Pensions

London Ambulance Service Branch

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NHS Pension Scheme

NHS Pension Scheme Review
Final agreement on changes to the NHS Pension Scheme
The changes to the NHS Pension Scheme have now been agreed for England and Wales. The agreement concludes four years of partnership working between NHS Employers and the NHS trade unions.

Agreement between NHS Employers and the NHS trade unions

Older Stories on the Pensions Campaign

Pensions Under Threat
The Government is currently reviewing the public sector pension schemes, including the Local Government Scheme, the NHS Scheme, the Teachers Pension Scheme, the Police and Fire Service Schemes and the Civil Service Schemes.
The reviews are scheduled to be completed by 2006.
Why are we concerned?

The Government wants to raise to 65 the age at which workers are entitled to draw an unreduced pension.
They want to raise from 50 to 55 the minimum age that workers can apply to draw their pension for reasons other than ill-health.
Meaning that workers between 50 and 55 who are made redundant will no longer be entitled to an immediate pension.
Possible tighter restrictions on ill health retirement
A possible move in some schemes (such as the NHS scheme) away from a traditional final salary structure
Higher employee contributions at a time when scheme benefits are being cut
Click Here to read the full story

What can we do?
Speak to your local UNISON rep. If you don't know who it is then check on our stewards directory. Ask them if you can sign our petition. If you have any trouble contacting them or would like to help us then please contact me and I will send you some petition forms. In addition you can also join in our online discussion on this issue and add your comments before 31 March

(7/8/06) Final proposals for consultation were agreed between the NHS employers and the NHS trade unions last week.

A series of documents are attached which provide full details along with a press release issued today from Karen Jennings, National Secretary.

Dates are presently being scheduled for a series of regional briefings with the appropriate Regional Heads of Health. The consultation period between various stakeholders will commence in September and continue through until the end of November 2006.

A health circular will be dispatched next week giving full details of the proposed consultative ballot.
A3751: Final proposal: A3751.pdf
A3751: Heads of agreement: A3751a.pdf
A3751b: Press release: A3751b.pdf

Action to continue over pensions
(7/4/06) More than a million people will take strike action again over pensions in a region-by-region rolling programme on 25, 26 and 27 April.

Pensions talks update
(7/4/06) The Local Government Association wrote on Friday to all local authority chief executives outlining the progress on TUC-brokered talks about the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) dispute.

Pension proposals unfair and discriminatory
Government plans would mean retirement for Blair at 65 while Brown could go at 60.

‘Go out and get it' on 28 March
(23/3/06) "Let's go out and get it, folks!" That was the rallying call from UNISON's higher education conference his morning, as the clock ticked down to Tuesday's industrial action - the largest since the General strike.

Pension proposals unfair and discriminatory
(6/3/06) Government plans would mean retirement for Blair at 65 while Brown could go at 60.

GOVERNMENT CHANGES TO LOCAL GOVERNMENT PENSION WILL COST TAXPAYERS TWO BILLION POUNDS, SAYS LATEST SURVEY
(15/02/06) A new survey released today by the New Policy Institute says the Government would be worse off by £2 billion every year if the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) did not exist that is twice as much as the scheme pays out.

Plans to change local government retirement rules
(02/12/05) Union to consider legal implications of the proposals

Pensions link with earnings should be restored
(30/11/05) Report by pensions commission ‘a good first step’ say unions

UK bosses to retire at 60 in luxury
(24/11/05) Top company directors' pensions worth 30 times the average in public sector

Pensions talks continue
(21/11/05) But differences remain between local government employers and unions

PUBLIC SERVICE PENSIONS DEAL - REACTION
(18/10/05) UNISON General Secretary Dave Prentis today welcomed the deal on pensions for health workers, the civil service and teachers that guarantees lifetime protection for all current employees for their existing pension provision.

Local Government Pension Scheme Campaign Newsletter 3
(10/10/05) The latest copy of the newsletter is available by clicking the hyperlink above.

Stop massacre of pensions now!
(23/09/05) UNISON and other unions with members in the scheme warned that if the government accepted the employers' proposals, it would lead to an immediate ballot for strike action.
The unions pointed out that the proposals are worse than those which saw a successful ballot for strike action in March this year. They will seek urgent meetings with government ministers at next week's Labour Party Conference in Brighton.

Public sector workers angry over pensions
(15/9/05) The threat of strike action by 3 million public sector workers grew yesterday as unions, led by UNISON, told trade and industry secretary Alan Johnson they would resist repeated attacks on pensions and retirement.
The latest bulletin published on the public sector campaign is available by clicking here. We have also added a direct link to our pensions page on the navigation menu by popular demand.

29 July 2005 - Bulletin 11 - Public Sector Pensions campaign
Click the link to read the latest bulletin.

WHY PUBLIC SERVICE WORKERS ARE ANGRY ABOUT THEIR PENSIONS – A UNISON FACTSHEET ON THE REVIEW OF THE PUBLIC SECTOR PENSION SCHEMES.
Sign our Pensions Petition - Contact your local UNISON steward to sign our petition. If your station does not have any petitions then please contact Eric Roberts.
NEWS FLASH - Unions win victory over local govt pensions

If you are concerned about your pension then join in the discussion and tell us your views by clicking here.

A decent pension is vital not only to avoid poverty but also social exclusion.
Pensioners should be entitled by right to a healthy diet, material security, social participation and a sense of control.

Pensioner poverty is rife in the UK and UNISON is fighting for a number of guarantees, including:

£150 a week minimum
Employers to contribute to your pension
Restoration of the earnings link to the Basic State Pension

When you retire, you will receive a basic pension from the state plus you may also receive an occupational pension, SERPS, Stakeholder or other.
This page has been put together to give you an idea of what type of pension is available and what you might receive when you retire. UNISON is not able to give you financial advice as we are not qualified to do so. If you require financial advice then please contact a financial advisor.
Frizzell can offer impartial advice on investments and life changes such as Retirement and Redundancy as well as planning for your future. A Free Personal Consultation is available.
We have compiled a list of handy links on the left side of this page to pension agencies and other resources.
If you know of any useful websites that we should be linking to then please use our add a link page.

At present the normal retirement age in the NHS is 60 but UNISON would like to see Ambulance staff retire at the age of 55. However there are alternatives available to members who are over 50 and under 60. members can take a reduced pension from the age of 50 and if they wish can continue working either full or part time. More information can be found in the NHS Pensions Flexible Working Booklet that you can download from this site.

There is a wide range of NHS Pension Scheme booklets available at the NHS Pensions Website.

NHS Pension
If you are thinking about retirement and want to know how much your pension will be then why not use our Pensions Calculator that is also available on the NHS Pensions website. This should only be used as a guide and not an actual picture of your pension. For an accurate Pension forecast you should contact the Pensions Agency on 01253 774774 or you can use their contact us page on the website.

State Pension
Do you know what your state pension will be and when you can claim it?
The state pension age for men is 65 and for women is between 60 - 65 depending on when you were born.
To find out how much pension you will receive then apply for a State Pension Forecast.
Remember that if you stopped paying National Insurance contributions for any reason during your working life then you will have your pension reduced. It is well worth applying for a forecast now so you can plan for the future.

Remember that the earlier you start planning your retirement the better. It will cost you less and you will get back more.
We strongly recommend that you view the websites we have linked to, conduct some research yourself, and then seek independent financial advice before entering into any contracts or commitments.

This page, It's contents, pages linked to, and links to external sites are provided as a guide and should only be used as such.
UNISON and the London Ambulance Service Branch are not financial advisors and do not offer financial advice.
If you are looking for an independent financial advisor then try Frizzell.