cardboardbox?Youwerelucky
|
And you wonder why we all have to pay high taxesMy auntie works for the social services (in quite a senior position) - she is in charge of reviewing cases where people come and ask OUR GOVERNMENT for benefits (new fridges / cookers) etc.
She currently represents her department in pub quizzes (I wish I was making this up  ) and therefore has to go AROUND THE COUNTRY to take part in these events.
So she leaves work (or doesn't go in at all) depending on how far she has to travel, gets ALL HER TRAVEL EXPENSES PAID FOR HER, GETS ALL HER ACCOMMODATION PAID FOR HER i.e. IF SHE HAS TO STAY OVERNIGHT IN A GOOD STANDARD HOTEL and then (the cherry on the cake)
WORKS WEEKENDS ON DOUBLE TIME to make up for the time spent on the quiz team 
|
Mort
|
Boxy - you're looking at the wrong thing mate - I do the same/similar job - there are loads of us in the office I work in and I don't know of anyone who's on a quiz team - you're talking about a very small percentage of staff that do these types of things be it quizzes, sports or whatever and most big organisations have some form of social teams/clubs type thing. Any time auntie takes off would be fairly marginal in terms of her overall work pattern and we certainly wouldn't be given overtime to make up for it! I've had 4 saturdays o/t since november - and that's the first I've done in nearly 4 years. It's an understaffing/volume of work type of thing.
What really makes you sick is the Social Fund in 2004 or 5 actually paid or lent money to people for more new cookers than had been made in this country that year!
The Social Fund is far too long and complicated to explain in a post, but the idea is that it helps people stay/set up in the community and like everything else is open to abuse by our dear friends the sick/lone parents and unemploy-ed/ables.
You might wanna shout out at a government that funds large amounts of money for this and doesn't give a monkey's whether any of it goes to people really in need or any shiftless b*****d who can fill in a form!
|
raveydavey
|
Boxy, you should contact The Sun mate.
No offence Mort, but I am regional chairman for a charitable organisation that has links to the work I do. I get paid **** all for anything I do - it takes up chunks of my weekends, evenings and holidays. My reward is ONE ticket to our end of year dinner dance. I do it because it needs doing by someone and we raise a lot of money for local causes that desperately need help.
At work I have been involved in "social projects" which have raised some valuable funds for local organisations - this year we are buying a people carrier to help one organisation, for example. We might get an hour or so out during the day once a week to help with this, but 90% of the work is done in our own time. People like the woman referred to above are being allowed to take the piss while coining it in with my hard earned taxes.
I lose a third of my wages in deductions and for what? For someone to travel to Gateshead and stop in the Marriot and organise a quiz? FFS!
|
cardboardbox?Youwerelucky
|
| Mort wrote: | | Boxy - you're talking about a very small percentage of staff that do these types of things be it quizzes, sports or whatever and most big organisations have some form of social teams/clubs type thing.! |
Fuck - you might know my auntie then 
| Mort wrote: | | You might wanna shout out at a government that funds large amounts of money for this and doesn't give a monkey's whether any of it goes to people really in need or any shiftless b*****d who can fill in a form! |
With you all the way on this Mort - my grandma who has virtually no income at all was turned down several times for a new cooker - ALL her furniture and equipment (the word escapes me) have been hand me downs from my mum (who BTW is not even related to her as she was her daughter in law until my dad died) and sometimes from her children (my grandma's not my mums) - fortunately my Auntie was told by my stepdad about this and sorted a new cooker out for my grandma - as you allude to in your post Mort - it is the one's who know how to fill the form in and NOT the one's who are in dire need.
|
Mort
|
| raveydavey wrote: | Boxy, you should contact The Sun mate.
No offence Mort, but I am regional chairman for a charitable organisation that has links to the work I do. I get paid **** all for anything I do - it takes up chunks of my weekends, evenings and holidays. My reward is ONE ticket to our end of year dinner dance. I do it because it needs doing by someone and we raise a lot of money for local causes that desperately need help.
At work I have been involved in "social projects" which have raised some valuable funds for local organisations - this year we are buying a people carrier to help one organisation, for example. We might get an hour or so out during the day once a week to help with this, but 90% of the work is done in our own time. People like the woman referred to above are being allowed to take the piss while coining it in with my hard earned taxes.
I lose a third of my wages in deductions and for what? For someone to travel to Gateshead and stop in the Marriot and organise a quiz? FFS! |
Whilst I can agree that from where you're sitting, it looks pretty out of order, I have to reiterate that we're talking about a small percentage of civil servants and it's not a constant thing - most of these events will take place locally, with only regional or national events (2-3 times in a year at most) involving any significant travel. Also these events are run by HASSRA (Health and Social Services Recreation Association) and they pay the travelling expenses out of membership subscriptions (these are very low, but most people - me included, for nigh on 20 years! - pay them and get nothing back), so we're really talking about a few hours a year of work time being used up in this way. Factor in the "invisible" effects like increased morale, bonding and teamwork and it doesn't seem quite so bad.
In any organisation of that size, there will be people who take the piss, but in the main, the Civil Servants I know are hard-working and conscientious and take seriously their remit to "protect the public purse" - it's at the higher levels where the abuse, both in taking the piss and in thinking up great ideas to waste money are concentrated. The "front-line" workers are stuck with having to implement stupid and/or unworkable ideas from ivory tower management thinkers/politicians.
Believe me Civil Servants aren't in it for the money! I know we still get a good pension deal, but we have to put up with 40 years of below average wages to get it!
PS Boxy, if your grandma's still having problems, my advice would be to exaggerate any illnesses/problems she may have, and if she doesn't - invent some, then exaggerate them!
Oh - and it's unlikely I know your Auntie - I'm in South London!
|
raveydavey
|
| Mort wrote: | | raveydavey wrote: | Boxy, you should contact The Sun mate.
No offence Mort, but I am regional chairman for a charitable organisation that has links to the work I do. I get paid **** all for anything I do - it takes up chunks of my weekends, evenings and holidays. My reward is ONE ticket to our end of year dinner dance. I do it because it needs doing by someone and we raise a lot of money for local causes that desperately need help.
At work I have been involved in "social projects" which have raised some valuable funds for local organisations - this year we are buying a people carrier to help one organisation, for example. We might get an hour or so out during the day once a week to help with this, but 90% of the work is done in our own time. People like the woman referred to above are being allowed to take the piss while coining it in with my hard earned taxes.
I lose a third of my wages in deductions and for what? For someone to travel to Gateshead and stop in the Marriot and organise a quiz? FFS! |
Whilst I can agree that from where you're sitting, it looks pretty out of order, I have to reiterate that we're talking about a small percentage of civil servants and it's not a constant thing - most of these events will take place locally, with only regional or national events (2-3 times in a year at most) involving any significant travel. Also these events are run by HASSRA (Health and Social Services Recreation Association) and they pay the travelling expenses out of membership subscriptions (these are very low, but most people - me included, for nigh on 20 years! - pay them and get nothing back), so we're really talking about a few hours a year of work time being used up in this way. Factor in the "invisible" effects like increased morale, bonding and teamwork and it doesn't seem quite so bad.
In any organisation of that size, there will be people who take the piss, but in the main, the Civil Servants I know are hard-working and conscientious and take seriously their remit to "protect the public purse" - it's at the higher levels where the abuse, both in taking the piss and in thinking up great ideas to waste money are concentrated. The "front-line" workers are stuck with having to implement stupid and/or unworkable ideas from ivory tower management thinkers/politicians.
Believe me Civil Servants aren't in it for the money! I know we still get a good pension deal, but we have to put up with 40 years of below average wages to get it!
PS Boxy, if your grandma's still having problems, my advice would be to exaggerate any illnesses/problems she may have, and if she doesn't - invent some, then exaggerate them!
Oh - and it's unlikely I know your Auntie - I'm in South London! |
It's OK Mort - I'm sure that most civil servants (like the rest of us) are doing the best they can with what they're given. It's just there seem to be more and more tales like this as taxes rocket.
Boxy - might be an idea to get in touch with your Aunts local council and ask if they have a Benefits Advice Officer. Leeds Council do and on the rare occasion I've been "resting" between careers they've been an absolute godsend in ploughing through the seeingly impenatrable paperwork. They were also a great help when my dad had to retire early through ill-health.
|
|