MOD Civil Servants to stop working.
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MOD Civil Servants to stop working.
Look on it another way, finally the MOD have got together and made a decision that hasn't involved a massive consultancy budget, has come in on time, and appears to be backed by all of them which they all agree on..... Long may it continue.. 
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Didn't realise it was that time of year for the annual civil servants whine again !
Layabouts! How can you strike if you don't work in the first place?
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I thought someone had been reading my e-mail when I saw the thread title.
This Civil Servant has just recieved his ticket for the redundancy bus; looks like I'll be stopping work and not restarting. 33+ years as an MOD CS, including 20 years in the RAF Reserves (Sponsored Reserve, which means I will leave the MOD twice at the same time!). I managed to rise to the lower end of both food chains but had some great, and not so great, times in the process. UK, Europe, Middle East, Cyprus, Falklands, plus all the sandy bits that went bnag. I have met and worked with 99% wonderfull people and 1% total a*seholes but I suppose thats life, eh?
Some (actually, many) CS's, despite what those above might think, are on side. Always have been, allways will be. Like you, we'll do our best with bu&&er all. Like you, we'll whinge. Like you, we'll have a beer and laugh, or at least try to laugh.
This Civil Servant has just recieved his ticket for the redundancy bus; looks like I'll be stopping work and not restarting. 33+ years as an MOD CS, including 20 years in the RAF Reserves (Sponsored Reserve, which means I will leave the MOD twice at the same time!). I managed to rise to the lower end of both food chains but had some great, and not so great, times in the process. UK, Europe, Middle East, Cyprus, Falklands, plus all the sandy bits that went bnag. I have met and worked with 99% wonderfull people and 1% total a*seholes but I suppose thats life, eh?
Some (actually, many) CS's, despite what those above might think, are on side. Always have been, allways will be. Like you, we'll do our best with bu&&er all. Like you, we'll whinge. Like you, we'll have a beer and laugh, or at least try to laugh.
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It's always difficult to judge with robust banter but some of you chaps in the dry and relative warmth of the Titanic's steering flat seem overly pleased that the daft buggers on the forward weather deck are starting to get their feet wet.
I wonder how the Defence Budget would stand up to replacing the not appreciated CSs with suitably trained Service types?
I wonder how the Defence Budget would stand up to replacing the not appreciated CSs with suitably trained Service types?
MoD CS have been bearing the brunt for quite a while now. It doesn't surprise me that they are now considering industrial action.
As has been said, just try replacing them 1:1 with service personnel and imagine how that would hit the defence budget......
MoD CS, apart from the odd tosseur who might claim to be a 'Gp Capt equivalent' or whatever, provide pretty good value for money in support of the UK's Armed Forces.
A little banter is one thing, ignorant schadenfreude quite another....
As has been said, just try replacing them 1:1 with service personnel and imagine how that would hit the defence budget......
MoD CS, apart from the odd tosseur who might claim to be a 'Gp Capt equivalent' or whatever, provide pretty good value for money in support of the UK's Armed Forces.
A little banter is one thing, ignorant schadenfreude quite another....
Hear, hear, Beagle! 
I must say that sadly, as in all rounds of redundancy, the good guys/gals normally go and the wakners stay. You are right that CS can be incredibly cheap, but, as the saying goes - pay peanuts get monkeys; and the CS has plenty of chimps! In fact, if I were to try and quantify it I would say about 50:50 for CS and about 75:25 for HM Forces (that's top-bloke:tosseur ratio). Yes, "I'm a 1-star equivalent" wakners are the worst - the only 1-star they have is normally rusty coloured and they deficate through it!
Green Flash - sad to hear that old boy, enjoy retirement and great memories plus go get something part time that keeps you busy and you enjoy
LJ
I must say that sadly, as in all rounds of redundancy, the good guys/gals normally go and the wakners stay. You are right that CS can be incredibly cheap, but, as the saying goes - pay peanuts get monkeys; and the CS has plenty of chimps! In fact, if I were to try and quantify it I would say about 50:50 for CS and about 75:25 for HM Forces (that's top-bloke:tosseur ratio). Yes, "I'm a 1-star equivalent" wakners are the worst - the only 1-star they have is normally rusty coloured and they deficate through it!
Green Flash - sad to hear that old boy, enjoy retirement and great memories plus go get something part time that keeps you busy and you enjoy
LJ
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I know us CS types are easy targets, and god knows I've met enough of my counterparts to think some of them are utter w*nkers over the years. I've also met a very large number of RAF and other forces types who fill that box too - even today I had to deal with an RAF member whose rigid adherence to doctrine, unwillingness to think around the problem and whose insistence on incorrectly applying rules on the wrong situation nearly caused a minor diplomatic incident. But hey ho...
While it is easy to knock us CS types, I'd just note that right now we're going through an incredibly challenging period. One in three MOD civil servants is being made redundant. There has been no pay rise (and no pay scale progression either) for two years, and next year will at best see a 1% pay rise. This will mean that between 2010 and 2014, my salary will have increased by £370 at a time when inflation is vastly outstripping this.
There is no pay spine progression either, which means that peoples seniority in grade is not being acknowledged - can you imagine the outrage if the military were told that they were no longer moving up the pay spine each year?
Transfer allowances have all but been abolished, which means that to move jobs every 2-3 years as is expected, means I get zero support to change posts, and can expect to be either frozen on site, or thousands of pounds out of pocket if I have the audacity to want to try to progress my so-called career.
Add to that the fact my pension contributions have just gone up by 1.7%, which for me is effectively a £1K per year pay cut on top of the pay freeze and people are feeling very stretched right now - don't forget how low the average MOD salary is. 60% of MOD earns under £26K per year, which is less than most Cpls get on appointment.
To add insult to injury, we are publicly reviled by the media, made to feel ashamed and embarrased of who we are and what we do, and enjoy zero support. Large swathes of the armed forces, who allegedly pride themselves on being bastions of courtesy and decency, seem to go out of their way to insult, abuse and treat me and my co-workers like shit, simply because we don't all work in uniform full time, despite us working long hours with no overtime or support to keep the front line supported.
We have no public sympathy, no network of support and no cheerleaders. We are taking huge job cuts, huge real terms pay cuts and watch as our careers are being destroyed in front of us. I won't be striking as I don't belong to a union, but I hope people can understand that it is a really grim time to be a CS right now.
While it is easy to knock us CS types, I'd just note that right now we're going through an incredibly challenging period. One in three MOD civil servants is being made redundant. There has been no pay rise (and no pay scale progression either) for two years, and next year will at best see a 1% pay rise. This will mean that between 2010 and 2014, my salary will have increased by £370 at a time when inflation is vastly outstripping this.
There is no pay spine progression either, which means that peoples seniority in grade is not being acknowledged - can you imagine the outrage if the military were told that they were no longer moving up the pay spine each year?
Transfer allowances have all but been abolished, which means that to move jobs every 2-3 years as is expected, means I get zero support to change posts, and can expect to be either frozen on site, or thousands of pounds out of pocket if I have the audacity to want to try to progress my so-called career.
Add to that the fact my pension contributions have just gone up by 1.7%, which for me is effectively a £1K per year pay cut on top of the pay freeze and people are feeling very stretched right now - don't forget how low the average MOD salary is. 60% of MOD earns under £26K per year, which is less than most Cpls get on appointment.
To add insult to injury, we are publicly reviled by the media, made to feel ashamed and embarrased of who we are and what we do, and enjoy zero support. Large swathes of the armed forces, who allegedly pride themselves on being bastions of courtesy and decency, seem to go out of their way to insult, abuse and treat me and my co-workers like shit, simply because we don't all work in uniform full time, despite us working long hours with no overtime or support to keep the front line supported.
We have no public sympathy, no network of support and no cheerleaders. We are taking huge job cuts, huge real terms pay cuts and watch as our careers are being destroyed in front of us. I won't be striking as I don't belong to a union, but I hope people can understand that it is a really grim time to be a CS right now.
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Green Flash,
Like yourself, I have accepted an offer to go early under VERS3, leaving on 29 June, after 43 years, having started as an apprentice at 30 MU. Can't say I'll miss all the current changes going on, soon have the DPA/DLO back....
Like yourself, I have accepted an offer to go early under VERS3, leaving on 29 June, after 43 years, having started as an apprentice at 30 MU. Can't say I'll miss all the current changes going on, soon have the DPA/DLO back....
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Jimlad1
As an old CPO Gunnery Instructor once told me, "Son, your sob story has touched my heart. Please accept this Kleenex tissue as an expression of my deepest sympathy".
As an old CPO Gunnery Instructor once told me, "Son, your sob story has touched my heart. Please accept this Kleenex tissue as an expression of my deepest sympathy".
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So you've not changed since Brawdy days then Newt?http://images.ibsrv.net/ibsrv/res/sr...s/badteeth.gif
