The plumber in the boiler plant raised health and safety issues that were repeatedly ignored in the years leading up to the explosion. A worker was killed and the government was found legally culpable. I raised this to highlight that despite pay differences, there are still hazardous, even fatal, working conditions in the public sector. The employer’s arrogance was deadly.

I would agree that the predominance of public sector employment tends to crowd out other work that might otherwise materialize. This tends to monopolize the supply of employment opportunity in ways that grant monopoly power onto the government. As a 34 year public servant myself, I will be writing more about public sector organizational culture as I transition into retirement.