As well as trying to set up a yarn business, I currently am employed as a civil servant. It really hacks me off when people tell me I earn more than I should and I'll have a "gold-plated" pension when I retire.
Well, for your information, having been in the same grade for 6 years, I have now reached the heady heights of being on the minimum for that grade due to no fault of my own just the way the pay increases (or not) over the past 6 years have worked. Add to that the fact that we've had no salary increase for two years and next June we'll see an increase of 1% (gee, thanks - remind what the inflation rate has been over the past three years?). Overall the value of my salary (taking into account pay freezes, increases in pension contributions, etc.) by 2015 will have fallen by about £3000. I'm sorry, I can't afford that!! Is it any wonder I'm trying to set up my own business in addition to my employment. Oh, I'm only supposed to work for a maximum of 40 hours per week.....that's not going to happen is it?
Now we come to the pension...despite being told by the National Audit Office that our pension scheme was affordable without any adjustments, those in the Government who think up crazy ideas decided that all of us in the public sector should be paying more for our pensions. Now, I wouldn't have a problem with this if the extra money was actually going into the pension fund, but it's not. We get no additional benefit for paying out more, our employer has decided that they can mess about with our contracted pension terms without a "by your leave" and we have to work longer before we reach pensionable age.
You can tell, it makes me mad!!!
Today my Trades Union called a strike over the pensions debacle. Now it's not often I agree with the Union, but today for the first time in my life, I am on strike - that's how mad I am!!
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