Parliament Workbench

Petition · PE01757 · Session 5

Reduce actuarial reductions to the Scottish Local Government Pension Scheme

Closed Submitted 11 Sep 2019 People & Communities
Signatures
0
1,500 online signatures with a country
Comments
138
Considered
3 meetings
in the Official Report

What it asks

Calling on the Scottish Parliament to urge the Scottish Government to significantly reduce the levels of reduction to the Scottish Local Government Pension Scheme to ensure that today's low paid workers do not become even poorer pensioners.

What the petitioner did first

I have raised this issue with my employer and was advised that as the level of reductions are set out by Scottish Ministers they cannot reduce them.

I have contacted my constituency MSP and my 7 Regional MSPs (for Glasgow). I am in receipt of holding responses from Anas Sarwar, Johann Lamont and Nicola Sturgeon. To date I have received no response or acknowledgement from the remaining 5.

Where it was considered

Official Report
  1. 21 Nov 2019
    Public Petitions Committee
    New Petitions
    1 mention
  2. 3 Sep 2020
    Public Petitions Committee
    Continued Petitions
    1 mention
  3. 12 Nov 2020
    Public Petitions Committee
    Continued Petitions
    1 mention

Signatures by country

1,500 online signatures
  1. Scotland1,202 80.1%
  2. United Kingdom284 18.9%
  3. Wales6 0.4%
  4. Northern Ireland4 0.3%
  5. Spain1 0.1%
  6. United States1 0.1%
  7. San Marino1 0.1%
  8. England1 0.1%

Comments

138 comments, oldest first
138 comments · showing 1–50
  1. James Allan 12 Sep 2019
    This is fundamentally unfair. On a personal basis I have been paying into this scheme since the 70s. I like every other person of working age have already been penalised by having additional time added to when I can access my state pension. In addition to this Local Government Workers have been forced to endured below inflation wage rises for more than a decade. Why should Local Government workers be penalised again for getting old.
  2. Paul Morris 12 Sep 2019
    Chipping away at pension rights is an insult to hard working local government employees, particularly low paid and female colleagues. The changes extend working lives, or cost employees thousands. This endangers the health and wellbeing of workers and reduces opportunities for young people by keeping people artificially at work for years longer than they had planned for.
  3. Kathleen Molloy 12 Sep 2019
    I support this petition fully.
  4. Steven Doherty 12 Sep 2019
    Most people get jailed for this type of theft, only thing that's missing is the ministers balaclava
  5. Dennis McCue 12 Sep 2019
    Nye Bevan noted in the 1940s that 'All Tories are lower than scum' I thought that was a tad extreme but now agree with him.
  6. ELIZABETH ALEXANDER 12 Sep 2019
    SHAME ON ANY ELECTED GOVERNMENT WHO ARE HAPPY TO TAKE INFLATED PAY SETTLEMENTS AND CAREER END GOLDEN HANDSHAKES WHILE PENALISING HARD WORKING PEOPLE WITH OVER 40 YEARS+ CONTINUOUS SERVICE
    ELECTED COUNCILLORS MPS AND MSPS CAN EASILY BECOME UNELECTED ALL IT TAKES IS A "X"
  7. Thomas Mackay 12 Sep 2019
    This is not acceptable to change our pensions
  8. Stephen McNally 12 Sep 2019
    It is an absolute scandal that this changes like these are even being mooted. The pension rules that applied at the time a person joined the scheme should be honoured st the end of the scheme. Anything else is just plain robbery of pension rights.
    How can any government condone these changes.
    I hope politicians who vote these changes through find themselves and their parties out of office.
    I support this petition.
  9. christine gray 12 Sep 2019
    I will be affected by this. I will have 40 years service in 2020 and plan to retire around this time as i will be 60. I agree 24% is extreme to lose from a pension scheme that i have paid into for 40 years. In addition can i highlight the number of unmarried people within this pension scheme whereby their pension is 'lost' if they died. I have personal experience of this as my sister died having only six years retirement and had worked over 30 years service with the council.
  10. Willie Dowdles 12 Sep 2019
    I strongly agree. No I have not been affected.
  11. Campbell Blades 12 Sep 2019
    What gives these people the right to cut the values of the pensions we signed up to when we started work, and have constantly paid into.
  12. callum calder 12 Sep 2019
    The government are fraudsters who are stealing money from me.
  13. Robert McDougall 12 Sep 2019
    Why why why is it always those at the lower end that have to suffer. Those higher up the pay scale always get massive pay offs and full pension and we at the lowest end have to work until we drop. I probably want even see my pension.
  14. callum calder 12 Sep 2019
    the government are fraudsters who are stealing money from me. Disgusted by the situation!
  15. Jacqueline Downs 12 Sep 2019
    General Strike!
  16. Andy carruth 12 Sep 2019
    Leave our pension alone
  17. Amanda Matthews 12 Sep 2019
    i currently have 34yrs service and I am only 50 years of age. at this moment in time I will have 50years service by the time I am 66years of age. this is ridiculous
  18. Mairi MacVicar 12 Sep 2019
    Signing up however many years ago for one scheme only for it to be subsequently and materially changed several times over with penalties applied. Do Scottish Ministers suffer the same pension injustices in their schemes?
  19. Linda Gower 12 Sep 2019
    I strongly agree as some jobs are physical and cannot be sustained after a certain age
  20. moira lauder 12 Sep 2019
    I am now 62 I job shared for a number of years to look after my family, although I have nearly 40 service this is reduced because of my job sharing or reduced hours. Now I am losing again through these changes. This is not what I signed up for nearly 40 years ago
  21. SHARRON CONNELLY 12 Sep 2019
    I am appalled at the figures that have been published regarding my retirement. I have been working with GCC since I was 17 years old & have worked various secondary jobs also. These figures are alarming & give me no sense of security when I retire. Please assist to ensure myself & other retirees in the future will be able to live secure & financially safe.
  22. Paul R Brannan 12 Sep 2019
    How many of these ministers get their pensions reduced when they stop before the state pension age?
    How can they reduced your pension amount when it's money that is taken from my wage? Do basically they are stealing my money.
    There is talk about the state pension age will be increased to 74. So will we then have to work until that age? Considering the average life expectancy for men is 71, do they expect us to work until we die?
  23. william gould 12 Sep 2019
    please get this sorted asap. people are ready and waiting to retire now.
  24. Christopher White 12 Sep 2019
    The reduction % if you retire early are for too punitive and needs to be recalculated to be fairer.
  25. John pollock 12 Sep 2019
    I never signed for any reduction or change to a pension scheme I was promised in 1982.
  26. Derek Watson 12 Sep 2019
    I do not agree with this.
  27. Diane trainer 12 Sep 2019
    No

    No
    EU
  28. Isabel McCloy 12 Sep 2019
    No , i don't agree
  29. Derek Brown 12 Sep 2019
    Stop stealing our hard earned money.
  30. Christine Taylor 12 Sep 2019
    I am almost 60. Have worked for almost 43 years non stop... I feel robbed of my right to retire now after all the hard earned cash I've paid into this country.
  31. Steven wall 12 Sep 2019
    Living in Scotland with a lower life expectancy than the rest of the UK, I may not reach 67.
  32. June Gallagher 12 Sep 2019
    Definitely too high.
  33. Maria Mccluskey 12 Sep 2019
    Agree that the pension scheme and its reductions unfairly discriminated female staff due to predominant caring role.
  34. Rosemary scott 12 Sep 2019
    Make pensions more affordable
  35. Charlene Doherty 12 Sep 2019
    Yes I agree
  36. Jane Langan 12 Sep 2019
    I completely agree that the levels of reductions to the local government pension scheme is very unfair and that particular note should be made to both low paid workers and females who often have to deal with particular caring responsibilities. The goalposts have systematically changed within the scheme and now demonstrate clear detriment to workers who attempt to retire even a few years before the existing state pension age. I am currently 52 with 36 years local government service. In order to reach my full pension award at the age of 67 I would be required to work for 51 years! The levels of reductions in place will make it almost impossible for me to consider retirement before the age of 67. Approximate calculations on my current salary demonstrate that retiral at 65 would see my pension decrease by more than £6,500 per year, with retiral at 60, seeing my pension drop by approximately £13,500 per year! I find this to be a very unfair situation.
  37. Rosemary Ashley 12 Sep 2019
    We need to stick together.
  38. Carol Mcfarlane 12 Sep 2019
    I was born in 1960, pension is not fully protected due to the ruling that its protected to April 2020, my birthday falls in December 2020. Where's the fairness in this, 31yrs service! People put in the pension in faith they would get a good return on their retirement, this is not happening due to government moving the goal posts all the time.
  39. Paul Mulholland 12 Sep 2019
    Enough is enough
  40. Michael Matuszak 12 Sep 2019
    An absolute scandal. This has to be revised.
  41. Janette Swanson 12 Sep 2019
    I had to opt for flexible retirement due to health issues. I was subjected to a reduction in my benefits despite having joined the scheme when the 85 rule existed. My retirement age has gone from 60-67. I have had to continue to work part time to make up the deficit.
  42. Irene Rutheford 12 Sep 2019
    Ridiculous that this has been changed
  43. Sharon Stevenson 12 Sep 2019
    Give us what we have paid in, and what we are due.
    We shouldn't have to work until we are in our 60's we will have worked long enough by that time I hope this government does the right thing for once !
  44. Alex Bruce 12 Sep 2019
    I do not believe this is a fair and just process.
  45. Elaine Martin 12 Sep 2019
    I totally agree it should be reduced I'll be nearly 69 years old before I am entitled to my state pension. Shocking!!
  46. Lynda Rogan 12 Sep 2019
    Why don't the Government align themselves with a pay scheme (inc benefits and pension) linked to ours, it would then be ring-fenced
    - for sure!!!
  47. Carol Woodward 12 Sep 2019
    A works pension is essential to survive, and many female workers have already sacrificed salary for family responsibilities.
  48. Eric Proctor 12 Sep 2019
    Conned out of the Rule of 85, by a Labour Government, GCC and SPFO, following redundancy in ,2009.

    Enough is enough.
  49. Catherine Paton 12 Sep 2019
    This is a punitive measure to hard working low paid individuals who have served their service and paid into a scheme that could lose a substantial amount. This will be det
  50. Scott McGregor 12 Sep 2019
    40yrs service for me is at 56yrs old. The punitive deductions are excessive even if I retired at 60 or 62 & must be reduced. Unfair for long serving employees to say the least