do you think they are right?

[RedditchJay]

people make choices in their jobs and occasionally these rights / contracts change.... its part of life..... get over it and move on.... some of my fellow workers in our company havnt had pay rises in 4 years..... but just knuckle down and get on or get out......  simples....

[XTR2Turbo]

 I do feel sorry for people who joined a scheme with a defined written down contract, then to be told that this will not be kept. Its really about those who have contributed for a number of years and knowing they were in a good scheme made no other provision and now its too late.

Imagine putting your savings in the bank and then the bank saying they cant afford to give you all your money back.

Sorry but this is simply not true at all for the public sector.

You are taliking as if the government is Robert Maxwell.

I think there is so much mis information half the public sector have no real idea about the reality of the situation at all..

1) As I understand it the past benefits are secured.

2) THese past benefits valued today far exceed any of the contributions made by the employees and are today effectively worth as a pension pot (because of the pension they will get compared to current annuities) far more than anyone would have dreamt when they entered the system.  

It is future contributions and benefits that are being changed.

[RedditchJay]

My final salary pension was frozen due to poor investment return..... it happens... so you start a new one and try again... what I have in the frozen pension is secure..... but we had a massive shortfall.....  nothing in investments is guarrenteed

[mikef]

The one thing we can guarantee at the moment is "change".

The company I worked for had a final salary scheme based on 40ths.  A few years ago this was changed to 60ths and new employees had to go for money purchase schemes rather than a final salary scheme.  The pension fund is in debt as are virtually all final salary funds purely because we are all living longer.  The present position is unsustainable and something has to be done.

I think what is being done by the government makes sense even though everyone will feel the pain.

Sadly, I don't think going on strike is the answer since it is unlikely to alter the government's stance.

[RedditchJay]

Strikes are never the answer..... turns people against the strikers

[Crash test dummy]

It's a very difficult question to answer!

I'm a public sector worker and when I chose to join the Public sector I wanted to 'serve the public'.

Generally the pay in the public sector was way below the equivelent job in the private sector but I chose this route for several options - one of them being the pension that was being offered.

At 181/2 yrs old it was a very big draw; some people were gready at that stage, never thought about pensions and found the highest earning job they could and then never paid into a pension.

Since that time the pay between private and public workers has narrowed.

I pay 11%; soon to be 14% into my pension - a lot higher than the figures given for other public sector workers.

Personally I don't fancy the thought of fighting with 20yr olds and 45yrs of full shift work - I would be dead before I received a pension.

Would you like a 67yr old fireman carrying you down a ladder?

I agree things have to change ...........but not the pensions!

There is so much money wasted in this Country that just managing the Public sectors properly would easily find this shortful in pensions as would the social security budget.

People in the public sector also pay their taxes and pension contributions so they also feel the increase like the private sector workers.

I feel sorry for the private sector pensions that have 'collapsed' - this is wrong as well and could easily be supported by government through economies elsewhere.

I can't strike but I do support the people that do - don't let Government turn it into a battle between Private/Public workers as it wants to - it has plenty of money if it chooses the right places to save it - trouble is that will cost them popularity and votes with the 'scum' class!

Well said.

I'm a Public Sector worker and like Fraser one of the main drivers for joining the Civil Service was the attractive pension, it certainly wasn't the pay. I started on £19 a week (which included Inner London Weighting) at a time when my fellow school leavers were earning double that as apprentices.

Yes it was my career choice but the decision of opting for lower pay at the start was balanced against the long term benefit of a good pension.

Don't be fooled by thinking that Public Sector workers aren't being affected by the hard times in other ways.

Take my example:

I have just entered my third year of a pay freeze which is difficult in itself when compared to a 5%ish inflation rate. Mr Osborne has kindly agreed to (possibly) award us 1% for two years after that which is effectively as good as nowt for 5 years.

With effect from April 2012 I will be notionally moved to a national pay area (and on to national pay) as a cost cutting exercise. My job will remain exactly as it is today and I will be asked to work another hour a week on top of what I do now. OK an hour doesn't sound much but it's another week's work a year that I won't get paid for.

Under the terms of the move to National rates part of my salary will be on mark time which effectively means that for me, when combined with the freeze, I will not received any sort of pay rise for ten years, which equates to 25% of my working life. So don't tell me that Public Servants aren't feeling the pinch.

My pension contributions are set to double under the new proposals and to be honest if that was the only issue I'd be happy with that - times are hard but goodness me just leave the terms of the scheme alone!

So with the extra contributions on top of everything I've mentioned above you can see that I will be feeling the pain.

Just leave us something - please!!!!

[RedditchJay]

BUT......we must remember... MOST OF US who have these toys / Westfields / Porsches etc etc are in full time work....... many millions are not in work.... some dont want to work but a great many do...... the whole country is effected and will be for the next few years and we all have to make cut backs... or adjust lifestyle choices to suit

[Meakin]

Just my 2p worth.

I am a teacher and went on strike. Why?

Simply put it is a breach of contract from the gov.

When I started teaching 20+years ago one of the attractive features was the good pension at the end, another was the good holidays, but seeing as I spend 8hrs a day working with adolescents you need 'em . The wages themselves are cr*p for the amount of work you do and the responsibility you have. So paying into the pension  was part of the role.

What hasn't been mentioned here is the fact the extra money being asked for is NOT being put into pensions for the future but straight into the gov funding to address issues now (in other words to bail out)  Imagine if you will, being asked by a pension company to increase your contributions so they can pay off a loan for a boat! You would tell them where to go.

The teachers pensions were re-evaluated in 2007 to ensure they would be sustainable and they were changed to ensure that they were. Even the National Audit Office report in December 2010 stated that the public sector pensions are "sustainable and affordable". The gov. have produced no figures, facts or anything else to suggest this has changed.

Negotiations have been happening for months now to no avail. simply put, the gov made a "final offer" which was unreasonable.

I went on strike to allow the representatives in my union to have something to negotiate with.

The union I am a member of, has not had any industrial action for over 100 years. So its hardly a decision that has been taken lightly.

Hopefully that's clarified a few points

Paul

[SteveD]

Just my 2p worth.

I am a teacher and went on strike. Why?

Simply put it is a breach of contract from the gov.

When I started teaching 20+years ago one of the attractive features was the good pension at the end, another was the good holidays, but seeing as I spend 8hrs a day working with adolescents you need 'em . The wages themselves are cr*p for the amount of work you do and the responsibility you have. So paying into the pension  was part of the role.

What hasn't been mentioned here is the fact the extra money being asked for is NOT being put into pensions for the future but straight into the gov funding to address issues now (in other words to bail out)  Imagine if you will, being asked by a pension company to increase your contributions so they can pay off a loan for a boat! You would tell them where to go.

The teachers pensions were re-evaluated in 2007 to ensure they would be sustainable and they were changed to ensure that they were. Even the National Audit Office report in December 2010 stated that the public sector pensions are "sustainable and affordable". The gov. have produced no figures, facts or anything else to suggest this has changed.

Negotiations have been happening for months now to no avail. simply put, the gov made a "final offer" which was unreasonable.

I went on strike to allow the representatives in my union to have something to negotiate with.

The union I am a member of, has not had any industrial action for over 100 years. So its hardly a decision that has been taken lightly.

Hopefully that's clarified a few points

Paul

teachers ,dont make me laugh    you need hollidays my    your never at b****y work

makes me laugh everyone whinging ,if you dont like it change your job's thats what normal folk do

i said it before its your career choice

[Meakin]

I'm still at work.

Obviously you've never actually seen what a teacher does for a living, you only remember your happy school days!

The lessons are just the tip of the iceberg I am often at school past 5.00pm and working at night as well.

(Oh and BTW yesterday when I was "on strike" I actually caught up on some marking)

But I'm not going to go on any more as its often a pointless argument, unless you know what a teacher does for a living there's no point in trying to convince you.

You're right it was a career choice and I have worked in the private sector and it was fun too. But I do get a good feeling from helping young people which is the reason I went back to the "chalkface". I'm lucky that I enjoy my job but that doesn't mean I should be simply walked over by the gov.

[zxr400]

i have been a head gardener for 25years and i have no pension the wages were not good,so did 2 jobs working weekends to pay the mortgage,done 3 jobs the last 5years to buy westy,and now after my divorce and no job seeing people strike doesn't seem right,there is a lot of people in low paid work that only dream of having such things and not clever enough to do well paid jobs,which includes me,as my old mum says,i hope your saving for your old age and not buying fast cars and race bikes,and nice stuff in the house,no mummy I'm a good boy, lets be honest we all have to much and don't save enough,me included,but hey ho thats live    

[AdamR]

that doesn't mean I should be simply walked over by the gov.

We'll all go on strike then - shut down the private sector for a day too!*

*Frivolous response... Don't really understand it (haven't read in enough detail) so won't comment 'properly'.

[SteveD]

I'm still at work.

Obviously you've never actually seen what a teacher does for a living, you only remember your happy school days!

The lessons are just the tip of the iceberg I am often at school past 5.00pm and working at night as well.

(Oh and BTW yesterday when I was "on strike" I actually caught up on some marking)

But I'm not going to go on any more as its often a pointless argument, unless you know what a teacher does for a living there's no point in trying to convince you.

You're right it was a career choice and I have worked in the private sector and it was fun too. But I do get a good feeling from helping young people which is the reason I went back to the "chalkface". I'm lucky that I enjoy my job but that doesn't mean I should be simply walked over by the gov.

i do actually know what teachers do ,my wife works at rease heath college and my neighbour is a teacher to ,and trust me you have it b****y easy ,i think some people just need a reality check ,you have had it to easy for to long and know your not getting it easy and your plans have maybe had to change you dont like it , welcome to the real world  

[zxr400]

    your a hard man steveD,harsh ,         ho and funny  

[pistonbroke]

I'm with Clarkson on this