Passport office staff refusing to deal with public from 1pm tomorrow

[dresden8]

Obviously they didn't mark you down in the English test for superfluous use of apostrophes.

Why would any grade higher than clerical officer be involved in counter duty? Is that considered an executive function in the civil service?

When COs aren't available, SOs would take over, when SOs aren't available EOs would take over. I don't know how many HEOs would be in that office but they'd be expected to go to the counter when necessary. Obviously all those staff are supporting the action.

You know nothing, good catch on the apostrophes though. You'll make CO yet. Keep reaching for that rainbow.

[dresden8]

Are you saying that the PSEU are also actively involved?

Er, yeah. Don't you know what's going on? The whole industrial action thing?

[Bobert]

Sure don't we all.

No.

[dresden8]

No.

What, you don't even try?

[Proposition Joe]

When COs aren't available, SOs would take over, when SOs aren't available EOs would take over. I don't know how many HEOs would be in that office but they'd be expected to go to the counter when necessary. Obviously all those staff are supporting the action.

Ever heard of demarcation?

Also being at the bottom of the heap, you've obviously never noticed the numbers decrease as you move up the hierarchy. So there's no way the higher grades could possibly cover the COs' duty, even if they could be bothered doing so and were allowed to do so by their union.

[Bobert]

What, you don't even try?

No. I have common sense. I see that work needs to be done and spend as long as necessary doing it for the amount my labour is worth and don't ************************* about it.

[Sailor]

Er, yeah. Don't you know what's going on? The whole industrial action thing?

I was asking if PSEU grades were involved in the context of your misleading use of the 14% figure. Whether or not they are involved in the industrial action is not relevant to this discussion - issuing a passport is a clerical rather than an executive function.

[Pabilito]

What a PR disaster for the PS unions!

Watching the news tonight there was a woman who managed to get her passport simply by doing a decent demonstration!.. not a cowardly weasely “we sheep wont answer the phone” protest.

She simpley refused to leave the passport office until they delivered her passport and they did!. and fair play to her for showing them up for the silly weasels they are.

It's obvious that the public will not take this whinging crap from those who are the least exposed to the recession.

The unions will have to start thinking about climb down strategies.

[boo-boo]

Anybody know whether these persons in the passport office who closed their counters this afternoon and refused to answer phones are still getting paid when they are evidently not doing their jobs?

The Governments needs to act on this one, and issue a memo to all these staff members telling them if they dont do their duties like answer phones, open hatches, deal with public enquiries, process claims etc... they will be given their P45.

I was listening to the radio this morning and something interesting was said by commentaries. The reason these people are low paid is because they are low skilled. The reason they are still in employment is because they are in the public sector. If they were in the private sector they'd be first out of the door because they are low skilled. And from experience, I think it goes beyond CO's to EO's and higher grades as well.

[loner]

If the government told the company that prints passports that henceforth it would only pay 84% of the contracted price for them, what do you think would happen?

Presumably we would get smaller passports.