Last week saw a four-hour strike by firefighters in England and Wales owing to changes to their pension terms which will force them to work for longer.
Among the political wrangling, Leicester County Council Pension Fund put a notice on its website reminding strikers that as they would not be entitled to pay for days not worked, neither would they count towards pensionable service.
These discussions can tip into the absurd
Members can repay these lost contributions, if they pay the employer contributions as well, within six months. But the kicker comes in the final sentence: “If you choose not to repay the lost contributions it may be necessary for you to revise your anticipated retirement date.”
Given the strike centres on the retirement date, this standard information note takes on an ironic edge.
The assumption that every working arc can be stretched indefinitely does not work across the board.
Sometimes working longer suits everyone. Nationwide is one case study the government has put forward demonstrating flexible working, but of course those employees have been able to draw their pension as their working hours reduce, keeping the power in their own hands.
Whatever claims can be made about the public appetite or otherwise to reduce the cost of these promises, I’d hazard that the man on the Clapham omnibus would see some retirement ages as more crucial than others.
If it is any consolation, at least working longer than expected does not have more morbid consequences.
As you can read in this week’s Wrap, the assumed link between a person’s working span and life expectancy is a load of old hogwash, at least in Norway, where the research took place.
Interestingly, the working age limit for a firefighter in Norway is 60 years (with scope in certain cases for that to be three years sooner), according to a report from research foundation Fafo. Retirement at 55 is reserved for pilots, divers and rescuers on North Sea helicopters.
So a 59-year-old can rescue someone from a burning building, but not a freezing sea. These discussions can tip into the absurd, but they are vitally important.
Ian Smith is editor of Pensions Week. You can follow him on Twitter @iankmsmith and the team @pensionsweek.
