[The Chicken Lady]

I started work in the NHS in 1976 - 32 years ago. I have been on my present grade or similar with a different name since 1990. I worked as a community midwife for 15 years until a reorganisation 5 years ago. Now they want to reduce the number of midwives on the grade that I am on and so I have to reapply for my job. That is fill out an application form, be interviewed and do a presentation. If I do not get the job I will drop a grade (pay protected for 2 years). I only have 4 years before I can retire. I really don't want the hassle and I feel totally let down by the NHS after all my loyal years of service. I am trying to find out if I can go now but can get no answer from the personnel department. I am just worried that I may not be able to survive on my pension at present with a mortgage and 2 younger children. 1 who wants to go to university. My husband may also be made redundant soon but he was planning to retire next February anyway so that would be a bonus as he will have other work to do. I will also be able to do bank shifts so it would leave me more time to do the things I want to. What do you all think. I'm sure Rusty will give some wise words!

[sandy]

Theres no loyalty in the world of work, in my experience you get trated  better if you are an Rssole..sorry for that. I hve worked with many people who use bad practice and they get promoted!!!!!!!

[rustyme]

I am really sorry to hear about the disgusting way you are being treated , but I am not in the least surprised . This seems to have been going on for 10-15 years now. Silently without hardly anyone noticing , now they are ramping up the speed . It seems the closer we are to that brick wall , the harder they are pushing the throttle. What the outcome will be I have no idea , but I am so glad I am not part of their insane world. I  am and will be affected by what happens , but I won't lose everything I have , as many have already started too  .
I would never advise anyone what to do regards their job at the moment. However the government will be chopping every job they can possibly get shot of . Not only to allow them to keep their own jobs till we are absorbed into the EU , but the complete breakup of the NHS has been on their books for a long time , no matter what they say . The same thing has been done with agriculture, brought to it's knees and now almost at the point of no return.
   At a time when the whole world is going into meltdown ,they (the government ) are increasing their own money, either by expenses or new pay rises , while cutting jobs in every sector of public life (apart from government ) and filling so called NEW jobs with foreign workers , because there are no British people who are prepared to do the work ? They may have fooled some of the people for a long time , but they haven't fooled all of us yet !!! NOT YET !!!


cheers

Russ

[doganjo]

You have been badly treated so whatever you do make sure you do it for YOU, not for the NHS.  Get a redundancy or early retirement package if they will offer it.  The only downside to redundancy is that the NHS pensions are quite good.  No-one will thank you fro doing a better than average job these days.  My second husband had been made redundant four times in his working life, twice by the same company as they ad taken him back on after the first one on a different level (reduced)  It didn't do his self esteem any good but he was very surprised when he told me the last time - great, now you can do what you want to do with your life!  I see redundancy as an opportunity.  Good luck to you both

[sheila]

go long term sick! They will have to pay you 6 mounths at full pay and six months at half pay. It's the very least they owe you after 30 odd years.

[Tullywood Farm]

Hi,

Sorry to hear about the way you are being treated after so many years Loyalty.

I often use a saying

"THOSE WHO WORK HARD AND DO THEIR BEST GO DOWN THE ROAD LIKE ALL THE REST".

It just goes to show you that even after all these years they are still treating you like a number.

Hope this works out for you.

Kindest regards
Joe

[Hilarysmum]

Are you in the union, if not join now.  (No time for principals re unions).  Then get them to fight your corner.  Assuming the union arent in agreement with all this.

[kevkev57]

How does this work then ?  Do you have to resign and then re apply ?  What happens if you just say, no ? Is this a trick to get in less skilled and of course lower paid workers ?

I honestly feel for you. What a way to treat someone.

I really do not know where we are going collectively, but what I do know is it is going to be a cold heartless place.

Kevin

[kevkev57]

More thoughts.   Unless they offer you some amazing package to go, it might be best to bite the bullet and go for the ' job application '  As you have already mentioned you will get pay protection for the next two years, in the event of dropping a grade. Then it is just two more years to packing it in. it soon comes around !


Then show your employer the kind of loyalty they have shown them....be off sick a few days here and there, go back to work for two months, then go off sick again, stress or something.

Don't get mad, get even.

Kevin

[Hilarysmum]

Kev agree with all you say, BUT Julie works for the NHS.  If she does as you suggest its the patients who will suffer - particularly new born babies deprived of her skills. 

(sorry dont mean to be so nit picking).

[Lizmar]

Hi.  Well I worked in the NHS for over 20 years and have gone through more restructures and job changes than I can count on both hands.  Yes the NHS can make you re apply for your job if they restructure the services.  They change the name of the post and slightly change the role and away they go.  I think I have had every nursing title you can think of - sister, matron, senior nurse, nurse manager and acting this and acting that!  All jobs really the same, but with more and more added - its an NHS thing. 

What you need to do is be realistic - will you get the post you are applying for. you have to be positive and say YES! Go for it and get it - don't be thinking what if I don't.  Prepare. Have you done as much interview preperation as possible. Don't rely on the interviewers knowing you and what you can do - it has to boil down to the interview performance.  You have to talk to them as if they don't know you - this is always peoples failing.  Is your presentation relevant, clear and interesting - have you times it.  I know this will be like 'teaching you how to suck eggs' but sometimes you need to build yourself up and remember how good you are at your job and sell yourself.

I'm sorry to go on, I'm a life coach when not working and work with people all the time who just see the negatives - nurses are great at that - think of a typical working day and look at what you did now put that into two catorgories pos and neg then you will see just how good you are.
End of sermon!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[sandy]

Just what I would say but, we can all get complacent in our jobs as we are used to them so we do not know the current key words, latest practices etc, read up on you job description, use the words they have used in the job description and emphasis you have worked and adapted to new technique's and practices over the ears and are keen to learn more (they always like to hear that as know employer wants a stick in the mud). I worked in a Special School and was offered full time perminant work as I was with an agency, then they ran out of funding so when a job came up where I was an agency worker, bearing in mind they were going to pay the agency to employ me, I applied, got the interview but did not read up on the post as I was so confident I would get it, of course, I did not get the job and they were so nice to me and said I had not be thourough enough in my answers!!! Read up and be confident, you can do it just prove, as they said to me, they can only go by what you say and not from what they have seen!!!

[kevkev57]

On the subject of horrible employers...

My partner told me this story about four weeks ago.

She works for an American investment bank in the heart of Brussels ( well the stone cold heart )   A co worker,David, got up from his desk and said to her , " ok its 10.50am now, I will be back at 12.00 , so I can chair a meeting. she took no notice as, he is always a stickler for time. He is English.

Noon came and went. No David.  , 1.15 nothing. Then two security guards arrived, shoved all of Davids belongings into two black sacks, sealed them and went. All questions fired at them about David was met with total indifference.

What was Davids crime ?   Nothing. He had worked in the same office for 18 years. He was told that his job had been re located to India.

He was not allowed to say goodbye to his friends.  He is not a high flyer guy, just a pen pusher accountant in a normal job.

He has been given 6 months full pay and redundancy, that does not amount to much. now he is on drugs to tackle his depression. his wife is out of work and they have three sons, two at Uni.

As my partner said, you here about this all the time, but it really brings it home when its someone who was sitting next to you.

Kevin

[kevkev57]

nit pick away my dear, nit pick away. 

Kevin

[sandy]

I reember appologising to my boss as I was going to leave for a better job offer, she said " we are all dispensable"