Why do we pay council workers Pension ???

BobQ

Number75 wrote: »

I pay council tax.
I should get compensation.
Surely it's the next mis-selling scandal?!

DREAM ON :rotfl:

kingstreet

My wife is a qualified social worker (among other qualifications) who has worked in the public sector for 33 years. Like me, she is 51.

Working for our local county council I'm sure plenty thought she wasn't worth her "gold-plated" pension as she would get paid far too much money for a far too short a working day as she was a "council worker" and they are all on a good screw.

Then, four years ago, she was TUPEed over into an NHS Trust which delivers integrated health & social care for our area.

Is she still not worth it? Or does adding the magical "NHS" to the equation suddenly provide a badge of increased entitlement? If it is, are some public services considered more valuable than others then?

Who gets to decide which ones are and which ones aren't?

Muscle750

Believe me you dont see many over 55s working at GCHQ theyve all retired took the money and enjoying the benefits of having more money coming in than if they had carried on working with no if very little pension loss from going early. The CARE arrangement was just another name for the old FS scheme they had us lot in the private sector lost ours and the unions did nothing.
The only reason The CARE system was allowed because the government were looking after their own.......................end of. My last pension statement showed what a complete joke the system is and please dont tell me to go and get a job in the public sector id rather keep busy than sat looking out the window half the day. One ex plod i know 4 big holidays a year every year Cuba , Australia, Japan Safaris etc things the rest of us will never be able to afford on our pensions, They openly admit they never had so much income disposal from the pension the rest of us are paying for

marlot

I moved to the civil service four years ago, after I was made redundant.

I took a 50% cut in salary. The decent pension is the reason I've stayed, even when I'm offered other jobs - most recently today.

The civil service pensions have been cut back - the days of everyone leaving at 55 are over - though I admit there are still quite a few lucky so-and-sos around, who retain their rights.

If the current civil service terms are so fantastic, why does my part of the civil service have 50% vacancies? If you have the skills, you're welcome to apply and you'll get the pension too.

Oh, the current pension pays out at 67, but don't let the fixation with all civil servants going at 55 get in the way of current reality!

BobQ

kingstreet wrote: »

My wife is a qualified social worker (among other qualifications) who has worked in the public sector for 33 years. Like me, she is 51.

Working for our local county council I'm sure plenty thought she wasn't worth her "gold-plated" pension as she would get paid far too much money for a far too short a working day as she was a "council worker" and they are all on a good screw.

Then, four years ago, she was TUPEed over into an NHS Trust which delivers integrated health & social care for our area.

Is she still not worth it? Or does adding the magical "NHS" to the equation suddenly provide a badge of increased entitlement? If it is, are some public services considered more valuable than others then?

Who gets to decide which ones are and which ones aren't?

I do not think most people understand how stressful the job of a social worker is. Some are threatened by their clients, others have to live with the knowledge of just how awful some of their fellow citizens can be by confronting child and elderly abuse. The idea that they have an easy job is probably only true of those that do not care and they will probably have left the job for an easier option.

Litchielou

My Oh worked for the council, ok has now retired, but the wages he earned was lower than others did in the same job for the private sector. So glad his pension is good for us now.

steampowered

Muscle750 wrote: »

Believe me you dont see many over 55s working at GCHQ theyve all retired took the money and enjoying the benefits

Why should we believe you?

Do you work for GCHQ? Or have you researched this and actually have some evidence?

Or did you just make it up based on nothing but hearsay?

BobQ

Muscle750 wrote: »

Believe me you dont see many over 55s working at GCHQ theyve all retired took the money and enjoying the benefits of having more money coming in than if they had carried on working with no if very little pension loss from going early.

You seem to be talking out of your rear end as well as being off topic.

People in a pension scheme that allowed them to retire at 60 are very likely to take the opportunity. In fact the public sector pay restrictions for the past 8 years actually encouraged people to retire. However, someone aged 55 leaving the PCSPS will not get more than they would have earned and if you think that is the case do explain how.

The CARE arrangement was just another name for the old FS scheme they had us lot in the private sector lost ours and the unions did nothing.

More nonsense. People of the age you refer to at GCHQ would not have been in a CARE scheme.

Cannot speak for the CARE scheme you refer to specifically, but CARE schemes are still Defined Benefit and work on career average earnings not final salary.

I love this idea "the unions did nothing". Unions are their members, if you and your colleagues were not prepared to fight for your pensions there is little a union can do to help you.

The only reason The CARE system was allowed because the government were looking after their own.......................end of.

So what is your point?. That the Government decided to maintain a decent pension even if it is not FS?

My last pension statement showed what a complete joke the system is and please dont tell me to go and get a job in the public sector id rather keep busy than sat looking out the window half the day.

You seem bitter and twisted? Maybe you did not pay enough into your pension to meet your expectations? What did you contribute to it?

One ex plod i know 4 big holidays a year every year Cuba , Australia, Japan Safaris etc things the rest of us will never be able to afford on our pensions, They openly admit they never had so much income disposal from the pension the rest of us are paying for

People whohave retired from the public sector in the past few years will only have got a large pension (relative to their working salary)by working for a long career and accepting that their pay was lower than jobs of similar responsibility in the private sector.

The police had a particulatly good scheme in the past, but most public serevants who retired in the last 10 years will have been in schemes that paid half salary after 40 years service and a lump sum.

Incidentally many in large private sector firms who have retired in the past 10 years will have enjoyed the same sort of gold plated pensions and you are paying for them too through the prices they charge.

Muscle750

The auto enrolment was in many peoples eyes only bought in to make us think that we werent so hard done by in relation to public sector pensions and to shut us up moaning..............maybe someone could explain why the employer contribution is set at such a low level compared to the public sector employer (tax payer) contribution. Those in the company that i work for who have autoenroled i believe are getting 1% from the company i only get 5% in the dc scheme now 11 years after our FS scheme was ripped from under our feet as i said in the public sector the CARE scheme they bought in was not alot more than a name change hoping those of us who had just lost out big time in the private sector losing our FS pensions wouldnt really notice And please dont tell me the Public sector salaries are well below ours ive never heard so much !!!!. Take people who work in supermarkets for example and all those on the min wage if the min wage was the norm in the public sector etc....................yes exactly.

PeacefulWaters

Jealousy of other people's salaries, pensions, cars, holidays, private healthcare, benefits etc is pointless.

Maximise what you can do for yourself and realise that while material things are nice there's a hell of a lot more to life.