Re: Pensions - no wonder there are strikes
 

People vote for them.

Re: Pensions - no wonder there are strikes
 

they don't, that's probably the problem, we get the politicians we deserve, can't think of a politician in this country that over fifty percent of us voted for and as Harlow showed our politicians are quite happy to call themselves legitimate, with a mandate on thirteen percent turnout.

Re: Pensions - no wonder there are strikes
 

Sorry I thought that they got voted in somewhere?

Re: Pensions - no wonder there are strikes
 

Daddy's right,all our political woes are of our own making .We have a coalition because of voter apathy and we will keep getting idiots voted in until that changes .Even if 90% of the eligible voters don't like the party or the leaders and just spoil the papers in the next election it is still a majority statement

Re: Pensions - no wonder there are strikes
 

when they are voted in on the back of a thirteen percent turnout it's not you that needs to apologise, it's the very legitimacy of our democracy in question.

Re: Pensions - no wonder there are strikes
 

To quote a very perceptive man, those that are striking should by taken out and shot in front their families, I'd happily pull the trigger.

I don't want to bank roll your pensions with my taxes.

Join the rest of the country whenever your ready, pay a little more, work a little longer. You don't deserve special treatment.

Re: Pensions - no wonder there are strikes
 

Excellent. I'll have the restrictions on my personal life back and full industrial rights please. I'd also like a reduction in the pension contributions I give up every month.

I don't particularly want a 68 year old fireman dragging a hose up the stairs to put out a fire in my flat. There is a reason the fire brigade and Police pay more into pensions so they can retire at an earlier age than others.

Re: Pensions - no wonder there are strikes
 

Why should you get a reduction? you should be paying more.

As I once demonstrated to you in another thread, I'll do the calculation again


A constables pay after 10years service is around £36,500 not including overtime or other allowances.

if we use that figure.

11% of that = £4015.

x 30 years = £120,450.

If you have 30 years service you are entitled to 2/3rd your final salary per annum which would be: £24,300 per annum.

Now if the constable joined aged 20, and retired at 50 and lived a healthy happy life to around say 80? not unreasonable.

His total pension payout would be: £730,000.

Minus his massive 11% contribution of £120,450 = tax payer liability of £609,550. approx 5x your contributions.

So don't come to me with the "hard done to" on the pension front.

I'm willing to cut the police and fire service a little slack for the reasons you point out.

But the bottom line is the taxpayer is underwriting public sector pensions and it's just not sustainable, while the rest of us rely on the stockmarket.

There needs to be reform.

Re: Pensions - no wonder there are strikes
 

Its not the fault of people like me who work in the public sector that pensions in the private sector are rubbish, perhaps people should be arguing for better private sector pensions the promoting arguments for a "race to the bottom"

Whilst people in the public and private sector are at loggerheads over pensions, our government is doing what governments do best ie divide and rule and run off laughing.

My pension when due in the public sector will be the amazing sum of £7,500 a year when i retire thats at present before the new schemes kick in, and honestly i lay awake at night wondering how i am going to spend such an amazingly large sum of money.:rolleyes:

Re: Pensions - no wonder there are strikes
 

I'm not saying that pensions in the private sector are rubbish, I have a fairly good pension plan.

But most importantly my pension is not underwritten by the treasury.

Without knowing how much you pay in, how long you have been paying in and at what age you intend to retire it's impossible to comment.

Re: Pensions - no wonder there are strikes
 

Any particular reason for ignoring employer contributions and growth of invested funds in the above?

Re: Pensions - no wonder there are strikes
 

I am paying in around £172 a month into my public sector pension as i have bought some years at full cost as well and my pension will be as described after 32 years of contriutions or the equivelant i could take it at 60 under the present rules the NHS 1996 pension scheme but will not be able to afford to live off it until i get my state old age pension.

By the way if i did not pay into my public sector pension,when i retired the government would be paying me full housing benefit and council tax benefit as i would be on the basic state pesion,so me contributing to my public sector pension means i can now pay these myself.

You would be surprised how many do not contibute in the area of the public sector i work in,thereby they are able to claim extra government benefits on retirement,which is something i am striving not to do by paying into our pensin scheme and trying to be self sufficient in retirement.:)

Re: Pensions - no wonder there are strikes
 

Indeed and if we did not vote for the thieving lying sods they might get the message they need to clean up there act and do the right thing.

Re: Pensions - no wonder there are strikes
 

It doesn't suit his agenda...

Re: Pensions - no wonder there are strikes
 

The "employer" is the tax payer

True, funds may be invested, however the full amount is underwritten by the taxpayer, if the investments fail you don't lose out as the taxpayer would pick up the slack.

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See above