to be a bit scared of todays budget

[asteri]

mainly as I work in the public sector (cuts there), have not long discovered I'm pregnant (more cuts there)and so I am really scared, will I have (another)pay cut or will I even have a job soon......

[GypsyMoth]

its looking grim....another thread is wondering about VAT on food,making the thought of it all even grimmer!

[rastababi]

YANBU

[lalalonglegs]

No, Alastair Darling was spot on when he said that this was the Tories chance to do all the scary stuff they've always wanted to under the guise of financial necessity. I don't work in the public sector/receive benefits/get tax credits but am still extremely worried.

[NinthWave]

OP, I'm in similar situation - work on the bottom rung of the civil service payscale, and am 24 weeks pregnant with DC2. DH works in retail so we earn under £23k between us.

I woke up really early this morning worrying about the budget!

[aluvss]

Hi Ninthwave, I also work at the civil service and was planning to get pregnant. Are they going to cut the 52wk maternity pay?

[Poshwellies]

Dh works in the public sector also.

[TheArmadillo]

YANBU - I'm scared too.

pregnant public sector worker relying on benefits here (tax credits, housing benefit etc).

[Poshwellies]

Frozen public sectors wages over 21k....when was this a high wage?

21k for a 4 person household?

[MrsC2010]

We're both teachers....eeeek.

[rots]

"No, Alastair Darling was spot on when he said that this was the Tories chance to do all the scary stuff they've always wanted to under the guise of financial necessity. I don't work in the public sector/receive benefits/get tax credits but am still extremely worried. "

PMSL.

The evil Tories are taking the first opportunity to kick the shit out of everyone they can, especially the poor, and they will just stand there in their castles and laugh at the proles while they starve and "eat cake".

Because they're evil, don't you know.



Or, they are actually stopping the country going bankrupt after the Labs borrowed to the hilt to pretend that we could all be better off without actually doing anything valid in the economy to support it.

I always said that winning this Government term would be a poisoned chalice and while horrible things needed to be done, and while we will all suffer, we're suffering to fix what Lab screwed up (as well as the banks of course). Not the Tories.

In 5 years the economy will be on a sound footing. The country won't have gone bankrupt and growth will be possible. That will be because of what we're all going to have to go through now. Because people think this is all terrible and harsh, they can't seem to see how MUCH worse it would be without these measures. If the rich international bankers who control us all through the economy lost more faith in the UK economy they will pull out of investing in the country, and allowing us to borrow money. This is beyond most people's comprehension and while it's easy to call them all evil - it's the way of the world.

[MrsC2010]

Whatever party got in there were going to have to be cuts. Makes me laugh watching Labout crowing...what would they have done differently to achieve the same result? This budget was always going to hurt...we can't carry on the way we are.

[skihorse]

NinthWave - you must be thrilled to learn you're actually going to get a payrise this year then! Me, in the private sector, hasn't had one in 3 years!

aluvss - you receive full wage for 52 weeks or SMP? No point taking 52 weeks out of principle if you can't afford it. That applies to EVERYONE! It's like taking an 8 week summer holiday, if you can't afford it you can't do it. Thems the breaks!

[rots]

"mainly as I work in the public sector (cuts there), have not long discovered I'm pregnant (more cuts there)and so I am really scared, will I have (another)pay cut or will I even have a job soon...... "

Private sector has been struggling for the past 2 years in the recession... our staff were on an enforced 4 day week for 3 months... I dropped a day's pay for the duration but still worked my normal hours... 'tis not just the public sector which is being affected (just been protected up to now, unsustainably).

Pregnancy cuts? Health in Pregnancy grant? Load of rubbish. If you can't afford to have a baby because you don't get £190, don't have a baby. The number of people who have low incomes but insist on buying £500 pram systems is beyond me ("but I couldn't possibly buy second hand for my precious baby").

[asteri]

rots not all public sector workers have been protected, I have already had a substabtial paycut (as has the rest of the organisation) and there have already been two rounds of redundancies, my biggest fear was that if the Gov't cut the salary budget of gov't workers then the people who get paid silly amonts for not doing much will hang on to their silly salaries and make more lower paid workers redundant rather than take a small paycut. I am not totally naive, i would not have a child if I couldnt afford one, and it is a common misconception that all public sector workers are over paid underworked and live the life of riley.

[asteri]

and also rots if you check my other thread I will be buying secondhand for mr "precious baby,

[NinthWave]

skihorse well since my department's budget has been cut by 25% and I work in an area that's pretty much earmarked for privatisation, it's unlikely I'll have a job when I go back off mat leave. So I probably won't see that £100 per annum increase.

Oh well!

aluvss How long have you been in the Civil Service? It's 26 weeks at fullpay, 13 weeks SMP and then 13 optional unpaid weeks' leave. Not that we deserve it, obviously

[Northernlurker]

Year in year out public sector workers are underpaid compared to their private sector equivalents. The pay increase that is being frozen is usually (for NHS anyway) in the region of 2-3% so hardly riches beyond our wildest imaginings. In return for said largesse we get grief that really is beyond your wildest imaginings so you'll forgive me for not being overwhelmed with joy today.

[Librashavinganotherbiscuit]

6 months at full pay? seriously? fucking hell.

[MrsC2010]

Quite NorthernLurker. Everywhere I look I see this assumption that it is absolutely fine and dandy to hammer the public sector employees (who don't benefit when the country is in boom as on the whole we have such structured pay schemes) but heaven forbid anyone else has to contribute to getting the country back up and running.

[NinthWave]

Yes Libra. I'll be getting a whole £190 a month on top of my SMP!

[Sammyuni]

All who earn below 21k in the public sector their pay will be protected. So ninthwave your pay will be ok.

[Sammyuni]

These cuts have to be done imagine the Tories as the medicine you hate but know you have to take in order to get better.

I know no one likes them but cuts are being made across the board also they are slightly reducing commission on business so that Business won't have to let go of people and are in fact encouraged to employ more.

It's 5 years if this is not done the country would suffer immeasurably worse.

[skihorse]

Quite Sammy!

Think of Labour as your ex-boyfriend who ran up a load of debts in your name and then ran out on you. The debt collectors are at your door and all you can think of to say is "but I love 'im".

[Sammyuni]

Yep i don't like how the tories are made to look the bad guys when they are trying to make the best out of a bad situation caused by someone else.