Are they mad!? Overtime is like hens teeth atm, and they want to stop more of it?

Vroomfondel: We'll go on strike!

Majikthise: That's right! You'll have a national Philosophers' strike on your hands!

Deep Thought: And whom will that inconvenience?

If they can get 90% of the workforce to work nearly an hour a day extra, they can get rid of the other 10% of the workforce. Not music to the ears of a Union defending jobs.

And putting the squeeze on manpower at peak times when the whole workforce needs to work extra hours puts pressure on the management.

Sounds like the place is either properly- or over-staffed if there isn't any paid overtime being offered.

We all know that the quickest way to lose public sympathy is to strike. The miners were the only ones who managed to get away with it and even they slowly lost the sympathy of the nation. The fire service made the mistake of showing the nation how a twelve grand a year squaddie with rubbish equipment could do their job just as well and the posties were never going to have the public behind them in their demands for more pay for their frankly laughably easy jobs.

The revenue are the most hated government department and I can't see anyone leaping to support them if they go on strike so soon after proving themselves to be totally incompetent and unfit.

I can't wait until the teachers strike, that would be a laugh... people would just assume it's a Baker day/inset day/in service training day or whatever they are calling a half day with a pub lunch these days.

I for one will support my striking brothers by not paying any tax.....

ever.....

again......

This sounds like a really good idea, do you think we can pay them more then the government to go on strike all the time?

I tend to agree with you about the fiirefighters, although my girlfriend is a teacher. She tends to work between 50 and 55 hours a week. The problem is that there is many a teacher who cannot be arsed to put that extra time into marking, planning lessons etc, and it would appear that they definitely have an easy life. Thing is, how do you make the distinction?

I'd support the revenue people going on strike. I'd also support the government refusing to negotiate, so that they stayed there as long as possible. (see Douglas Adams quote above)

I guess those who are owed a tax refund might be more upset though.

... why don't they sell our data instead of just giving it away?

AFAIK, the postal strike was nothing to do with pay, it was to do with changing their contract, after the fact. And if you think it's laughably easy, why don't you do it ?

The fire service were perfectly justified in their action, and you seem to forget that the squaddies had no choice but to follow orders. Is that what you wish for all management employee relations ?

@ Chris Miller

My first thought was of the entire useless third of the population ...

@ anybody else

Hands up - who voted labour then ?

<crickets>

Better still simplify the insanely complicated tax system and fire 90% rather than 10% of them.

Alas Gordo hates the idea of transparency in the tax system so much he censored any mention of flat taxes at the Treasury.

Don't give them ideas, coming next week the flat tax, charged double if you live on two of more levels.....

There must be a maximum amount of tax that is paid by any individual (I've no idea what this is, but HMRC must know). In practice, if you're a fat cat looking at a tax bill of £1,000,000 it's simple to bung PwC a couple of hundred K and they'll ensure you pay minimal tax. Net result - you and the PwC lawyers and beancounters are much better off and HMG gets zip.

So my proposal is that there should be a maximum tax amount - £100K, £200K, whatever. Send a cheque of the appropriate value to No 10 and there are no more questions to answer on your tax return. Tax revenue actually /increases/ and the only downside is fewer jobs for beancounters, lawyers and tax inspectors ... oh, actually there is no downside.

"We all know that the quickest way to lose public sympathy is to strike."

One word, Londonunderground. I remember their strikes from a few years back, and I don't think they endeared themselves to anyone.

What does your opinion matter to tax employees you don't like them, no one does it's a matter of squeezing testicles to get better pay and conditions, I don't get any of these comments. Basically the public can just fuck off thats usually how this works isn't it. You didn't hire them you can't fire them and you're just beside the point so shut up and pay your taxes.

to go on strike as I believe its the only way forward to "try" and progress negotiations.

I work for the VAT collection department and for all of those who think that we are overstaffed and underworked get real - stop reading the Daily Mail and let me tell you that the opposite is ACTUALLY the fact.

But hey why let the facts get in the way of a good story.

Oh, and as for being overpaid after 19 years service, I know earn the massive amount of approx £19,000 pa.

"after 19 years service, I know earn the massive amount of approx £19,000 pa."

Not very ambitious are you...ever thought of woking for pcworld, they LOVE that sort of person.

You have my backing.

I know for a fact that very few government jobs pay what they should, whilst some of the boys at the top get huge wages, travel expenses, living expenses and bonuses etc; they live like kings.

It appears our Labour government wishes to cause as much destruction to our country as possible - by wasting hundreds of billions of pounds of our taxes (which you work so hard to collect from us) and then fail to spend it on the correct bits of the NHS, schools, other public services.

They spend it on bad contracts that don't deliver on time, subsidising poorly managed companies that give their fat cats huge bonuses etc.

Then they leapfrog scandal after scandal every month, release loads of hardened criminals and refuse to track them, refuse to imprison perverts, and refuse to secure data (IT angle). They also sack those responsible for data security just to put the final nail in the coffin (another IT angle).

Gordon Brown and his cronies should be locked up and tried for treason.

There again, do I really want the Conservatives back in? Devil and the deep blue sea.

Since when have the HRMC had public support?

Those that pay into the system resent them for overcharging and being inept.

Those that take "tax credits" (althou how you get a credit for something you dont ay?) complaain the government doesnt give them enough!?

as for the person who is still on £19,000 after 19 years you must be a real highflyer, in my reckoning that doesnt make you much more than an "AO Grade", in which case in you work in outer hebredies so be it - what else would you be doing? i

if you work in the south east of england youu shoudl hve got a life and real job elsewhere.

i noticed when working for the hMRC in the past, when the Union Staff went on strike the efficiency of the palce went up as most of the people in the PCS where in it to protect there rear ends from a well deserved kicking.... the amount of whinging realted to "Oh, if you ask me to do that - I am agoing straight to the union" - its not about public service, its about ineptitude and pocket lining

thats why i left, got a proper job in industry at 3x times the money........ everyone i used to work with are still there moaning about how small their garrenteed payrises are and how overwork (ha!) and underpaid (ha-Ha!) they are! on a pound per effort (or lack of) basis they are some of ther best paid workers i have ever known!

Surely you used the wrong icon, I mean how could anyone writing with such appalling spelling and grammar have managed to get a job, any job, anywhere paying upwards of 60K? Please let me know and I'll apply as well :-)