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To be more clear, it is not about having a pension. It is about being required to have an upgraded license, operate large equipment, do road repairs wit inconsiderate people speeding by you, and working in adverse conditions. All this to bring home entry level pay. Keep in mind that on CTV this morning they were talking about a proposed minimum wage increase to $16.20/hr which would put these workers at minimum wage. After all that, you get to hear the public say how overpaid you are.

You can negotiate with your wage/salary once offered a Job. You do not have to take "year one" and explain why so you can still find a better Job

I run a small government department, and trust me, we are not all created equal. We are always trying to find efficiencies and make sure every single dollar is spent wisely. Unfortunately, the higher the level of government, the less efficiency you will find. My wife works for the feds, and her situation is similar to the OP here. The tough thing is, she is still needed, but rarely...working in such an environment places people in situations where maybe one person is often not enough, but sometimes one person is too much...and with all budgetary matters, once you lose it, it's gone. So sometimes department heads are hesitant to cut staff positions, only to never be able to get them back...so they would much rather hang on to that position that may only need to be filled 50% of the time, than lose it permanently.  
 
The other tough situation with government jobs is giving up that sweet sweet pension. Typically they are defined benefit packages, meaning that you are entitled to a certain percentage of your best wage, rather than just collecting what you put aside...tough to match in the private realm, so leaving a government job isn't just as easy as taking a more fulfilling or rewarding role, you might be saying goodbye to a healthy pension package as well.

Private businesses can’t afford excess expenditure. Margins are too tight. We have to achieve staffing efficiency. Unless an employee can prove their worth and fulfill a full working day they are released.  
As for pensions, well most of us have to save for retirement ourselves or continue to work into old age , or both.  
This institutional attitude of entitlement is outdated and needs reform.  
 
Edited by Farmergeorge, 2022-08-12 19:18:08

If you have to train new supervisors all the time, why don’t you apply for the next supervisor position. You’ve been there for x amount of years and you know your stuff! Apply!!

Many of the grievances listed here are due to capitalism's inherent ouroboric nature.  
 
OP mentions boredom and dissatisfaction their job which requires only one hour of real work in a day. This implies that the job is not actually necessary and likely could be automated, given it's 2022. This is not a dig on OP, but simply a commentary on the nature of the economic system we find ourselves in.  
 
Many other comments mention taxpayers getting bilked of dollar value due to inefficiencies.  
 
I highly recommend anyone experiencing these frustrations read the book "Bullshit Jobs" by the late David Graeber. In it, he outlines the fact that many jobs don't actually exist to serve any real purpose other than to essentially drain capital out of workers to facilitate a transfer of it to the wealthy. An example used is "corporate lawyer". What does a corporate lawyer do exactly? What value do they produce? What good(s) are made/done? How does this work compare to that of a plumber, electrician, teacher, or carpenter? Or doctor? Or nurse?  
 
Profit is unpaid wages at the end of the day. Much of the talk about privatization vs public is two sides of the same coin. You will always find these gross inefficiencies in capitalist systems, because the goal is not to resolve problems, but rather to generate capital. The more work there is to be spread amongst as many people as possible, the more surplus value there is to extract. If one wants to resolve these problems, one needs to look at the root cause.  
 
All this to say, OP, I don't know what the solution to your dilemma is. I can say that in my experience it is better to find work that at least is in line with your own ethics and values rather than what pays best. That'll vary from person to person though.  
 
Edited by MotorCycleMan, 2022-08-15 16:47:29

This is mostly gobbledegook.  
All the places I worked had the goal to help the customer and make a little money as well.  
Literally an employee is hired to make a business money, the economy can’t survive otherwise, unless you want to return to the barter system!