Frozen Pensions: The British Pension Anomaly

[anceyfrance]

Hum!. You both are doing better than me who receives a mere 33 pounds a month. Starbucks would get it if I could actually afford a cup of coffee.

[rustyscrapper]

I would rather be self employed but I know going down that road just ends up in you being robbed by the government. So I am forced to join a union and have my paychecks cut up like a pie just so I have the comfort of *thinking* I will get a pension in 25 years.

[rustyscrapper]

where is the justice in government employees getting 80% of their top 5 years earnings averaged in pension after 30 years working, while a self employed person who works their ass off for 45 years, manages to save a million bucks tries to retire and the revenue agency nails them on some obscure tax law and confiscates their entire life savings (their self saved pension) and uses that money to continue to pay government workers pensions who are the laziest people on earth.

[GOONERCHRIS53]

Perhaps the new coalition government in the UK will favour us ex-pats!

[imonthebox]

I was 61 April 2009, Im a campaigner for British pensioners to receive much higher state pension linked to increases in British prosperity through the earnings link being restored that was cut by the Thatcher government in 1980.

Facts are that the New Labour government in keeping with Thatcher's policies are phasing the state pension out

as the cornerstone of retirement in Britain, in favour of private pensions, and means testing.

[roberthmercer]

I am a Brit pensioner living in Australia and my pension of 40 pounds sterling has been the same since I qualified for it in 1995. Of course, the Australian government kindly gives me a small amount to make up for the niggardly attitude of the British government. However, while the exchange rate caused my Brit pension to reduce by $100 my Australian pension increased by a mere $25!!  I am just another of those souls lost in limbo who cannot fathom this stupid attitude of Britain's rulers.

[scranl74]

How unfair

[brokenbriton]

Another unjustifiable anomaly...This Government is a disgrace...

[nanaredhead]

I live in Canada and we are treated the same as the Australian and South African U.K. pensioners, no increases for us either. Shameful treatment. I live near the U.S. border and if I moved a hundred miles I'd be getting my pension increases!

[JonahTorn]

@nanaredhead A whole generation of Americans coming up who do not think in terms of pensions at all. I worked in a unionized store for almost 6 years without being vested in our pension, because I was just a courtesy clerk. My job entailed more than it sounds. When I moved from Grand Junction to Denver in Colorado some of my work was done contracted out. so that there were less and less full timers. There is no need to chop up your hours like that if all you do is bag groceries.

[Morlege]

Did you know that the wife of a British Diplomat who has been posted abroad has had her pension frozen until she returns to the UK. Disgraceful.

[rainbowfarmau]

This discrimination needs to be exposed.

[strychnic]

It's a disgrace!! Expletives aren't enough to express my disgust at the UK Govt for this