AA Roadwatch report major traffic jams in Newry as public sector workers go shopping.

[Oldira1]

Not one shred of evidence was produced to say the crowds in Newry were public sector workers. Kids were off school so it was a good oppertuinity for people to go shopping.
There are jams to Newry most weekends so I cannot see a problem.

This is viscious demonisation of ordinary workers. Seanie Fitz and his cohorts must be having a right laugh. Bankrupt the country and see the blame laid at the doors of nurses and firemen.

[cctvstar]

I'm getting sick and tired explaining this to college kids. When you are on strike you are rostered to man the picket, that usually lasts for a couple of hours, you do not man the pickets all day.

So now it is a crime for someone on strike who did their stint on the picket to go to the f*ckin shops?

Are you going to set up a check point at Liffey to root our all these evil Ps workers who shop there?



On what basis? All schools where off today, not all parents are PS workers in fact the majority statistically speaking would of course be in the private sector, all you could see on this site for the past few days was the howls of indignation that many private sector workers would have to take time off to mind their kids. I suppose none of them made the most of it and took the day off and killed two birds with one stone. No, I guess private sector workers are too dumb to rationalise their free time like that

And so what if a PS worker decided to do the same, They did their stint in the picket, they are free to do what ever they like there after. The have withdrawn labour and are not getting paid. Strike action does not mean that when they are finished their rostered time on the picket they retreat to their homes, draw the curtains and remain out of sight for the rest of the day.

People really need to get a grip around here.

I think you are digging a deeper hole here, my employment is such that I would not get on well in my current private sector job if I joined a union therefore know very little about strikes.

I also can barely afford to go shopping close to where I live let alone petrol etc to get to the north - so my killing two birds with one stone was avoiding paying childcare by taking the day off today.

Further to your further post, like most private sector workers I am not in a position to negotiate much with my employer if I want to keep my job - getting a holiday day was difficult enough.

Can we just leave it at that? I really think you will have a problem with your blood pressure if you keep up your current sort of reaction and I would prefer not to be responsible for that.

[Oldira1]

Reading this thread, I can't believe what is emerging, in this country.

Just because there was a tailback around Newry, it MUST be the PS on mass going shopping. So it is an ALL ATTACK on the PS today. I wonder who will the whipping boy be tomorrow??

Does this country need reform, at all levels, public AND private.....of course it does. But one sector beating up the other, isn't going to help or advance this country in a positive way. It is probaly going to hinder us.

Private needs public.....AND public needs private.

It is very handy to have labels of 'public' and 'private', but there are people, behind such lables. People who work in the private AND public sector, are under pressure with mortgage payments, debt, sickness, worried about the future, worried about the future for their children.....worried about the future of their country.

Does this country need reform....MASSIVELY. ALL SECTORS. But pitting one sector against the other, isn't going to help.

There is a vaccumn in this country.....a leadership vaccumn. And in such a void we blame eachother, attack eachother. Would we have done this, say, 18 months ago? I doubt it. When we pit one group against the other, we are pitting family against family, friend against friend and this is a time when we need to unite.....not to divide. We all have family and friends, in both.

We are all afraid, afraid for our futures and our families. Lets not let that fear take over this country. Can we not be bigger than that? Can we not be a prouder people, than that?

I believe we can and I believe we need to be. Where this country will be in 10 or 15 years from now, depends on all of us. We really need to, on a national level, be bigger than accusing a group, on mass, (without ANY evidence) of going shopping for a day. (And by the way, IF Irish shoppers hadn't shopped in the north in the past months, prices in the south, WOULDN'T have come down).

+10

[Oldira1]

I think you are digging a deeper hole here, my employment is such that I would not get on well in my current private sector job if I joined a union therefore know very little about strikes.

I also can barely afford to go shopping close to where I live let alone petrol etc to get to the north - so my killing two birds with one stone was avoiding paying childcare by taking the day off today.

Further to your further post, like most private sector workers I am not in a position to negotiate much with my employer if I want to keep my job - getting a holiday day was difficult enough.

Can we just leave it at that? I really think you will have a problem with your blood pressure if you keep up your current sort of reaction and I would prefer not to be responsible for that.

Why not? I am an employer and would have no problem negotiating with my staff. Your employer must be a very nasty character.

[ballot stuffer]

Reading this thread, I can't believe what is emerging, in this country.

Just because there was a tailback around Newry, it MUST be the PS on mass going shopping. So it is an ALL ATTACK on the PS today. I wonder who will the whipping boy be tomorrow??

Does this country need reform, at all levels, public AND private.....of course it does. But one sector beating up the other, isn't going to help or advance this country in a positive way. It is probaly going to hinder us.

Private needs public.....AND public needs private.

It is very handy to have labels of 'public' and 'private', but there are people, behind such lables. People who work in the private AND public sector, are under pressure with mortgage payments, debt, sickness, worried about the future, worried about the future for their children.....worried about the future of their country.

Does this country need reform....MASSIVELY. ALL SECTORS. But pitting one sector against the other, isn't going to help.

There is a vaccumn in this country.....a leadership vaccumn. And in such a void we blame eachother, attack eachother. Would we have done this, say, 18 months ago? I doubt it. When we pit one group against the other, we are pitting family against family, friend against friend and this is a time when we need to unite.....not to divide. We all have family and friends, in both.

We are all afraid, afraid for our futures and our families. Lets not let that fear take over this country. Can we not be bigger than that? Can we not be a prouder people, than that?

I believe we can and I believe we need to be. Where this country will be in 10 or 15 years from now, depends on all of us. We really need to, on a national level, be bigger than accusing a group, on mass, (without ANY evidence) of going shopping for a day. (And by the way, IF Irish shoppers hadn't shopped in the north in the past months, prices in the south, WOULDN'T have come down).

[COLOR=black][FONT=Arial]I agree the private public tension is counter productive but the public sector union leadership is lying to it members about the severity of the problems we are in and deliberately suggesting solutions that are utterly infeasible.

We need to make bigger cuts than we are making, we need to tax more than we are taxing and we still need to borrow mind boggling amounts. There is no magic bullet of taxing the rich there and is no 'fair way' for everyone. The nearest we can hope for is that everyone feels equally unfairly treated.

This is the reality of the situation we are in and the sooner government, unions and the public at large realise this the better.[/FONT][/COLOR]

[cctvstar]

Why not? I am an employer and would have no problem negotiating with my staff. Your employer must be a very nasty character.

Thats the reality of the private sector for you - my husband is in the same boat that he is afraid to rock too. Staff reductions all over the place make you afraid to raise your head above the crowd especially when you have mortgage, young kids etc.

The reality for many private sector workers with companies that need to perform and make money to pay for staff.

[Oldira1]

I agree the private public tension is counter productive but the public sector union leadership is lying to it members about the severity of the problems we are in and delibratly sugesting solutions that are utterly infeasible.

We need to make bigger cuts than we are making, we need to tax more than we are taxing and we still need to borrow mind boggling amounts. There is no magic bullet of taxing the rich there and is no 'fair way' for everyone. The nearest we can hope for is that everyone feels equally unfairly treated.

This is the reality of the situation we are in and the sooner government, unions and the public at large realise this the better.

If the Government did the decent thing cuts would be accepted readily by most people. We all know 57 out and 32 in is unsustainable. Let Fianna Fail do their patriotic duty and everyone will follow.

[Oldira1]

Thats the reality of the private sector for you - my husband is in the same boat that he is afraid to rock too. Staff reductions all over the place make you afraid to raise your head above the crowd especially when you have mortgage, young kids etc.

The reality for many private sector workers with companies that need to perform and make money to pay for staff.

Thats rubbish. My staff do not work in a cclimate of fear and I am as vulnerable as any business. Fearful staff are not motivated or happy staff.

[cctvstar]

Thats rubbish. My staff do not work in a cclimate of fear and I am as vulnerable as any business. Fearful staff are not motivated or happy staff.

Fair play to you gold medals all around pity more employers weren't like that.

[ballot stuffer]

Thats rubbish. My staff do not work in a cclimate of fear and I am as vulnerable as any business. Fearful staff are not motivated or happy staff.

Believe it or not work place cutures vary greatly from company to company