Okay, statement of interest first - I work in the public sector. I earn under £14k. I do my job because I like to think I'm making a difference.
Anyway, I could barely contain my rage last night, which is good for the missus and the cat, when some numpty from the Institute of Directors came on the radio with their latest wheeze to make the rest of us more miserable than we already are.
You see, us public sector workers have got it too good. We have "gold-plated" pensions and that's got to stop. We can retire earlier than anyone else and get a final salary guarantee. This is a VERY BAD THING.
Only it's not, is it? It only looks bad when you compare it to most prive sector pensions. And why does it look bad then? Because these idiots have destroyed their schemes with greediness and arrogance (at best) or malice and sociopathy (at worst).
As it stands, I will get a final salary guaranteed pension (although I fully expect that to vanish at some point very soon). The thing is, compared to the private sector, my final salary will be very much smaller than it ought to be. Again, I will be able to retire at 60, except that I won't because I won't be able to access my state pension until 68, and there's no way I'll be able to live on my work pension.
We look upon our pensions as the last great reward for a working life of low pay - it's a deferred salary, if you like.
Is there a greater bunch of arseholes out there than the IoD? Digby Jones might just have some competition...
Full story here
Anyway, I could barely contain my rage last night, which is good for the missus and the cat, when some numpty from the Institute of Directors came on the radio with their latest wheeze to make the rest of us more miserable than we already are.
You see, us public sector workers have got it too good. We have "gold-plated" pensions and that's got to stop. We can retire earlier than anyone else and get a final salary guarantee. This is a VERY BAD THING.
Only it's not, is it? It only looks bad when you compare it to most prive sector pensions. And why does it look bad then? Because these idiots have destroyed their schemes with greediness and arrogance (at best) or malice and sociopathy (at worst).
As it stands, I will get a final salary guaranteed pension (although I fully expect that to vanish at some point very soon). The thing is, compared to the private sector, my final salary will be very much smaller than it ought to be. Again, I will be able to retire at 60, except that I won't because I won't be able to access my state pension until 68, and there's no way I'll be able to live on my work pension.
We look upon our pensions as the last great reward for a working life of low pay - it's a deferred salary, if you like.
Is there a greater bunch of arseholes out there than the IoD? Digby Jones might just have some competition...
Full story here
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