Stress top cause of Stoke-on-Trent City Council staff being off sick

“Oh gorhmy, you are a card!

Two words for you to remember when you collect your paycheck this month:

Public and servant.

Bless your little deluded heart!”

“We have the admin and resources and no overheads thanks!!! ten times better, want to address the other comments or are you in awe at the overwhelming feeling of inadequacy you now feel............”

“Stress for council/public sector workers, is it April Fools again???? Seriously they do next to nothing, get paid better than private sector workers, have fixed pensions and still claim stress. Seriously they need to live in the real world and stop crying about how hard they have it. They only claim stress for days off as it is very difficult to disprove!!!”

“PMSL!

ghormless said " Most local authorities are on average ten times more efficient than any income generating private sector enterprise. "

Now i know youre a fantasist! Funniest thing i have read all year.”

“@ wildsville

hav`nt you got summat to be getting on with in this oh so busy endeavour of yours, and leave the chubbing to those with flexi-time to respond and riposte,after all are your stress levels not over elevated enough with your own vitriolic diatribe against your fellow working class colleagues in the Public Sector. How would you describe yourself as a matter of fact? What`s the old saying you keep humming it kid, I`ll keeping drawing the benefits of a grateful employer.

I`ll lay money on the fact that with all small businesses you are defrauding the Tax man and the VAT people, that a third of your work is cash in hand earned in the "black economy", come on snow white, dont deny us a bit of a rest from having to deal with the likes of yourself, putting up structures with Building Regs, running dirty restaurants, illegal drinking dens, massage parlours, selling dodgy produce from meat to sweat shop made t-shirts, catching you lot in the "Private Sector" is hard work and stressful no motivation on your side to see that control gone is there, or done unprofessionally. Most local authorities are on average ten times more efficient than any income generating private sector enterprise.

Oh and I would`nt say so much of a "Das Kapital" background either, when one lunches around the more salubrious establishments in the City, no doubt you will struggle to identify those as well.”

“DizzyDave1960

Nice one. Sending good thoughts your way on your struggle :)”

“@ gormhenghast

You had better spit out that copy of 'Das Kapital', its getting in the way of the real issue. One you so eloquently put in your description of the gravy train mentality your on. No amount of political blame you dish out in half thought through various semi-ideological diatribes will mask the fact that you still have a job with a wage. Ok a smaller wage, but then again, public sector pay has always been higher than private sector on a comparative local level. I support the worker and fairness at all times and you seem to want to twist the issue.

The issue was stress in the council. You have to put it in to context, which you are failing miserably to do. One one hand, you talk of security and your benefits you enjoy working for the council and the next youre an undertrodden proletariat. You cant have it both ways!

No amount of semi cerebral carping will ever change my original point No matter how you try to hi-jack it. I repeat for the umpteenth time: Start your own business, take responsiblilty for every penny that comes through your door. Deal with tax collectors who want £100 a day from you, Council business rates that are ridiculously high, an ever changing european market that affects your business from day to day, customers that dont pay, long hours, no holidays etc etc etc. All these pressures affect every business every day of the year. You dont have these pressures. You have different ones, but ultimately you have the luxury of 'throwing a sickie' if you want. So far everything you have said only proves just how little you actually know. Words are just that...words. How many unpaid hours will you work this week?

Quite frankly, if you left the council i would not employ you precisely because of your attitude.
Thats something to think about. Thats if you can get beyond blaming everyone else for your job being less cushy than it was.

My final words on this are: I thank those that work hard at the council, but those shirkers who waste my council tax by taking 'stress' breaks do not get any sympathy. Plain and simple....Twist it how you will.”

“@ wildsville, No its your money that a lot, ie the majority of Council workers are low paid doing menial tasks that you pay for, its those people who are stressed not the high flyers, the people who rely on the unions to protect what they have. Believe me there are schisters in Council management who would like as in the Private Sector to push down wages lower than the slave rates of minimum pay.

Since the introduction of the minimum wage which has been adopted fervently by a Tory Government and so called entrepreneurs like yourself no doubt to push down the going rates for skilled work, and no doubt would be lower left to a free market, hence not just the brain drain is taking place out of this cess pit of a country, there is a mass exodus of skilled labour too.

You now see the Tories having to rob people of their benefits in an effort to hold up a failed economy, one based on greed. To mask that they whip up a euphoria of hatred to people on low pay and benefits, that's OK, but its the economics of diminishing returns. Eventually there has to be a reckoning, and the rich will be richer hidden from the soup of the peasants behind security systems to protect themselves, take a look around every dwelling in some areas have massive fences and protected gates, why?? Because in the Tory Big Society that is evolving they feel vulnerable. Do you feel vulnerable? Do you feel proud to be hounding people on Low Pay for the Government, wildsville is about the right for your jaundiced view and take on stress and no pay, you hope it does not turn into wildsville, get your fences up silly person........”

“I have family members working damned hard for the council, and I can promise you, since the cuts - none at the top of course - the workload has doubled with no extra pay. The stress is immense with the same results demanded, but with fewer resources and a lower budget.

The real problem with the commentators here is that you can't see the big picture. All the time we're arguing amongst ourselves, the government will continue to divide and conquer, using any and every spiteful, vindictive, malicious and sly method it can to keep us at odds with each other instead of uniting to stand up to them.”

“gormhenghast said

"Ahh well at the end of the day you lot in the Private sector are just jealous of the index linked pensions, pay off s, golden handshakes etc, the guaranteed standard of living that you have become accustomed too whilst working in the Public Sector."

Well said ghormy, exactly my point. Enjoy our money!”