All scheme closure articles – Page 4
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News
Prospect members agree to BT pension deal
BT managers represented by union Prospect have voted in favour of a new pensions deal that will boost pay and aim to incentivise members of its defined benefit BT Pension Scheme to join the defined contribution BT Retirement Saving Scheme.
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News
Funding levels up as FTSE 100 companies cut back DB
The UK’s blue chip companies have cut back their defined benefit servicing costs by around 15 per cent over 2017, analysis by JLT Employee Benefits has found, while funding levels continue their painstaking recovery.
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Opinion
Industry is divided over Royal Mail's CDC proposal
Pressure is mounting on the Department for Work and Pensions to lay regulations for collective defined contribution, after mediation between Royal Mail and the Communication Workers Union recommended lobbying government to facilitate their creation of a CDC scheme.
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Opinion
The corporate view: Final salary, Care or DC?
The demise of the final salary pension scheme has been well documented in the press. Most employers have put in place a defined contribution scheme to comply with their duty to automatically enrol employees, but does that really reflect the corporate attitude to pensions?
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Features
CYBG scheme closure highlights industry's 10-year funding headache
Banking group CYBG has closed its defined benefit pension scheme to future accrual, wiping £131m from its liabilities and avoiding increased contributions amid worsening market conditions.
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News
Court backs IBM in DB closure dispute
Technology giant IBM’s decision to close its UK defined benefit schemes has been ruled lawful by the Court of Appeal, in the culmination of an eight-year battle over the sponsor’s discretionary powers.
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Opinion
Is your scheme closed in the way you think?
Significantly fewer than 1m lucky individuals were active members of private sector occupational defined benefit schemes in 2015, compared with almost 5m in 2000, according to figures from the Office for National Statistics.
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Features
GKN scheme closures and debt issuance to combat £1bn deficit
Engineering firm GKN has closed its UK defined benefit pension schemes to future accrual, and plans to use proceeds from a debt issuance to plug a £1bn deficit on its UK post-retirement obligations.
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Features
Post Office surplus raises union affordability complaints
The Post Office section of the Royal Mail Pension Plan remains in surplus, its latest funding update shows, just weeks after it was closed to future accrual amid union consternation.
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Features
John Menzies signs MoU ahead of sectionalisation
A memorandum of understanding has been signed by John Menzies and trustees of its pension scheme as it has closed the scheme and plans to begin a sectionalisation process, but experts have highlighted that this sort of agreement is rarely legally binding.
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News
Face-to-face comms can sweeten 'unpalatable' news
With the world of pensions constantly changing, employers and trustees are investing more time, effort and resources into liaising with members, but face-to-face communication has been deemed particularly effective when it comes to bad news.
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News
Trustees must secure funding after GM sells Vauxhall to PSA
General Motors has announced the sale of Vauxhall to French car manufacturer PSA Group, but will retain responsibility for the company’s UK pension obligations, sparking concerns over the security of members' benefits.
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News
Diageo DB deadlock set to end after union split
Drinks company Diageo has avoided a strike by members of its defined benefit pension schemes after union members accepted a deal, bringing to an end months of back-and-forth.
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News
Unions reluctantly back BSPS closure proposal
Unions have backed a proposal to close the British Steel Pension Scheme to future accrual, raising questions about the future of private sector defined benefit schemes in the UK.
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News
Royal Mail closure consultation could see strike action
Royal Mail Group has begun consulting with active members on closing its section of the Royal Mail Pension Plan, spurring the threat of industrial action from unions if the sponsor does not react positively to their concerns.
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News
BSPS nears compromise deal as Tata announces closure plan
Tata Steel UK is to consult with employees on closing the British Steel Pension Scheme to future accrual, as part of an agreement with trade unions aimed at safeguarding the future of its UK steelworks.
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News
Diageo’s Care scheme proposal highlights struggle over DB provision
Two unions are balloting members over industrial action in a pensions dispute with Diageo, as the UK-based multinational proposes replacing its final salary scheme with a career average arrangement.
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News
James Hutton Institute mulls DB closure
The James Hutton Institute is gearing up to begin negotiations with unions, as it proposes closing its career average scheme in favour of a defined contribution arrangement.
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Opinion
Closure cases: How trade unions are changing tack
It is not uncommon to hear of trade unions stepping in to protect defined benefit provision for members, as final salary schemes continue to close. But with a greater focus on defined contribution adequacy, union approaches to closure cases are evolving.
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News
Ombudsman ruling highlights need for member understanding
The Pensions Ombudsman has sided with technology company Honeywell after a member of one of its pension schemes complained it had caused him to pay more tax than necessary.