (imo) they did

mike kelly

Tedole wrote: »

I agree with John, I was driving along Newcastle Road yesterday, got caught in traffic, wondered what was going on, when I passed Distillery Road turn for uni I got my answer - people involved in the strike, some walking back and forth very very slowly, others just standing in themiddle of the road. They have EVERY right to strike, but NO RIGHT to block a public road like they did, and especially in the clearly arrogant way (imo) they did

did anyone call the gardia about this?

JohnCleary

mike kelly wrote: »

did anyone call the gardia about this?

Um, weren't they on strike too? :pac: Think they were only tending to emergencies yesterday. I wasn't going calling the Garda over something like this when there could have been an emergency happening.

mike kelly

JohnCleary wrote: »

Um, weren't they on strike too? :pac: Think they were only tending to emergencies yesterday. I wasn't going calling the Garda over something like this when there could have been an emergency happening.

I thought they were not allowed to strike?