To state that the police is going to the DOGS (THE DOGS I TELL YA) with the appointment of Tom Wilson?

[QuintessentialShadows]

here

The entire MET is frothing.

Gold plated pensions - I don't think so.

I am police staff and hubby is a police officer. A lot of the private sector pay 3% into their pension. I pay 6.5% and hubby has been paying 11% which has now gone up to 12.5%.

I have taken a pay cut as they have cut the times of my shifts down. If winsor has his way I will lose the allowance I get for weekend working, I work 6 weekends out of 8.

Hubby also has had a pay freeze so no increments. We also have a cost of living pay freeze so we won't get an increase there. We will be over 5 grand a year worse off, and that's before the weekend pay cut.

We are 2 people who have always worked, never claimed a penny off the state and have had hardly any sickness/illness.

I agree there needs to be cuts but how much can one set of people be expected to take???

Hmmm so you judge an entire profession by three people. Says more about you than them tbh.

As for a minority, can't see many agreeing with you here.

Oh and I'm not in the public sector, I just support those doing a difficult job, made harder by idiots who undervalue them.

...vs muppets who overvalue them.

There will be a middle ground somewhere, probably at about 2/3 the pension they are on now.

"Gold plated pensions - I don't think so. "

They are gold plated because they are guaranteed by the taxpayer. It doesn't matter how badly the funds perform, the taxpayer makes up the shortfall.

I think you need to work out the contribution you would have to make to get your same pension in the private sector. It would be a lot more than 12.5%. On a similar MN public sector screeching thread about doctors pensions, a poster worked out that they would have needed a pension fund of 1.4million to get the equivalent pension privately.

When you look at it in these terms, the amount you are paying in is a joke. Totally unsustainable for 40+ years of retirement.

"As for a minority, can't see many agreeing with you here. "

If a handful of police officers, or police officers wives agreeing with you on MN makes whats coming any easier, then who am I to get in the way of your delusions.

Police officers, police staff, police wives understand the service, and it's pressures.

Some other posters obviously don't. Nuff said.

'At the end of the day is just dramatics to justify getting paid more than people in the private sector. Supply and demand means we dont need to pay this money - its only union intervention keeping it so high (higher now than salaries and pensions in the private sector who fund it!), and reform will see that we wont any longer'

And this in your world is a good thing? Why is it good for us all to race to the bottom? Why is this prioritised over a 5% tax cut for those earning the most in society?

I really hope you don't ever need the police, an ambulance or an A&E service. And I am not a police officer btw nor is anyone in my family, I just really appreciate what they do for all of us and I know I couldn't do it.

I'm sure we had this a little while ago, no? Lots of police bashing from a poster who used ad hominem remarks etc.

Must be half term somewhere....

It was me that said about 12.5% not look. The percentage is different depending on the length of service. My husband is paying 12.5% not 14.

Yes it is a good pension, but when you spend 30-40years working shifts, being at risk and not having a decent family life on top of the high percentage you pay it really isn't that much. My salary is low compared to similar work in the public sector, I knew this but knew my retirement would make up for it - not any more!

Just to add, my dh pays 16% into his scheme.

He's in a non-home office force; 16% is the minimum allowed (there are optional top-ups).

He's just had his long service award, I'm happy he's made it this far

There seems to be a lack of respect for public and private sector workers all round by their employers.

Hard times made 100 times harder by the attitude of their bosses.

It makes me so angry.

"No look stated it in her 16:52 post."

So lets get this straight. You mess up in reading other peoples posts, you are corrected by Purple who made the original statement, and this is your reply?

And I'm looking arrogant and foolish?

Ha ha haaaa!

You dont get to decide who gets a good pension and who doesn't based on your own prejudices Cassette. That decision is left up to people who understand what is going in with the economy. The government decides, and they agree with me :)

Its not manic laughing! Its cynical laughing with a hint of disdain

I was repeating Purples figures, read her post at Sun 10-Jun-12 13:00:55

Cassette There's obviously an agenda here, because no matter what is said, they're not going to acknowledge any other viewpoint but their own.

I'm sitting back and watching the ignorant comments (and having a giggle) tbh.

The police have a very difficult time often being caught in the middle of disputes, or being the front line in metal health or social work then of course all the dealing with crime etc. Nurses as well except nurses have to train for a much longer time and have a higher level of education before the are qualified and of course they are still faced with many of the same problems as the police in the work in a busy A & E.

But I can never fathom why the fire service who can spend a lot of time sleeping on nights for example and used to have such cushy shifts they could easily hold down a second job tend to think they all deserve the same levels of pay etc etc.

I know some of that comes across as sweeping generalizations but surely it is time for a real study of the level of qualification danger etc in theses public sector areas. For example an inspector sitting in his office planning etc all day has reached a level by examinations but should he get a greater salary than perhaps an experience bobby who patrols the pub closings, football matches ,demos, gets spat at, perhaps involved in tussles as he make arrests every other day etc.

The same should go for all those pubic services. Rank has it's privilege they say but that should be the comfy seat at the desk and less weekends or night shifts not necessarily more cash for less front line service.

If you are not going to have increments in pay for rank then people would not do promotion exams along with the extra responsibility carries - i.e PACE Police and Criminal Evidence Act procedures - some can only be carried out by Inspector or above whether you are sitting in an office or operational with a shift .

PLus all the extra paperwork that rank carries -that is enough to pout people off being promoted - take away pay increment aswell then no one will do the job.

Also once you reach Inspector then you are salaried - i.e no overtime paid. So you could work 16 hours in a stretch on public order duties and get no extra pay for it but your constable alongside you who was only supposed to be doing 8 hours that day gets 8 hours overtime.

Swings and roundabouts .