Derek Hatton Speaks

Generali

"The union leaders are taking people up the garden path. There is no way that people are going to be retiring before age 70 or 75 in 20 or 30 years time". Radio 5, 22nd Dec 2011.

Rochdale_Pioneers

I've been having similar discussions on some Labour boards. Some people think the unions should keep saying no, others like me point to reality and want them to cut the best deal they can.

And why will we all be working to 70+? Look at it like this - with private sector pensions already downgraded, and public sector pensions now following, there will be a lot of people retiring on not a lot. Factor in the ever-increasing cost of living and you're going to have a lot of pensioner poverty. As rich countries tend not to like teh sight of their elderly freezing to death en masse, that means more state aid - so the "we can't afford pensions" argument from the Tories now just means higher bills for the state later.

And as people get towards what is currently retirement age and think "how will I live" - thats when the effective retirement age will keep going upwards.

shortchanged_2

Sorry to be so blunt but f*ck that.

homelessskilledworker

Generali wrote: »

"The union leaders are taking people up the garden path. There is no way that people are going to be retiring before age 70 or 75 in 20 or 30 years time". Radio 5, 22nd Dec 2011.

Is there nobody else in this country that is not chuffed that we are now living much longer and so that is why we are having to work longer.
Personally I want I to be still working well into my 70's, it a reduced level obviously.

wotsthat

Generali wrote: »

"The union leaders are taking people up the garden path. There is no way that people are going to be retiring before age 70 or 75 in 20 or 30 years time". Radio 5, 22nd Dec 2011.

He's dead right.

All this fuss about pensions. The union leaders I'm afraid are retards - their big victory is getting the government to change from one promise which wasn't going to be kept to another which won't be kept either.

Meanwhile, in the public sector, there's been a two year pay freeze which will be followed by another two year pay freeze. Career averaging must look better and better to the government with each year that passes.

Looks to me like the unions are doing to themselves what Thatcher did to them in the '80's.

shortchanged_2

homelessskilledworker wrote: »

Is there nobody else in this country that is not chuffed that we are now living much longer and so that is why we are having to work longer.
Personally I want I to be still working well into my 70's, it a reduced level obviously.

Well it would be nice to have some time and the good health to enjoy a few years out of work before we die.

ILW

shortchanged wrote: »

Well it would be nice to have some time and the good health to enjoy a few years out of work before we die.

Loads of things would be nice, but they generally have to earned and paid for.

wotsthat

shortchanged wrote: »

Well it would be nice to have some time and the good health to enjoy a few years out of work before we die.

That's not very public spirited. If you've not got the good grace to drop dead at the age of 65 you could at least keep working until you do.

shortchanged_2

ILW wrote: »

Loads of things would be nice, but they generally have to earned and paid for.

And have I not earned that if I have worked for 40+ years?

ruggedtoast

Maybe if people like George Osborne stopped evading tax by doing things like squirrelling his 4 million pound trust fund away in an offshore account, there would be more public money.

Nevertheless, this government is running scared of the unions, the next government will be Labour. Public sector workers will do all right.

ILW

shortchanged wrote: »

And have I not earned that if I have worked for 40+ years?

No idea, depends how much you have put away for retirement.