Hi,
A number of us in my office are thinking of retiring early this year at 60 years of age, were all on Stamp A, but it appears our pension payments are a combination of a pension from our employer and a job seekers benefit for 9 months then a supplementary pension there after, and will involve a lot of going back and forward between social welfare and our employer.
This isn't great but it will do, but it appears there's now strings attached. Here are the list of strings that I have found out about so far......
1) Sign on weekly with Social Welfare (even though were not looking for work)
2) Can't do any work anyways because we will lose the JS Benefit or supplementary pension
3) Can't leave the retire to the sun as we must continue to sign on to get our pension!
4) Staff living in Northern Ireland are stuck between signing on in Ireland although they don't live here!
Obviously this was designed way back in 1994, and now tens of thousands of public servants who are considering retiring early (and who wouldn't after the way we've been treated in last 10 years!) are finding out this news for themselves.
We have been advised that some public sector staff are challenging this in the European Courts, does anyone know?
Also with all the discrimination legislation that around now, how can an older person be incentivised NOT to work, this must be contrary to the whole ethos, if not actually breaking the law.
So if anyone has any info on what happening about this can you please let us know?
A number of us in my office are thinking of retiring early this year at 60 years of age, were all on Stamp A, but it appears our pension payments are a combination of a pension from our employer and a job seekers benefit for 9 months then a supplementary pension there after, and will involve a lot of going back and forward between social welfare and our employer.
This isn't great but it will do, but it appears there's now strings attached. Here are the list of strings that I have found out about so far......
1) Sign on weekly with Social Welfare (even though were not looking for work)
2) Can't do any work anyways because we will lose the JS Benefit or supplementary pension
3) Can't leave the retire to the sun as we must continue to sign on to get our pension!
4) Staff living in Northern Ireland are stuck between signing on in Ireland although they don't live here!
Obviously this was designed way back in 1994, and now tens of thousands of public servants who are considering retiring early (and who wouldn't after the way we've been treated in last 10 years!) are finding out this news for themselves.
We have been advised that some public sector staff are challenging this in the European Courts, does anyone know?
Also with all the discrimination legislation that around now, how can an older person be incentivised NOT to work, this must be contrary to the whole ethos, if not actually breaking the law.
So if anyone has any info on what happening about this can you please let us know?