key workers

[rambo1]

and its not just a bottomless pit of money the government are dipping into. we will probably all pay for this next year. 20 quid a week extra tax is not out of the question.

Next year? are you kidding?

We are talking massive tax increases for years to come.

We will be £ trillions out of pocket, and that has to be clawed back somehow.

Too right. This is gonna take the world a good five to tens yrs to get over, financially, if indeed it ever does. The financial crash of 08 was essentially a banking problem which could be sorted with monetary policy. This thing is ripping through businesses and killing them just like it rips through the unlucky ones lungs and kills them. Mass, global recession ,due to this, is not a quick fix problem. This virus has fundamentally changed everything. We are lucky to have our jobs, for now. Royal mail will be looking at cutting costs when this is done, and if we want paying more for what we do, then there's gonna have to be (substantially) less of us getting paid. Either that, or we all lose our jobs. Recession, less jobs, less money, less people ordering stuff, less work for us, less profit for us = a downward spiral.
Yes, it is frustrating delivering crap when others are sitting at home and yes we are in danger in the office in a morning so we must do everything possible to protect ourselves and just as important, everyone else. Walk around someone instead of brushing past , keep yourself to yourself, don't help each other to load the van. Wash your hands and don't touch your face. Wear sunglasses outside, think about it, it's windy, you get something in your eye ,you rub your eye BAM, cv-19 has entered your system.
Please just look after each other.
Stay safe.

[twiddledumb]

There's also a recession coming, probably a big one. A lot of those non-key workers will be getting 0% or thereabouts of their salary in a few months time.

So, yeah. I don't really look upon them as the lucky ones.

A lot of them will go straight back to their jobs also. On top of that who says royal mail will not cut their workforce in a recession? Our jobs might be in line for the chop. The government should have gave everyone £1000 until the crisis ends. I mean look what the self employed are getting of the government ffs, a plumber, electrician, etc etc are getting big hand outs and they are richer than most professional jobs, I have never seen a poor tradesman and I deliver to lots of their houses on my round, they all have 4x4s and live in rich estates yet they get hand outs for sitting in the house, while low paid posties have to work, put our lives at risk and get swf from the government for doing it.

[Flashman_]

Agree with OP, I am also worried about how the government will make us all pay for this possibly for the next 20 years too. Whilst I agree that the Gov should do stuff to try to preserve the economy, it should not just hand out free money to some because they happen to have a non essential job!
I think a better way around this would be to get the banks to write off all monthly payments due to them for the duration of the crisis, for people unable to work, or in any financial trouble. In 2008 we bailed out the banks and have been paying it back for over 10 years now. New rules introduced to the Banking industry since then means that Banks have to have enough cash to cover their loans. They should therefore have more than enough cash to afford my plan. It means that interest rates may start to rise after the crisis, as banks rebuild their capital, but it would be a far fairer way to deal with the huge problem that we have. Of course government will still need to fund some people, but the cost of this disaster cannot be shouldered by the government alone.

[SpacePhoenix]

There's bound to be fresh austerity after all this blows over and chances are it's going to make the 2008 austerity look like a walk in the park

[Ren Hoëk]

There's also a recession coming, probably a big one. A lot of those non-key workers will be getting 0% or thereabouts of their salary in a few months time.

So, yeah. I don't really look upon them as the lucky ones.

A lot of them will go straight back to their jobs also. On top of that who says royal mail will not cut their workforce in a recession? Our jobs might be in line for the chop. The government should have gave everyone £1000 until the crisis ends. I mean look what the self employed are getting of the government ffs, a plumber, electrician, etc etc are getting big hand outs and they are richer than most professional jobs, I have never seen a poor tradesman and I deliver to lots of their houses on my round, they all have 4x4s and live in rich estates yet they get hand outs for sitting in the house, while low paid posties have to work, put our lives at risk and get swf from the government for doing it.

I can see you haven't yet started work on that jealousy problem you have there.

[twiddledumb]

As a 'key worker" postman on less than £20000 a year, I find it amazing that I still have to work interacting with many people a day with very little social distancing especially in the DO, while the government pays upto £2500 a month for non key workers to stay at home so they are safe. The government could not give a stuff about 'key workers' if they did they would be giving them the £2500 a month on top of their salary as well as the every other person who cannot work because they clearly need to be more safe than me or any other 'key worker'.

And really do they need to give someone £2500 a month? I have been living off just over a £1000 a month for the last 8 years. A rational fair government would have gave every person in the country a £1000 a month payment regardless if they were key workers or not. Just pay everyone a £1000 a month until we are out of the poop.

If my wife was to be put on furlough that would be a significant pay cut for us. It is also because of her wage that I can stay off work to help protect her health whilst she works from home. People on different income also have different outgoings. Instead of calling for less for others we should be calling for more for people on less. Both can happen without the expense of the other.

It is the same attitude people have when it comes to benefits claimants. Them not having wont mean you having more.

If I can survive on £1000 a month then why can't everyone? If you have to pay for a big car then guess what get rid of the big car and get a smaller one, just downscale what you can afford like I have to for the last 8 years. It's not much to ask when you are literally sitting at home doing sweet fa, while 'key workers' like posties are earning £1000 a week and having to work through this all delivering crap for non key workers sitting at home ordering from amazon and ebay etc etc. The whole thing is total unfair bs. No wonder so many are calling in sick at royal mail.

Yeah I am jealous that they get to sit at home nice and safe, not having to worry about catching a deadly virus, while I am outside interacting with loads of people literally putting my life at risk for swf.

Just like that ey? Going to totally ignore my point? I know your type. Jealousy is not an attractive characteristic. I'd work on that if I were you.

What was your point? that you think it is fair that your wife and people like her should get a big tax payer hand out for sitting at home being safe because after all she is used to earning much more and will have to struggle on the pittance of £2500 a month. I am literally breaking my heart crying about your hardship. Meanwhile, posties and other low paid 'key workers' get nothing for literally putting themselves and their families at risk every day at work. That's not jealousy mate that's calling out unfair treatment of low paid workers.

[Zicomurphy]

As a 'key worker" postman on less than £20000 a year, I find it amazing that I still have to work interacting with many people a day with very little social distancing especially in the DO, while the government pays upto £2500 a month for non key workers to stay at home so they are safe. The government could not give a stuff about 'key workers' if they did they would be giving them the £2500 a month on top of their salary as well as the every other person who cannot work because they clearly need to be more safe than me or any other 'key worker'.

And really do they need to give someone £2500 a month? I have been living off just over a £1000 a month for the last 8 years. A rational fair government would have gave every person in the country a £1000 a month payment regardless if they were key workers or not. Just pay everyone a £1000 a month until we are out of the poop.

If my wife was to be put on furlough that would be a significant pay cut for us. It is also because of her wage that I can stay off work to help protect her health whilst she works from home. People on different income also have different outgoings. Instead of calling for less for others we should be calling for more for people on less. Both can happen without the expense of the other.

It is the same attitude people have when it comes to benefits claimants. Them not having wont mean you having more.

If I can survive on £1000 a month then why can't everyone? If you have to pay for a big car then guess what get rid of the big car and get a smaller one, just downscale what you can afford like I have to for the last 8 years. It's not much to ask when you are literally sitting at home doing sweet fa, while 'key workers' like posties are earning £1000 a week and having to work through this all delivering crap for non key workers sitting at home ordering from amazon and ebay etc etc. The whole thing is total unfair bs. No wonder so many are calling in sick at royal mail.

Don’t know where you live but where I am if you have to rent privately £1000 will just about pay your rent on a basic one bed flat for a month.

[Ren Hoëk]

As a 'key worker" postman on less than £20000 a year, I find it amazing that I still have to work interacting with many people a day with very little social distancing especially in the DO, while the government pays upto £2500 a month for non key workers to stay at home so they are safe. The government could not give a stuff about 'key workers' if they did they would be giving them the £2500 a month on top of their salary as well as the every other person who cannot work because they clearly need to be more safe than me or any other 'key worker'.

And really do they need to give someone £2500 a month? I have been living off just over a £1000 a month for the last 8 years. A rational fair government would have gave every person in the country a £1000 a month payment regardless if they were key workers or not. Just pay everyone a £1000 a month until we are out of the poop.

If my wife was to be put on furlough that would be a significant pay cut for us. It is also because of her wage that I can stay off work to help protect her health whilst she works from home. People on different income also have different outgoings. Instead of calling for less for others we should be calling for more for people on less. Both can happen without the expense of the other.

It is the same attitude people have when it comes to benefits claimants. Them not having wont mean you having more.

If I can survive on £1000 a month then why can't everyone? If you have to pay for a big car then guess what get rid of the big car and get a smaller one, just downscale what you can afford like I have to for the last 8 years. It's not much to ask when you are literally sitting at home doing sweet fa, while 'key workers' like posties are earning £1000 a week and having to work through this all delivering crap for non key workers sitting at home ordering from amazon and ebay etc etc. The whole thing is total unfair bs. No wonder so many are calling in sick at royal mail.

Yeah I am jealous that they get to sit at home nice and safe, not having to worry about catching a deadly virus, while I am outside interacting with loads of people literally putting my life at risk for swf.

Just like that ey? Going to totally ignore my point? I know your type. Jealousy is not an attractive characteristic. I'd work on that if I were you.

What was your point? that you think it is fair that your wife and people like her should get a big tax payer hand out for sitting at home being safe because after all she is used to earning much more and will have to struggle on the pittance of £2500 a month. I am literally breaking my heart crying about your hardship. Meanwhile, posties and other low paid 'key workers' get nothing for literally putting themselves and their families at risk every day at work. That's not jealousy mate that's calling out unfair treatment of low paid workers.

My point was, If you care to comprehend the conversation, is that people having less doesn't mean you get more. It also makes more economic sense to help prop people up on an income they are a-custom to so they then can meet the financial obligations they are a-custom to instead of having masses of people not being able to meet debt obligations and going into bankruptcy. Can you not understand the negative impact that would have on the entire economy. Do you not think the government didn't consider that in their decision making.

My wife isn't on furlough either. She has been lucky enough to be able to work from home on full wage in an industry that is actually a real vital industry. Electricity distribution. She worked very hard to be in the position she is in. As have the other people you seem to be denigrating.

Grown up and work on that jealousy of yours. It really is quite ugly.

[Janet Brum]

As a 'key worker" postman on less than £20000 a year, I find it amazing that I still have to work interacting with many people a day with very little social distancing especially in the DO, while the government pays upto £2500 a month for non key workers to stay at home so they are safe. The government could not give a stuff about 'key workers' if they did they would be giving them the £2500 a month on top of their salary as well as the every other person who cannot work because they clearly need to be more safe than me or any other 'key worker'.

And really do they need to give someone £2500 a month? I have been living off just over a £1000 a month for the last 8 years. A rational fair government would have gave every person in the country a £1000 a month payment regardless if they were key workers or not. Just pay everyone a £1000 a month until we are out of the poop.

Your 20 k a year it`s approx 1400 per month after tax.
I assume your rent is approx £400 per month then you`re left with £1000 for food and petrol, clothing etc?
That`s more than enough for a family, for one person it`s huge.

I`m speaking from experience and I`m not being sarcastic or a bitch.

Maybe cut off the take aways if that`s the case and buy already made food from supermarkets or cook your own like I do?

Maybe try do more overtime like many of us do?

There are many ways to save money or to spend less on food and clothes, no point in telling others off for earning more then you.

[rambo1]

There's also a recession coming, probably a big one. A lot of those non-key workers will be getting 0% or thereabouts of their salary in a few months time.

So, yeah. I don't really look upon them as the lucky ones.

A lot of them will go straight back to their jobs also. On top of that who says royal mail will not cut their workforce in a recession? Our jobs might be in line for the chop. The government should have gave everyone £1000 until the crisis ends. I mean look what the self employed are getting of the government ffs, a plumber, electrician, etc etc are getting big hand outs and they are richer than most professional jobs, I have never seen a poor tradesman and I deliver to lots of their houses on my round, they all have 4x4s and live in rich estates yet they get hand outs for sitting in the house, while low paid posties have to work, put our lives at risk and get swf from the government for doing it.

I also don't see why a self employed plumber raking in £50+k a yr should get subsidised by a postie earning £20k AND still having to go to work. Surely being a self employed tradesman earning good money, part of a good business plan is to have enough working capital set aside for hardships, whatever they are? Maybe instead of the swimming pool and 3 4x4's in the drive, they should have £100k+ set aside for emergencies like this. Am I alone in thinking this? It's like universal credit, I wouldn't qualify because I have too much in savings whereas someone who spends all they get gets subsidised...by the likes of me!

[twiddledumb]

As a 'key worker" postman on less than £20000 a year, I find it amazing that I still have to work interacting with many people a day with very little social distancing especially in the DO, while the government pays upto £2500 a month for non key workers to stay at home so they are safe. The government could not give a stuff about 'key workers' if they did they would be giving them the £2500 a month on top of their salary as well as the every other person who cannot work because they clearly need to be more safe than me or any other 'key worker'.

And really do they need to give someone £2500 a month? I have been living off just over a £1000 a month for the last 8 years. A rational fair government would have gave every person in the country a £1000 a month payment regardless if they were key workers or not. Just pay everyone a £1000 a month until we are out of the poop.

If my wife was to be put on furlough that would be a significant pay cut for us. It is also because of her wage that I can stay off work to help protect her health whilst she works from home. People on different income also have different outgoings. Instead of calling for less for others we should be calling for more for people on less. Both can happen without the expense of the other.

It is the same attitude people have when it comes to benefits claimants. Them not having wont mean you having more.

If I can survive on £1000 a month then why can't everyone? If you have to pay for a big car then guess what get rid of the big car and get a smaller one, just downscale what you can afford like I have to for the last 8 years. It's not much to ask when you are literally sitting at home doing sweet fa, while 'key workers' like posties are earning £1000 a week and having to work through this all delivering crap for non key workers sitting at home ordering from amazon and ebay etc etc. The whole thing is total unfair bs. No wonder so many are calling in sick at royal mail.

So what you seem to think is that when you lose a high paid job from now instead of signing on the dole and getting universal credit you need to get a higher paying benefit/bailout from the government to see you over until you get your next high paid job, I mean otherwise heaven forbid you would have to sell the bmw and downsize the 5 bedroom house. Funny that, for low paid workers who lose their job the government don't care about giving you extra money to helping you pay your financial commitments you got lumbered with while you were working. FYI banks have given a grace period of 3 months+ for mortgage payments/loans so what commitments apart from keeping up the running of the 5 bedroom house and expansive gardens.

The only thing that is ugly mate is your I'm alright right jack screw the rest attitude. If the government want to give bailouts, it should be for everyone and everyone gets the same money like a UBI, but you think that is a low paid worker being jealous, which says everything about the type of person you are.

Yeah I am jealous that they get to sit at home nice and safe, not having to worry about catching a deadly virus, while I am outside interacting with loads of people literally putting my life at risk for swf.

Just like that ey? Going to totally ignore my point? I know your type. Jealousy is not an attractive characteristic. I'd work on that if I were you.

What was your point? that you think it is fair that your wife and people like her should get a big tax payer hand out for sitting at home being safe because after all she is used to earning much more and will have to struggle on the pittance of £2500 a month. I am literally breaking my heart crying about your hardship. Meanwhile, posties and other low paid 'key workers' get nothing for literally putting themselves and their families at risk every day at work. That's not jealousy mate that's calling out unfair treatment of low paid workers.

My point was, If you care to comprehend the conversation, is that people having less doesn't mean you get more. It also makes more economic sense to help prop people up on an income they are a-custom to so they then can meet the financial obligations they are a-custom to instead of having masses of people not being able to meet debt obligations and going into bankruptcy. Can you not understand the negative impact that would have on the entire economy. Do you not think the government didn't consider that in their decision making.

My wife isn't on furlough either. She has been lucky enough to be able to work from home on full wage in an industry that is actually a real vital industry. Electricity distribution. She worked very hard to be in the position she is in. As have the other people you seem to be denigrating.

Grown up and work on that jealousy of yours. It really is quite ugly.

[sindba]

As a 'key worker" postman on less than £20000 a year, I find it amazing that I still have to work interacting with many people a day with very little social distancing especially in the DO, while the government pays upto £2500 a month for non key workers to stay at home so they are safe. The government could not give a stuff about 'key workers' if they did they would be giving them the £2500 a month on top of their salary as well as the every other person who cannot work because they clearly need to be more safe than me or any other 'key worker'.

And really do they need to give someone £2500 a month? I have been living off just over a £1000 a month for the last 8 years. A rational fair government would have gave every person in the country a £1000 a month payment regardless if they were key workers or not. Just pay everyone a £1000 a month until we are out of the poop.

Your 20 k a year it`s approx 1400 per month after tax.
I assume your rent is approx £400 per month then you`re left with £1000 for food and petrol, clothing etc?
That`s more than enough for a family, for one person it`s huge.

I`m speaking from experience and I`m not being sarcastic or a bitch.

Maybe cut off the take aways if that`s the case and buy already made food from supermarkets or cook your own like I do?

Maybe try do more overtime like many of us do?

There are many ways to save money or to spend less on food and clothes, no point in telling others off for earning more then you.

And you're telling a posties off for spending too much on food and clothing and not working hard enough, just to defend the well-off?

Well done you. You know the rich people and the Govt that you're sticking up for don't give a stuff whether you live or die in this crisis, don't you? They'll be fine of course.

[twiddledumb]

@Ren Hoëk
So what you seem to think is that when you lose a high paid job from now instead of signing on the dole and getting universal credit you need to get a higher paying benefit/bailout from the government to see you over until you get your next high paid job, I mean otherwise heaven forbid you would have to sell the bmw and downsize the 5 bedroom house. Funny that, for low paid workers who lose their job the government don't care about giving you extra money to help you pay your financial commitments you got lumbered with while you were working. FYI banks have given a grace period of 3 months+ for mortgage payments/loans so what commitments apart from keeping up the running of the 5 bedroom house and expansive gardens.

The only thing that is ugly mate is your I'm alright right jack screw the rest attitude. If the government want to give bailouts, it should be for everyone and everyone gets the same money like a UBI, but you think that is a low paid worker being jealous, which says everything about the type of person you are.

[twiddledumb]

As a 'key worker" postman on less than £20000 a year, I find it amazing that I still have to work interacting with many people a day with very little social distancing especially in the DO, while the government pays upto £2500 a month for non key workers to stay at home so they are safe. The government could not give a stuff about 'key workers' if they did they would be giving them the £2500 a month on top of their salary as well as the every other person who cannot work because they clearly need to be more safe than me or any other 'key worker'.

And really do they need to give someone £2500 a month? I have been living off just over a £1000 a month for the last 8 years. A rational fair government would have gave every person in the country a £1000 a month payment regardless if they were key workers or not. Just pay everyone a £1000 a month until we are out of the poop.

Your 20 k a year it`s approx 1400 per month after tax.
I assume your rent is approx £400 per month then you`re left with £1000 for food and petrol, clothing etc?
That`s more than enough for a family, for one person it`s huge.

I`m speaking from experience and I`m not being sarcastic or a bitch.

Maybe cut off the take aways if that`s the case and buy already made food from supermarkets or cook your own like I do?

Maybe try do more overtime like many of us do?

There are many ways to save money or to spend less on food and clothes, no point in telling others off for earning more then you.

You should be giving this advice to the government and people who seem to need £2500 a month to survive while sitting at home playing board games and buying junk for posties to deliver. As for the over time, well if I work over 50 hours a week I will be earning the same as someone getting a tax payer bailout of £2500 for sitting at home being 'safe'. when you put it that way, I now realise how easy we have it, I'd much rather work the over time than have the free tax payer money.

p.s I was being a sarcastic ****

[Ren Hoëk]

@Ren Hoëk
So what you seem to think is that when you lose a high paid job from now instead of signing on the dole and getting universal credit you need to get a higher paying benefit/bailout from the government to see you over until you get your next high paid job, I mean otherwise heaven forbid you would have to sell the bmw and downsize the 5 bedroom house. Funny that, for low paid workers who lose their job the government don't care about giving you extra money to help you pay your financial commitments you got lumbered with while you were working. FYI banks have given a grace period of 3 months+ for mortgage payments/loans so what commitments apart from keeping up the running of the 5 bedroom house and expansive gardens.

The only thing that is ugly mate is your I'm alright right jack screw the rest attitude. If the government want to give bailouts, it should be for everyone and everyone gets the same money like a UBI, but you think that is a low paid worker being jealous, which says everything about the type of person you are.

Are you thick or being purposefully obtuse? This isn't a normal situation. Given a normal situation these peoples jobs exist. They only don't exist because it has been mandated by the government. Once restrictions are lifted and demand returns to the market, the hope is that these people will be able to return to work. Not only that, People will have money in the bank to stimulate the economy and create demand with.

Having people wholesale declare bankruptcy would be a disaster as big as the one we are facing now, especially when it is totally avoidable. It would cost us personally and the country economically for this to happen.

£2500 a month does not make you rich. Its 30k a year. After tax you would be left with roughly £2k minus other deductions. Whilst that may sounds like allot to you, once you take into account mortgage payments, Bills, Probably a car (Something that is an essential requirement for some peoples employment/chances of employment) and what if you have a family of 5 to support on that sole income on top of that? It also depends on which part of the country you live in on how far that £2k will go.

£30k a year certainly doesn't afford you a 5 bed house and BMW.

Your viewpoint is far too simplistic and as such I can only assume you haven't really thought about your position.

"The only thing that is ugly mate is your I'm alright right jack screw the rest attitude."

You still, are totally missing the point. It really is not that hard to comprehend. If anything, that view point is more closely tied to your attitude than mine.

I am saying and I cant believe I have to say this AGAIN. PEOPLE HAVING LESS DOESN'T MEAN YOU GET MORE. Taking that money from them doesn't mean you get it. It just means they don't get it. For what? Spite and jealousy?

Why do you/we even need a bailout. Nothing has changed for us. Financially we are employed the same as last month. For now. That may change and we may find ourselves on this furlough payment. Who's to say our continued work wont be recognised financially when this is all said and done?