Cost of living.

onebigvoice

Never has those words meant so much.
  What is the price we pay for the cost of just living?  These costs are costs incurred before you even put the key in the door, assuming your not homeless already, that is.
  With everything going on at the moment I wonder why people are now becoming anti-union? They seem to have short memories when it comes to workers rights?
Who gave you the 5 day week? shorter working hours, since when I started it was a 56 Hour week? then 45, then 40 to 39 hours and where we are now at in some jobs 35.
Of course the government came with open arms to give us all of this and give us breaks within the working day, all the holidays we have, paid of course on top of the statutory days. then there is the sickness schemes to protect its workers where we pay National insurance into a governing body so that the spirit of the NHS can continue to give treatment to not only working people but every one including your children at source.

I don't hear anyone asking how much money was paid in National Insurance into the NHS and how much money was paid out in, yes wages, but also in Rent, energy, up keep of buildings and maintenance, purchase of new equipment, and more importantly courses to keep "staff" safe also including research and development.

When you include the sale of land, and the purchase of "new facilities" not only for the private sector but for the community where facilities could be miles away from the community and instead build "hubs" to cater for the needs of the community?

Did the NHS make a profit? Last year? the year before? in the last 10 years? If so where is it? and what have they used it for?
Paying out dividends? The medical Board should be only there to run and administer  the NHS not make money hand over fist at the expense of others? Are they also paid by the NHS? Do their rises depend on performance? What happened to the money lost in the pandemic, as stated before where PPE was bought but unable to be used as it was not fit for purpose? Who footed that bill?

All I see is people playing with our NHS and if it makes a profit skim off the top bigger bonuses, but if there is a loss or if like this "one instance" MILLIONS ARE SPENT and lost by people who have the title but no idea of the job consequences, will still have a rise year on year? While others pay for it by having wages pegged or cost of living rising and no wage increase which amounts to a pay cut?

As a general question how much has your wages or pension gone up in the last 10 years? How much has the cost of living gone up or down over the same period as an average? How much have MP's Wages gone up or down over the same period? And this would apply to all the perks they get as this is "Part of the Job description"
Apply this to any job? If you end up in negative equity are you in the right job? Of course you are. Why? Because you have a choice to do what you want, and this is what the government rely on.

  Where did all the money come from when people were working from home? All those computers, links and new programming to allow people to work from home? Not all people could work from home, so when you think of the number of people at home, all using electricity, gas, and water and here we are with most back in work yet can anyone tell me why the energy company's still made a profit and are still raking it in when they want to ban fossil fuels and reduce speed limits to 20 MPH?
I don't see any "experts" saying what has happened to fuel efficiencies because of the drop in MPH?
Yes you can blame the Unions for all of this but did you blame the unions for getting you the workers rights you have now?

  So lets look at it from the government point of view.  You except every thing that offer, including the changes to workers rights and conditions.
  You except that you now have to visit the food bank, some thing that was introduced NOT BY THE GOVERNMENT BUT BY CHARITIES TO HELP PEOPLE FEED THEIR CHILDREN AND THEM SELVES.  So where are we now, if all the food banks closed down?  How many children would die?  How many people would die?  Could you afford the car knowing you have to pay parking fees that in some hospitals are more than your wages? or public transport to get to work?  Could you afford to heat the house when you want.  Could you afford to have a take away once or twice a week? 
  The Government is quite good at what they do, since they make sure that the help you get is for housing and council Tax Benefits or water and rates, but food and energy seems not a necessity?  You can always put on an extra pair of socks or buy a onesie which zips up to the neck and has a hoodie on it, which is hard when you work in a cake shop or a supermarket?  
  OH of course if you do work them they rely on the employer to supply you with the correct clothing for the job?  Did the Union sort that out? 
No matter what the job you have to keep up with the times, and take courses, did the government sort that out?  If so why?  Because they expect health and Safety to be paramount and if you are being treated by any one or being served by anyone that the standard is at its best whether in Scotland or Cardiff.

  Even the government has standards, yet when asked to provide the basic tools to live, we seem to be at the bottom of the pile.
  Why do we have to fight for every thing?  If a company is making a profit when we were in the Pandemic and over a year later are making increased profits of 40% on top of the previous profit what is going on?
  Look at petrol?  before the Pandemic 126.5p was high but with everyone working could afford that.  2 Years on and what was it at its hight?  We now think that 151.9 was and is good as its dropped by 30p A LITRE?  BUT, its still 25p to 35p more than what it was before the hike?  I see £60 in Petrol a norm now?  To much, then explain how I get the kids to school? how I do shopping? how I visit anyone? how I keep appointments?  Public Transport?  Try catching a bus with a 2 year old and a 6 year old to go to school each day at to different schools?
  Support the NHS as its now a business just like everything else.