Will Cutting Public Worker Pay Make the U.K. a "Dark, Brutish, and More Frightening Place"?

Public sector workers are doing pretty well in the U.K. these days, earning more (on average) than their private sector counterparts. From the Telegraph:

The Office for National Statistics found that full-time public sector staff earned an average of £74 a week more than those in the private sector. Once employer pension contributions were included, the gap rose to £136, illustrating the generous pay-and-perks deals enjoyed by local and central government workers.

The coalition government in the U.K. is discussing layoffs, pay freezes, and pension cutbacks for public sector workers—largely because the U.K. is also Out of Money. The Trades Union Congress is not amused. At their conference in Manchester this week, the head of the labor organization warned that public sector pay cuts will make Britain a "dark, brutish and more frightening place."

Reason has been covering the compensation gap between public and private workers stateside for a while now. You can read about the disparities here, here, and here.

Comments

[Old Mexican]

The Office for National Statistics found that full-time public sector staff earned an average of ?74 a week more than those in the private sector. Once employer pension contributions were included, the gap rose to ?136, illustrating the generous pay-and-perks deals enjoyed by local and central government workers.

But that's only because the government hires college-graduated geniuses whilst private sector workers are all just coal shoveling yokels. The government workers deserve to live off the witless, that is the natural balance of things.

[David]

I guess someone's been reading a bit too much Hobbes recently.

[Brandybuck]

Is this him?

p.s. safe for work

[Latter Day Taint]

No. That's Warty's high school yearbook picture.

[zeroentitlement]

...the head of the labor organization warned that public sector pay cuts will make Britain a "dark, brutish and more frightening place."

Yeah, like South Carolina. Geez, whatta dump that place is.

"South Carolina has long been one of the least unionized states in the nation. In 2000 the state ranked 49th with 4 percent unionized...Even public employee unions, which, unlike private sector unions, have been growing nationally, are limited in South Carolina. State government does not engage in collective bargaining with public employees and prohibits strikes."

[RS]

I like how they say the pay cuts will make Britain a "more frightening place". Which implies that it is frightening now. Dreary and cold and rainy, sure, but frightening?

[ManikMonkee]

Blair and co did a pretty good job of making it a Dark, Brutish, and Frightening Place

Hence the Clegg's liberal reform bill

[Douglas Gray]

Maybe the Republicans can use that against Obama, saying he has made the Country a "dark, brutish, and more frightening place."

[reasonistreason]

I felt like smacking the guy when I heard him say that. What is truly scary dark and brutish in Albion is the deficit.

Lucky that the tories won the elections, they are more likely to take steps to cut expenses, as opposed to Labour's lollipop economics. Now if only they wouldn't be such dicks on the immigration issue...