One Comment

1. MARTIN HEARNE says:

   February 26, 2011 at 4:38 pm

   I am happy you have been elected
   I have an issue about pensions and retirement, which is the main topic at the moment, as I work in the public sector
   Here it is…
   Hope you are well

   Just a mention about the above subjects

   I don,t know if you can do anything, but if more people get their ideas across, the better

   It seems very grim for us in the public sector

   Anyone born after April 1954, like myself will not get our state pension till 66 years of age, I am sure that represents a great proportion of us

   That equates to a £5000 cut straight away

   Plus 3% more contributions from April 2012, that is like another £550 per year wage cut

   Also a wage freeze, if you can calculate inflation does not take off

   Also ministers are proposing removing the existing option of taking your company pension at 60 years of age, with reductions, and going at 65 years

   They might move it in line with the state pension, and make it 66 years

   But do you know the extent of the true cost, if and when they close the final salary scheme?

   They say it will cost the average man and woman in this country £15000 each to pay this debt off

   You look at the figures above, and I can bet your bottom dollar, it is hell of a lot more than that, each public sector will be paying over their lifetime

   It is going to hit most of us, a lot harder than you can imagine

   About the final salary scheme I mentioned a couple of paragraphs ago

   I have a copy out of the paper listed below

   Proposals: Chancellor George Osborne will publish plans that could see public sector workers transferred to less generous pensions
   Public sector workers could see their ‘gold-plated’ pensions slashed to make it easier to transfer services to private firms and charities.
   Payments due to hundreds of thousands of nurses, doctors and bin collectors could be cut to less than half under proposals being considered by the Treasury.
   The Government wants providers other than the State to take over the running of some services as part of David Cameron’s ‘Big Society’ plan.
   But ministers fear the generous final salary schemes paid out to public sector workers would deter all but the biggest firms from doing so.

   Last night unions said the proposal was ‘extremely provocative’ and could lead to a fresh round of strikes if enacted.

   Public sector workers have their pensions protected, even if another provider takes over the service, under ‘fair deal’ rules agreed by Labour in the late 1990s.

   But Government sources said these were merely guidelines, and it would not require legislation to tear them
   The plans would allow a new employer to transfer public sector staff to a less generous contributory scheme where they pay into a pot with no final guarantees.
   The proposal – suggested by former Labour work and pensions secretary Lord Hutton – is contained in a consultation document to be published by George Osborne next month.
   The change would mean a nurse with a final salary of £40,000 could see their pension slashed from £20,000 a year after 30 years’ service to £6,000.
   Losing out: Bin men could see their £10,000 pensions cut to £3,249
   Teachers retiring on a final salary of £50,000, who would normally receive a pension of £25,000, would see this whittled down to little more than £7,000.
   Doctors can qualify for pensions of around £50,000. But transferring into a new private pension scheme could leave them with just £11,403 a year in retirement.
   Those on the lowest salaries, such as refuse collectors, could see their £10,000 pensions cut to £3,249.
   Critics have pointed out that the changes could still cost the State, because many public sector workers would have to rely on benefit payments to top up their pensions.

   More…
   Council sacks the £200,000 superhead who suspended seven pupils in first two days
   The bloated council where six bosses earn more than the Prime Minister
   Unions are already threatening to strike over plans to make members contribute more towards pensions.
   Unite assistant general secretary Gail Cartmail said yesterday: ‘Scrapping these protections would be extremely provocative and would cause a crisis of confidence among public sector workers who are already feeling the pain of the Government’s cuts.
   ‘The fact that some companies are unwilling to pay decent pensions is proof they have no right to take over public services.’
   A spokesman for the Public and Commercial Services Union said: ‘The average pension for our members is already low, at just over £4,000 a year. We would be very concerned by anything that puts at risk even this meagre reward for their loyal service.’
   A Treasury spokesman said the reform was one of several options which would be put out to consultation for at least three months before any decisions are reached.

   That equates to just over two thirds of a cut in the final salary!
   That is a massive drop
   I could understand maybe 20 or 30%, but that is ridiculous
   That will sure lower morale
   The average worker is not even on 20k
   That won,t even pay the council tax, with the gas and electric
   Then you have food and other bills
   How do they expect you to live, if you have to wait longer for your state pension?
   This will end up going back to Dickensian times
   This country has ended up a benefit state, with money going to the wrong people
   We support other countries, but do we get any support?
   I think things are going to get very bad for most of us, if we don,t make a stand
   Regards
   Martin