Discontent #9 food, energy, transport, cost of living, society etc

[Caffeine Fiend]

You should still have pension conts in an admin job and you would still be paying back student loan.

Surely no one goes into health care, especially the NHS, expecting a 9 to 5 with weekends and bank holidays off?? And if you expected it then you can't be surprised by it?

ETA I personally feel like a lot of health care workers are like childfree people before they have kids. Naively optimistic that it won't be THAT bad. That you only hear the bad stories and there must be millions who love it or why else would they do it. And then they do it and realise it was just as bad if not worse than people said.

Higher pension costs in NHS though Im sure. Im public sector and pay 4.6% my partner is NHS and pays 10% (fair enough higher band)

I think the reality of the job sinks in and people realise its not worth all the cons for the realities of the job. I agree that people will go into the job with positivity but the job itself is getting worse and worse.

The NHS are losing staff, nurses in particular year on year and many leaving way before retirement as its all just too much for not a great salary really.

A nurse I know opts to work in a charity run hospice with no real job security as its dependent on funding what they can pay for, rather than the NHS because they say they became a nurse to care and nurse patients and this was a much better option to do this than work in a hospital. Also no decent pension in this role either

 

[Blond3g1rl]

Higher pension costs in NHS though Im sure. Im public sector and pay 4.6% my partner is NHS and pays 10% (fair enough higher band)

I think the reality of the job sinks in and people realise its not worth all the cons for the realities of the job. I agree that people will go into the job with positivity but the job itself is getting worse and worse.

The NHS are losing staff, nurses in particular year on year and many leaving way before retirement as its all just too much for not a great salary really.

A nurse I know opts to work in a charity run hospice with no real job security as its dependent on funding what they can pay for, rather than the NHS because they say they became a nurse to care and nurse patients and this was a much better option to do this than work in a hospital. Also no decent pension in this role either

Edited. Misread post

 

[Caffeine Fiend]

That 10% will result in a much higher pension compared to someone who pays into a private pension on a pound for pound basis

It absolutely will and very fortunate to be in this position but there are nurses currently opting out of their pension contributions because they cant afford to pay them.

Cost of living crisis is forcing nurses to quit their NHS pensions

‘I just couldn’t make ends meet. I had no choice but to leave the scheme,’ says nurse Jodie Elliot

www.google.com

To be perfectly honest will any of us see our pension? Im 34 and I reckon Ill be dead before retirement age. If I dont get some sort of terminal disease I reckon my mental health will get me.

So I suppose its all a moot point in the grand scheme of things.

 

[BorisBear]

Just wondered if anyones employers are doing anything to support employees who are finding themselves using food banks or struggling to pay bills. Outside of increasing wages, has anyone been offered any support?

 

[HoGi]

Just wondered if anyones employers are doing anything to support employees who are finding themselves using food banks or struggling to pay bills. Outside of increasing wages, has anyone been offered any support?

We are just being given links to money saving tips and money expert etc.

 

[Louby@21]

Just wondered if anyones employers are doing anything to support employees who are finding themselves using food banks or struggling to pay bills. Outside of increasing wages, has anyone been offered any support?

The hospital trust I work for have the usual links etc but are also providing discreet food packages at some mealtimes. Not all NHS Staff are band 5 or above. Many probably a fair chunk of each Trust payroll are lower paid ( some not far from minimum wage) and wages just doesn’t stretch.

 

[Caffeine Fiend]

Just wondered if anyones employers are doing anything to support employees who are finding themselves using food banks or struggling to pay bills. Outside of increasing wages, has anyone been offered any support?

Feck all. Lots of 'wellbeing' courses focused on finances, debt etc.

However they dont pay us anywhere near enough and I know of several people struggling to get to the office now on office days. Its mostly people in single income households

 

[Blond3g1rl]

Just wondered if anyones employers are doing anything to support employees who are finding themselves using food banks or struggling to pay bills. Outside of increasing wages, has anyone been offered any support?

Nope. We have been told to only boil what we need in a kettle and turn lights off

 

[BorisBear]

God it’s depressing, there are colleagues at my place who are using food banks, we have usual support as you’ve all mentioned & they did bring a pay rise forward.. but I wonder what else employers can do that Will make an impact, other than the usual waffle, and saying speak to Managers etc, when it’s often them feeling pressures also.. 🥹

 

[Xales]

Sainsbury are doing 6 tins of branston baked beans for £3.70 at the moment. Not quite the 4 for £2 but not too bad.

 

[Chocolategoggler]

God it’s depressing, there are colleagues at my place who are using food banks, we have usual support as you’ve all mentioned & they did bring a pay rise forward.. but I wonder what else employers can do that Will make an impact, other than the usual waffle, and saying speak to Managers etc, when it’s often them feeling pressures also.. 🥹

I don't think some people realise that managers can be going through hell but have to show a straight face at work.
An ex boss of mine supported me through an illness and unbeknown to me she was going through hell in her family life at the same time. She was so lovely to me and I felt so bad for her when I found out down the line.

 

[bowtiesarecool]

I work in a school now as a (partially) funded "Academic Mentor" - part of the Covid catch-up program. Last year's school subsidy for my wage was 95%, this year is 60% (but only of tutoring hours, so probably less) - next year is 25%. I am worried about my job massively for next September.

However, back in January this year when I took the post, I took a huge leap of faith as ALL of my work experience was early years - I was in a nursery job, had just completed my degree but under a draconian boss who was a complete witch. I'd been there 15 years but honestly thought better the devil you know.

And yet, despite the job uncertainly I face, I have never been happier. I am in a team that values me, and I them. I work with people who don't backstab and witch daily. And the Council pension is worth it too - I put in 6%, they put in 18%. In the 18months here, I'll have more in this pension than my other nursery one after years.

School have said they'll keep me on if they can afford too but i'm not holding my breath. I'll be glad of the experience and a good reference.

As it stands, we can afford our house and to eat reasonably. But we use our local Company Shop more (https://www.companyshopgroup.co.uk/) - meat is generally 40% cheaper than supermarkets, and our local one had Grolsch lager crates for £5 this weekend (husband was well chuffed). You can generally get a selection of Heinz tins for 50% off RRP too, though sometimes a random choice. Fridge wise, you can come out with some absolute bargains but as it's surplus stock, it's unreliable. Some weeks you can fill a freezer, some you will struggle to spend a fiver. I particularly remember Boxing Day being a good haul - 400g packs of chicken for about 90p! If you've got one nearby and are eligible for membership, definitely go for it!

 

[Thank(space)you]

Someone on fb posted a (raw) whole chicken from their food shopping, it was £21

 

[Blueballs]

Nevermind pension contributions, paying back student loan, long hours in understaffed wards where youre consistently giving extra hours that you probably never get paid for. You can get 23k working in admin. Mon-Fri 9-5. Bank holidays and weekends off.

So it's more about unpaid overtime and support? The hours definitely shouldn't come as a suprise! The unions have not been good at communicating this at all and why they're pushing for a 17% pay increase. The student loan payback won't make people worse off compared to not earning enough to pay it back, it's tapered.

 

[Caffeine Fiend]

So it's more about unpaid overtime and support? The hours definitely shouldn't come as a suprise! The unions have not been good at communicating this at all and why they're pushing for a 17% pay increase. The student loan payback won't make people worse off compared to not earning enough to pay it back, it's tapered.

Im not NHS and whist my partner is they are not front line so I can only really try to understand the issue. I am not speaking for nurses as I am not one.

I imagine its all a bit chicken and egg, I think most hospitals are understaffed, under resourced, mismanaged. This alongside many other issues has caused a massive staffing crisis, people are leaving in droves, many who have worked for the NHS for a long time because the job has become unbearable. Many staff have left the NHS post Brexit also.

Nurses and doctors are not able to provide the care they wish to because of these factors. Can you imagine walking past elderly people on trolleys / wheelchairs and knowing that youre not going to be able to do anything about it.

The wage is not enough to entice people into the job, and Im not saying an increase in wage will see loads of people flocking to the job role but its definitely a start in trying to get the numbers up.

I am a member of a union, so I support unions. This is anything but a greed grab. People were happy to stand on their door steps and clap for weeks on end but god forbid underpaid and overworked health care professionals want a decent payrise.

The stories I hear about the understaffing would make your hair curl. Imagine having a stroke and getting treatment ASAP is the key and waiting hours in an ambulance queue whilst irreparable damage to the brain is happening.

Imagine your baby dying in the womb because they only have the staff to open one theatre and someone else was deemed more of an emergency. This is the reality of being so understaffed. I saw a thing recently that UK nurses were some of the lowest paid in the world compared to cost of living in the countries theyre employed in

 

[Louby@21]

Yeah the hours aren’t a surprise, many student nurses leave before they finish or bugger off to private, agency or abroad because it’s tit. If you don’t have the right amount of qualified nurses your patient safety is non existent. If a nurse is looking after too many patients and is stressed, mistakes get made. Who gets the blame? The nurse working in unsafe conditions who can end up in a legal issue.

The wages of NHS healthcare staff don’t reflect the workload and responsibility in many cases which then don’t attract enough new staff to replace the ones leaving.

You are getting newly qualified nurses in charge of wards with one agency staff nurse. They then burn out and leave. HCAs on not more than minimal wage often responsible for the day to day patient care( bar medicines) can leave and earn more in many other jobs with less stressful physical work. I mean who wants to 1:1 a patient that is violent/confused/soiling themselves for little more than minimum wage for hours at a time?

 

[Elle Woods]

Just wondered if anyones employers are doing anything to support employees who are finding themselves using food banks or struggling to pay bills. Outside of increasing wages, has anyone been offered any support?

Not a scooby. I reached out to my employer recently as I have about a 30 minute drive to work every day and I mentioned that I am finding the fuel costs crippling, coupled with a general cost of living increase anyway I said I'm finding money really tight and life is a bit of a struggle right now. I asked if there was any provision for me to work at home even just 1 or 2 days a week as that would save me some money, or if I could work from the office which is a 20 minute walk from my house 2 days a week and was told "no, you are contracted to this office and we do not offer home working". I wasn't given any support which I found quite upsetting. I didn't expect a pay rise, we haven't had one in a few years so I definitely wasn't expecting anything but I thought maybe they'd be a bit more sympathetic when I've said I'm struggling

 

[Thank(space)you]

Just wondered if anyones employers are doing anything to support employees who are finding themselves using food banks or struggling to pay bills. Outside of increasing wages, has anyone been offered any support?

We had a 5% pay rise, and you can choose 1 day a week to work at home.

My child's school have started offering food parcels if you ask in the office.

 

[FilthyGorgeous]

I run my own business and I’m finding it so hard at the minute. After covid it was so up and down for such a long time and we were just getting back on our feet when the cost of living crisis kicked us firmly in the balls. I feel very worried about what lies in store over the next few weeks, months and beyond.

 

[Cantthinkofausername]

Sainsbury are doing 6 tins of branston baked beans for £3.70 at the moment. Not quite the 4 for £2 but not too bad.

It's a good offer, but still more expensive than their own brand. Their hubbard (basic/value) brand is only 25p/tin and are quite nice in my opinion.