Public sector pensions strike?

[Fred Elliot]

Not EVERY other cunt. Those at the top, including those forcing through these reforms, are still doing very nicely thank you.

A ridiculously small % in the overall scheme of things

[jonny72]

I'm sure the strikes will go ahead, quite likely on a massive scale. I'm also sure they will have fuck all support from the rest of the population (who view them as overpaid twats who need to shut the fuck up and get on with it like the rest of us have to) and that they will achieve a grand total of fuck all.

Unfortunately, successive governments have done nothing about the pension problems the whole country is facing and something needs to be done urgently or the shit will really hit the fan down the line. We're all living a lot longer so retiring at 65 and paying the same contributions simply doesn't work.

I'd like to see some stats on life expectancy over the last 100 years compared to retirement age, but can't find any.

[Samdy Gray]

I'd like to see some stats on life expectancy over the last 100 years compared to retirement age, but can't find any.

It doesn't give corresponding retirement ages, but you get the jist.

http://www.gad.gov.uk/Demography%20Data/Life%20Tables/

[janaage]

Don't agree with striking, never have done and probably never will. Everyone has faced or will face pension pain at some point. The sooner people understand this country is in an awful position financially and we all will have to pay our way out of it the better.

[nevillew]

The public sector can fist themselves, time to feel like pinch like every other cunt

Indeed - how long have you been paying tax now ?

[DMR]

Indeed - how long have you been paying tax now ?

On and off since 2004 so back in your box

[nevillew]

On and off since 2004 so back in your box

So I'll assume that you'll have got most of that back then. I am agreeing with your basic sentiments on the subject.

[Reg Smeeton]

Indeed - how long have you been paying tax now ?

It's only right and proper that cunts like DMR pay back their rightful wack to us older folk, who've lived through 50's austerity, 60's break up of the British Empire, and the value of Stirling becoming worthless, so screwing our savings....70's inflation meaning that public sector pay, only just covered the cost of beer and food....80's mass unemployment, and the 90's when rampant capitalism allowed events like Black Wednesday, when a handful of speculators could plunge millions into negative equity....and then we have to bail out then bankers in the noughties. All so that young tax dodging cunts can avoid  having to go off to some global conflict like my father and grandfather and great grand father before him

[jonny72]

It doesn't give corresponding retirement ages, but you get the jist.

http://www.gad.gov.uk/Demography%20Data/Life%20Tables/

Shows my point though. Life expectancy for a 65 year old went up about 4 years from 1980 to 2009.

[Whits]

They should bring in culling

[Cookie]

Involuntary euthanasia is definitely the way out of this mess

[Simon Pieman]

All so that young tax dodging cunts can avoid  having to go off to some global conflict like my father and grandfather and great grand father before him

Haha ironic

[Summerof69]

When my old company dumped the final pension scheme in 2001 for a stakeholder/defined pension scheme, the representatives for Amicus said that final pensions were going and due to the fact that the company is was going to match the contributions upto 7% it was still a good deal.

Ten years later Unite (Amicus merged with TGWU) tell the public sector workers to strike after being told to pay an extra 3% to keep their final salary pension.

If I was asked to pay an extra 3% to keep my final salary pension, I would've signed up on the spot... and unions are a bunch of hypocrites.

[cheltred69]

It's difficult to see where the public sector workers really think they're going on this one.
As other posters have said the deal they will have after the changes is at least equal to almost any private sector arrangement and substantially better than most, so they will elicit very little sympathy other than amongst fellow public sector employees.
Are they devoid of other ideas and so resorting to causing disruption in the hope that the government will cave in to avoid conflict?  I can't see that if this was the result that the govt would win much popularity (which seems to be what counts now, rather than what is right!).
If this government was serious about wanting to address the real pension provision issue in this country then they'd be making far more radical proposals but like all previous regimes they daren't grasp the nettle.

[jonny72]

If this government was serious about wanting to address the real pension provision issue in this country then they'd be making far more radical proposals but like all previous regimes they daren't grasp the nettle.

At least they're doing something. The problem has been known about for a long time and Labour did fuck all, except actually making it worse by increasing taxes on pensions. This is just the first step, more changes will come soon.