Civil servant? Don't let them steal your pension!

malid

simonm wrote: »

With the Civil Service about to reduce numbers, its likely that this will be partly accomplished through early retirement along with incentives.

My wife was offered this and despite a great deal of email exchanges with the organisers to nail down the benefits, confirm the salary used in calculating everything, it all went wrong and she has effectively been forced into retirement with a pension that is a fraction of that which she had accumulated over 18 years service.

We are still 'negotiating' prior to going to court and so I will avoid giving too much real info to avoid prejudicing her position, however the following might help others avoid having the civil service steal their pension from them.

I can well believe this shambles!! Has your wife actually retired? If yes, the first step should be to write to her Pensions Administrator (known as The Paymaster - i.e. the ones who provided her CS employer with the Benefits Estimate) querying the final calculation. After she gets a response, if you are not satisfied, check the complaints procedure here:

http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/Assets/IDR_1_2nd_proof_from_st_Ives_29_September_2008_tcm6-1857.pdf

Make sure you have all the facts (suggest you research as much as you can without resorting to paying for legal advice). Make sure you document any contact with the Pensions Administrator.

I hope this helps.

simonm_3

Hi Malid

It gives me no satisfaction that somebody else is going through this, I wish you all success and have pm'd you my details just in case there is anything we can do mutually.

We are conversing with our MP, have written to head of HR who seems to take the view that we are in the wrong, certainly didn't read my wife's letter.

Current situation is: Deputy head of HR rang up and "This is where a phone recorder should have been used" apologised, said that it would be arranged so that the clock was set back to the 2nd of August as if nothing had happened, the retirement / resignation would be null and void, the matter of the two day week would also be resolved in her favour, I listened in on loudspeaker. But you can say anything on the phone. What you do is another thing.

She has been re-instated. But that could mean that here pension is now fixed at 17 years calculated at 2.5 months worth of pay, ie a quarter of what it should be. Re-instatement, while she was on premium she is now on the 'Classic' Civil Service pension, I guess starting from scratch.

With regard to the 2 day week, another about face. While my wife never signe dup to a 2 day week, they insist that because she expressed an interest, that's enough.

Union. She's a life long union member, but because the root cause of this happened prior to rejoining on return to work they are so far refusing to assist. She was in NUCPS which merged into PCS, most of their records appear to have been deleted. She has now sent old copies of payslips to show union payments being taken.

Have a word with the Pensions Advisory Service. (http://www.pensionsadvisoryservice.org.uk/) I've just spoken to them and their initial view is that they can help us get to the position whereby we are back to the state we should have been in.

malid

Hi Simonm

Have sent you a PM.

simonm_3

Pm'd also, my confusion over "Quote"