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AIBU?

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Drs' payrise should be funded by cutting 23.7% govt pension contribution

281 replies

eyeses · 15/12/2025 17:54

The Telegraph today suggests that the Government could fund a significant payrise to Resident Doctors by reducing our surprisingly high payments into their pensions.

"Yet what is often forgotten is that these doctors enjoy bumper pensions worth close to 75pc of their salaries in retirement – and which are guaranteed to rise with inflation each year.
Doctors enjoy index-linked, taxpayer-funded “defined benefit” schemes, many of which pay a proportion of the recipient’s final salary from the day they retire.
Under the NHS scheme, staff contribute between 5.2pc and 12.5pc of their salaries while the state contributes a vast 23.7pc each year.
By comparison, private sector workers, who are almost all enrolled in “defined contribution” pensions where the value of the final pot depends on investment performance, receive a contribution of just 3pc from their employer.
The NHS is paying out nearly £1bn a month in staff pensions, with almost 2,000 staff receiving pensions of more than £100,000 annually – a figure that has more than doubled in a year."

AIBU - No, junior Drs deserve that we fund a big pay rise and huge pension
IANBU - We pay far too much into Dr's pensions and they want the money now

What Resident Doctors don't want you to know about their pay

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https://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/jobs/what-junior-doctors-dont-want-you-know-about-their-pay-salary-striking/

OP posts:
PinkFrogss · 15/12/2025 18:52

taxguru · 15/12/2025 18:50

I agree with the OP. Public sector workers always like to winge about pay and comparing it to private sector, but suffer memory loss when it comes to their very generous pensions which private sector workers can only dream of. Time the TOTAL packages were compared not just cherry picking.

For some low paid public sector employees the pay is terrible and their pension won’t be great either.

Teaching assistants for example probably do not have a life of luxury to look forward to in retirement and many probably rely on universal credit top ups to pay their bills now.

NoSoupForU · 15/12/2025 18:51

I think something has to give, and the pension should be the logical place to cut back. There's nothing to stop anybody saving, investing or opening up a private pension in addition to their workplace pension.

taxguru · 15/12/2025 18:50

I agree with the OP. Public sector workers always like to winge about pay and comparing it to private sector, but suffer memory loss when it comes to their very generous pensions which private sector workers can only dream of. Time the TOTAL packages were compared not just cherry picking.

BernardButlersBra · 15/12/2025 18:47

🤣🤣🤣 so in effect cut their overall pay?! Hmm that's going to work real well when doctors are leaving the country in droves

PinkFrogss · 15/12/2025 18:47

Why should they get decent pay and a decent pension?

I don’t understand the issue what public sector pensions in general.

If people in the private sector want them then they should join unions and request it is made a priority, write to MPs, etc. or get a job in public sector themselves.

Earlystartsmakemegrumpy · 15/12/2025 18:44

The Telegraph is obsessed eith public sector DB pensions and getting rid of them. The only thing they're not keen on saying is who will replace all Dr's, teachers etc when all the current lot quit if they do get rid of the do pension