Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
    • Advertise
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • XpertHR
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Pricing
    • Free trial
    • Subscribe
    • XpertHR USA
  • Webinars
  • OHW+

Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
    • Advertise
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • XpertHR
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Pricing
    • Free trial
    • Subscribe
    • XpertHR USA
  • Webinars
  • OHW+

LettersPay & benefitsPensions

‘Gold-plated’ public sector pensions are a media myth

by Personnel Today 25 Apr 2006
by Personnel Today 25 Apr 2006

 In more than 30 years at work I have never been a union member, and as a ‘mature’ entrant to local government service, I won’t ever qualify for the ‘rule of 85’ (Personnel Today, 4 April). But even I balk at the way our chancellor is ripping off some of the lowest paid public sector workers.

For me, the burning question is why Gordon Brown can afford to allow these benefits to continue for three million NHS staff, teachers and central government civil servants in an election year, but not for one million local government workers after the election.

It is easy for the press to attack our so-called ‘gold-plated’ pension scheme, but when I compare it to the pension schemes I had in the private sector, it looks like fools’ gold to me. Each year of service earns just one-eightieth of my salary as a pension, but in my private sector employers’ schemes, it tended to be one-sixtieth. Forty years of service in local government earns a 50% pension, but in industry, it would be two-thirds.

Local government employees would have to work 13 years longer to get the same benefit.

Then there is the question of salary. Local government doesn’t pay high salaries to the majority of its staff. An eightieth of a pittance isn’t going to make anyone rich, and retiring at 60 means five years less service and, consequently, a lower pension.

Of course, the chancellor and the rest of the MPs won’t suffer, as they have a pension scheme that the rest of us can only dream of. They are the fat cats of taxpayer-funded pensions, taking the cream, but expecting the rest of us to make do with spilt milk.

Alan Barry
Personnel officer (policy and strategy),
Devon County Council


Personnel Today
Personnel Today

Personnel Today articles are written by an expert team of award-winning journalists who have been covering HR and L&D for many years. Some of our content is attributed to "Personnel Today" for a number of reasons, including: when numerous authors are associated with writing or editing a piece; or when the author is unknown (particularly for older articles).

previous post
Government to underwrite BT’s pre-privatisation pension liability
next post
HR director celebrates new Olympic role

You may also like

Top earners’ pay soars by 10% while lowest-paid...

8 Aug 2022

Office could be sanctuary for workers fearing winter...

4 Aug 2022

Inflation forecast to hit 13% in autumn says...

4 Aug 2022

Shell to pay workers a one-off 8% bonus

4 Aug 2022

BT strike: company ‘has stuck two fingers up...

29 Jul 2022

Police ‘let down’ by ministers with insufficient pay...

28 Jul 2022

UK employees increasingly seek temp work for extra...

28 Jul 2022

Government launches DB pension long-term funding consultation

26 Jul 2022

Average UK households £8,800 poorer than French and...

21 Jul 2022

Women over 50 hesitant to progress due to...

19 Jul 2022
  • 6 reasons why work-based learning is better than traditional training PROMOTED | A recent Fortune/Deloitte survey found that 71% of CEOs are anticipating that this year’s biggest business disrupter...Read more
  • Strengthening Scotland’s public services through virtual recruiting PROMOTED | This website is Scotland's go-to place for job seekers looking to apply for roles in public services...Read more
  • What’s next for L&D? Enter Alchemist… PROMOTED | It’s time to turn off the tedious and get ready for interactive and immersive learning experiences...Read more
  • Simple mistakes are blighting the onboarding experience PROMOTED | The onboarding of new hires is a company’s best chance...Read more
  • Preventing Burnout: How can HR help key workers get the right help? PROMOTED | Workplace wellbeing may seem a distant memory...Read more

Personnel Today Jobs
 

Search Jobs

PERSONNEL TODAY

About us
Contact us
Browse all HR topics
Email newsletters
Content feeds
Cookies policy
Privacy policy
Terms and conditions

JOBS

Personnel Today Jobs
Post a job
Why advertise with us?

EVENTS & PRODUCTS

The Personnel Today Awards
The RAD Awards
Employee Benefits
Forum for Expatriate Management
OHW+
Whatmedia

ADVERTISING & PR

Advertising opportunities
Features list 2022

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2022 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
    • Advertise
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • XpertHR
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Pricing
    • Free trial
    • Subscribe
    • XpertHR USA
  • Webinars
  • OHW+