how do idle civil servants pass the time?

kpbdublin

Now that they are on go-slows and work-to-rules how are our public servants passing the time. Can they go on the internet, do they play cards, or gaze out the window? Do they bring along a good book?
What would happen if a supervisor got it into his or her head to discipline them for not doing the work they are paid to do?

davyjose

boards

ejmaztec

kpbdublin wrote: »

Now that they are on go-slows and work-to-rules how are our public servants passing the time. Can they go on the internet, do they play cards, or gaze out the window? Do they bring along a good book?
What would happen if a supervisor got it into his or head to discipline them for not doing the work they are paid to do?

They're probably using that time to track whingers down in the internet, so's they can send out €50,000 tax demands, or hit squads, or both.

fap fap

Biggins

Lets light the torches again! Hurraa!

jethrothe2nd

I guess if they are on a work to rule, then technically they are still doing what they are being paid to do, so discipline would be hard to action. Not sure about go-slows. Working in the private sector, I can say straight away that neither would be tolerated


And really, what will be achieved by being on a go slow. Nothing more than to widen the already gaping chasm between themselves and those in the private sector/unemployed. Having said that, I do have some sympathy with those on the lower end of the pay scale.

chin_grin

Biggins wrote: »

Lets light the torches again! Hurraa!

Wiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiitch, wiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiitch, burnnnnnnnnnnn, wiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiitch.

Biggins

chin_grin wrote: »

Wiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiitch, wiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiitch, burnnnnnnnnnnn, wiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiitch.

Winonna would be proud of you!

twinytwo

kpbdublin wrote: »

Now that they are on go-slows and work-to-rules how are our public servants passing the time. Can they go on the internet, do they play cards, or gaze out the window? Do they bring along a good book?
What would happen if a supervisor got it into his or her head to discipline them for not doing the work they are paid to do?

you mean just like any other day of the week

NothingMan

Work in the private sector but am currently working on site in a public sector building and I can tell you exactly what's going on around me.

I have sent one letter and changed 1 toner cartridge all day. One girl is knitting a nice blanket, the lads are discussing the finer points of football and as far as I can see, no work is being done or needs to be done.

I don't know if it's like this cos of the action but there isn't any work to do here. It's been a loooonnnggg day. People in my company have been let go because there wasn't enough work to justify keeping them, but we know that's never gonna happen here.

chin_grin

Biggins wrote: »

Winonna would be proud of you!

I was thinking more along the lines of Monty Python. :pac:

Biggins

NothingMan wrote: »

...am currently working on site in a public sector building and I can tell you exactly what's going on around me.

I have sent one letter and changed 1 toner cartridge all day. One girl is knitting a nice blanket, the lads are discussing the finer points of football and as far as I can see, no work is being done or needs to be done.

I don't know if it's like this cos of the action but there isn't any work to do here. It's been a loooonnnggg day. People in my company have been let go because there wasn't enough work to justify keeping them, but we know that's never gonna happen here.

Admit it, your working in the government section that deals with money being handed back from TD's who claim they have too much expenses!

:pac:

kpbdublin

twinytwo wrote: »

you mean just like any other day of the week

No I am sure that most civil servants probably do the work that is required of them in the normal course of events. But now in the current dispute they have been told to hold back on their labours. It must be quite hard passing the time. It would be interesting to see if this go-slow produces any great novels.

m5ex9oqjawdg2i

Not this shít again.

Why single out only those in the public service OP? Jealousy? Begrudgery? :rolleyes:

NothingMan

Annabelle Inexpensive Grail wrote: »

Not this shít again.

Why single out only those in the public service OP? Jealousy? Begrudgery? :rolleyes:

Because the private sector isn't on a go slow or work to rule strike, and his question was:

Now that they are on go-slows and work-to-rules how are our public servants passing the time.

It's a valid point, as I said, I've had feck all to do here today and if it wasn't for boards and my iPhone ereader i'd have gone insane.

phill106

Annabelle Inexpensive Grail wrote: »

Not this shít again.

Why single out only those in the public service OP? Jealousy? Begrudgery? :rolleyes:

ummm this is why... Its right up there! Look i'll quote it and everything, so go slowing public sector people wont have to scroll up, as its only in their contract to scroll down...

NothingMan wrote: »

Work in the private sector but am currently working on site in a public sector building and I can tell you exactly what's going on around me.

I have sent one letter and changed 1 toner cartridge all day. One girl is knitting a nice blanket, the lads are discussing the finer points of football and as far as I can see, no work is being done or needs to be done.

I don't know if it's like this cos of the action but there isn't any work to do here. It's been a loooonnnggg day. People in my company have been let go because there wasn't enough work to justify keeping them, but we know that's never gonna happen here.

SEPT 23 1989

I wish those good folks in the Revenue would go even slower and stop sending out those horrible brown envelopes

landsleaving

Why would you do more than you're paid to do anyway?

This will inevitably lead to a big debate of course... sigh...

Work to live man, don't live to work :cool:

bonerm

What do they do when they're not on go-slows/work-to-rules?

twinytwo

Annabelle Inexpensive Grail wrote: »

Not this shít again.

Why single out only those in the public service OP? Jealousy? Begrudgery? :rolleyes:

well.. apart from the public sector being a joke and the fact they can hold the country to ransom .. i mean im sure that has nothing to do with it.

landsleaving

twinytwo wrote: »

well.. apart from the public sector being a joke and the fact they can hold the country to ransom .. i mean im sure that has nothing to do with it.

Call Mel Gibson, quick. He'll sort it out.

Jesus Wept

Same way as they did before they became officially idle.

ColaBeDamned

Biggins wrote: »

Lets light the torches again! Hurraa!

chin_grin wrote: »

Wiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiitch, wiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiitch, burnnnnnnnnnnn, wiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiitch.

Burn the witch!

ColaBeDamned

:pac:

mickdw

They do about 20 mins work in a full working day. This is from a worker in revenue. They dont bother answering phones at all. I would add though that public workers such as nurses work hard.

Chinafoot

Public sector worker in the libraries department of a county council. My work is exactly the same it was before. The only difference is I don't come in at 9:30 and stay until 8:30pm in order to keep the library open on the days that we're short staffed, nor do I do extra work that is the duty of the grades above me.

Work-to-rule does not mean sitting around doing nothing. It means not taking on the extra work of those who are on leave or have retired and not been replaced. The latter group is quite large at this stage thanks to the staff embargo.

clarewoman

as a revenue worker, we are never idle- if not answer phone dealing with correspondence or sending out demands

m5ex9oqjawdg2i

IT's the same bullshít thread as the hundreds before, goes the same way, people bashing public sector workers because they are in the private sector, getting screwed... Funny how people blame those who benifit from working in the public sector, it's not their fault, and anybody who says they wouldn't take a job like that are talking through their arses

Not all public sector workers are on a go slow. It's not the workers you need to lynch, it's the government, the top managers and their policies that needs addressing

Odysseus

kpbdublin wrote: »

Now that they are on go-slows and work-to-rules how are our public servants passing the time. Can they go on the internet, do they play cards, or gaze out the window? Do they bring along a good book?
What would happen if a supervisor got it into his or her head to discipline them for not doing the work they are paid to do?

It occurs at certain times in relation to certain work. Next Thursday I will not be taking or making calls. I will be engaged in my primary therapeutic role, or if I was luckly to have a spare bit of time paperwork. Bosses would know better than to ask you to do something you have been informed by your union that you should not be doing.

stovelid

As a private sector worker, I can safely say that nobody ever wastes time, is inefficient or slacks off.

Never ever, like.

bcirl03

Rumour has it if your caught working in the civil service you'll be sacked.....just a rumour but I'm reliably told it’s true.

MementoMori

Was talking to someone recently and mentioned the civil service go-slow and their response was "Go Slow?? How can anyone tell the difference?" :P

A big problem with the perception of the public service is that you have people like nurses lumped in with hospital porters, teachers lumped in with the people in the passport, the people who are in the front-line staff lumped in with the office workers.

A large part of this is because it suits the trade unions political purporse to have the largest numbers possible when it comes to threatening strikes.

Some of the groups in the public service should realise that one of their biggest problems in terms of perception is the other groups in the public service that they are being lumped in with.

For Forks Sake

Better call this man, he's sort them idle civil servant types right out

Tail Wagger

kpbdublin wrote: »

Now that they are on go-slows and work-to-rules how are our public servants passing the time. Can they go on the internet, do they play cards, or gaze out the window? Do they bring along a good book?
What would happen if a supervisor got it into his or her head to discipline them for not doing the work they are paid to do?

They invent silly little threads like this one!

sparkydee

I'm so sick of this. I work hard, i'm not paid that great but am happy to have a job. But of course generalisation is the order of the day here. Clearly none of us work or do anything at all. Hello what planet do some of ye live on? I worked in the private sector until 3 years ago and i'm as busy now as I was then. The lower paid civil servants are getting the worst hit. There should be reform bigtime but more paycuts for the lower paid is unfair.

changes

There is nothing slow about the current industrial action.

What do they do to pass the day you ask? They do their job.

Work to rule mean do your job as in your job description. Our office has had 2 half days where industrial action was upped to include not answering phones. About 5% of my job is answering phones so them days i did the rest of my work.

Nobody is sitting playing cards.... unless you think the entire public service does nothing other than answer phones all day.... so that if they strike they have nothing to do :rolleyes:

Tail Wagger

sparkydee wrote: »

I'm so sick of this. I work hard, i'm not paid that great but am happy to have a job. But of course generalisation is the order of the day here. Clearly none of us work or do anything at all. Hello what planet do some of ye live on? I worked in the private sector until 3 years ago and i'm as busy now as I was then. The lower paid civil servants are getting the worst hit. There should be reform bigtime but more paycuts for the lower paid is unfair.

Temper! Temper.!...take it easy.. or I'll apply for your job....only joking about applying for your job!

Min

Ring Joe Duffy to complain???

Herb Powell

I've never understood the animosity.

billybigunz

I spend about 30% of my time emailing in abuse to Ray Darcy and Ray Foley.

dubtom

This morning on kenny a few people were interviewed while waiting in the passport office,they insisted they were not moving until they got their passports. They had got the sorry come back monday speech after being told their passports would be ready today. That was about 11am.

I'm driving up Kildare st at about 3pm and a guy crosses me at the lights rummage in an envelope and takes out two shiney new passports, a big smile on his face.
Now I'm making huge assumptions here,but I understood that the PP office closes at 1 during their go slow and doesn't reopen until Monday, so my assumption is that this guy stood fast and the passport workers caved in. If so,is this a turning point,have they lost their momentum,Joe public is taking back the power and showing the civil servants who's boss.
Or am I over assuming.

Dudess

mickdw wrote: »

They do about 20 mins work in a full working day. This is from a worker in revenue. They dont bother answering phones at all. I would add though that public workers such as nurses work hard.

I think my father who worked as a council engineer, building roads and such, would disagree with you.

That said, some offices - particularly in Health it seems - appear to be top-heavy with administrators.

phantom_lord

dubtom wrote: »

This morning on kenny a few people were interviewed while waiting in the passport office,they insisted they were not moving until they got their passports. They had got the sorry come back monday speech after being told their passports would be ready today. That was about 11am.

I'm driving up Kildare st at about 3pm and a guy crosses me at the lights rummage in an envelope and takes out two shiney new passports, a big smile on his face.
Now I'm making huge assumptions here,but I understood that the PP office closes at 1 during their go slow and doesn't reopen until Monday, so my assumption is that this guy stood fast and the passport workers caved in. If so,is this a turning point,have they lost their momentum,Joe public is taking back the power and showing the civil servants who's boss.
Or am I over assuming.

this article says 10

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2010/0320/1224266709582.html

Seloth

Ya I did work experiance in a public sector off ice whenI was 16 and they seemed to be kept fairly busy.


But yeah it would cost the country more if they left people go.If there were laods of people fired from the civil service then they'd be put on dole which would then not take in any tax.

Dj Stiggie

mickdw wrote: »

They do about 20 mins work in a full working day. This is from a worker in revenue. They dont bother answering phones at all. I would add though that public workers such as nurses work hard.

clarewoman wrote: »

as a revenue worker, we are never idle- if not answer phone dealing with correspondence or sending out demands

Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight

I wonder which one's in management?

tallaght01

I used to work in the motor tax office, and I was busier in there than I've ever been in any of the private sector jobs I've done.

The people working in there used to work their nuts off. But that doesn't suit those hellbent on righteous indignation.

Like it or not, the only people in the country taking pay cuts for the sake of the country ( as opposed to taking pay cuts so their own business stays afloat) are the public sector.

Hank_Jones

Give me a break, a large number of people within the public service are overpaid anyway.
Obviously there are going to be people who don't deserve to have their pay cut as they are earning so little.
The fact is that people are losing their jobs, not taking pay cuts.

I lost 2 jobs within the space of a year due to there being no work.
I'm in college now and trying to pay my way through it is a fcuking nightmare.
So I took a 100% pay cut as opposed to a 5% one....


There are a large number of people on the dole, which certainly is much worse than having to take a slight pay cut in your government job,
which most likely give you fairly good allowances regarding expenses, petrol, healthcare etc.
I would think that trying to feed/clothe/house a family on a couple hundred euro is not a nice experience.

shuvly

Ah, the old public versus private arg, here we go again, am in the public..a nurse...and am happy most days to be one. But our organisation, which looks after profoundly disabled kids, has been hit with a loss of a quarter of a million euros, so we are fecked..

phantom_lord

ah everyone has to stop taking this so personally, there's no doubt as a whole the public service is inefficient, bloated, and too expensive, but that shouldn't be taken as a criticism of every individual worker.

tallaght01

Hank_Jones wrote: »

Give me a break, a large number of people within the public service are overpaid anyway.
Obviously there are going to be people who don't deserve to have their pay cut as they are earning so little.
The fact is that people are losing their jobs, not taking pay cuts.

I.

I think the point is that people are losing their jobs to keep their bosses' businesses afloat, whereas the public sector are the only ones taking pay cuts to benefit the economy.

The public were mad to crucify a group, as long as it wasn't them, so they would have a scapegoat. But I know a lot of private sector workers who haven't taken a pay cut, or have taken 5% or something. whereas all the manual labourers my dad works with have taken really big cuts, from being badly paid in the first place.

So, I don't blame them for not doing extra work. Why show goodwill to a public who have been villifying them since the start of the crisis.

Lots of private sector workers have lost their job. But it's not been some kind of selfless act. The really bizarre thing when I was back i Ireland a while back was how people were actively wanting public sector people to get sacked. They were some pretty sad conversations to listen to.

I don't know if people who were sacked by their bosses would feel better seeing public sector workers getting sacked. Pretty sad if that's the case.

Hank_Jones

Personally I don't want anyone to lose their job, myself included.

I would like people to have a little perspective though.
Having to take a 5% pay put from a 50k a year job isn't exactly a completely major thing, regardless of what others might say.
To be honest if you can't survive on 47k a year then you haven't got much common sense anyway and are probably throwing yor money away.

People are villifying them because they have the steady jobs that they aren't likely to lose.
Jobs with health insurance etc.
It's nothing more than jealousy really.

If you're standing in a dole queue and you look in and see the little amount of people working within those offices,
it doesn't actually make you feel that public servants are deserving of much, even if they are run off their feet.
Most people in most jobs are run off their feet in their job, I certainly know that I was (generally 6 days a week).
It's just hard to sympathise with someone within the pubic sector, when we see stuff in the papers about how much the fat cats are being paid and how much public money is being wasted.