ATCO early retirement..have you taken it? How was it for you?
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ATCO early retirement..have you taken it? How is it for me?
Took early retirement on my 56th birthday, however I was part-time for the last 12 months. - Its been great, no regrets at all! 
That said, a little forward planning helped - I paid 'stand alone' Additional Voluntary Contributions (AVCs) for a number of years. This helped to reduce the overall loss in terms of lump-sum and actual pension received for going early. I was subject to the 'standard pension abatement' and a small loss in AVCs due to the Equitable Life situation. - Thanks to former Union negotiators in the UK state sector (CAA NATS HIAL & their predecessors) for achieving such arrangements.
I do feel sorry for the up and coming generation as their pension arrangements are not going to be as favourable.
That said, a little forward planning helped - I paid 'stand alone' Additional Voluntary Contributions (AVCs) for a number of years. This helped to reduce the overall loss in terms of lump-sum and actual pension received for going early. I was subject to the 'standard pension abatement' and a small loss in AVCs due to the Equitable Life situation. - Thanks to former Union negotiators in the UK state sector (CAA NATS HIAL & their predecessors) for achieving such arrangements.
I do feel sorry for the up and coming generation as their pension arrangements are not going to be as favourable.
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I was dead worried about how we would cope on my pension as I only had 31 years service - how much would we need to draw from savings each month, etc. As it happens, we haven't needed to draw any and we have more saved now than when I retired. Those with 40 years must be living like kings!
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HD, nats Director Human Resources withdrew the 40 year pension on 1 Dec 2006 after 7 (that is only seven) days warning. I remember it well. I had provided the required 3 months notice to retire under its provisions on 3 Jan 2007 only to find it snatched away from my clutches. It also completely threw the CAA Pensions Admin Department and Prospect. Outrageous. I still possess the shameful correspondence from nats.
nats employees must BEWARE, they would do well NOT to trust nats to not change the rules after providing notice to retire early.
nats employees must BEWARE, they would do well NOT to trust nats to not change the rules after providing notice to retire early.
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OK M, but I'm not sure I understand, I always thought "x years" referred to your time in service. For me it was 31 years, which determined how much pension I received. So what happens now to those who have 40 years service?
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The '40 year rule' allowed members to draw an unabated pension under 60 years of age once they achieved 40 years service with CAAPS (for example those who had joined at 18). nats considered this to be discriminatory under the Employment Equality Age Regulations (1 Oct 2006) because one needed to have joined at a young age in order to benefit. The HR Director's defence was that "existing benefits had to be defended whilst at the same time mitigating the risk of many millions of pounds of costs to the Scheme in the event of a successful complaint of discrimination" and that he had to "make the changes without Trade Union agreement". I know of no other ex-Civil Service organisation who interpreted those Regulations in this manner.
AIUI a member who joined under 20 now has to work until 60 to draw an unabated pension. I consider that the sudden withdrawal of the '40 year rule' was, in itself, iniquitous discrimination and reflects badly on nats. How nats can have the temerity to impose this without any consultation of any kind beats me. They are not to be trusted.
AIUI a member who joined under 20 now has to work until 60 to draw an unabated pension. I consider that the sudden withdrawal of the '40 year rule' was, in itself, iniquitous discrimination and reflects badly on nats. How nats can have the temerity to impose this without any consultation of any kind beats me. They are not to be trusted.
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Brian, I am shocked, dismayed, hurt beyond belief, wounded, affronted, gutted, troubled, upset, and tormented that you, and everyone else I ever worked around, should say such a thing.
In fact, my flabber has never been so gasted.
Sorry to hear about Bobby Cowell - I remember when he bought his Porsche, he said he'd had a mid-life crisis which cost him £36K to fix.
Clint - good luck with the Crones, say hello to Steve the DJ if you still see him. Thanks for voicing what I REALLY think of many of the management.
In fact, my flabber has never been so gasted.
Sorry to hear about Bobby Cowell - I remember when he bought his Porsche, he said he'd had a mid-life crisis which cost him £36K to fix.
Clint - good luck with the Crones, say hello to Steve the DJ if you still see him. Thanks for voicing what I REALLY think of many of the management.
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TDM -
M, I feel saddened for you personally - after all the kack-handedness that nats dealt you wrt LATCC and EGLL you must have felt positively murderous when they did that at the last moment.
M, I feel saddened for you personally - after all the kack-handedness that nats dealt you wrt LATCC and EGLL you must have felt positively murderous when they did that at the last moment.
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I worked in ATC, all operational, for 40years and loved every single minute of it, retired at 58 and not regretted it one bit. There comes a time when you know it's time to go. The one big bonus is the total sense of freedom you feel you have.
Last edited by obwan; 24th Oct 2011 at 18:49.
Mick, I think you got your own back by putting the 'Evil Eye' on me, as I dreamt about LL Twr last night! Bloody nightmare!
I really miss the guys and girls I had the privilege of working with, especially the lighting operators - Dick with his fund of jokes, booming Pete Kemp, pulling Tee's leg when Southampton lost, Roger wetting himself one morning when my first 15 minutes of transmissions were complete garbage ( as usual I hear you cry!), Phil Kerai offering to smile so you could see him in the dark etc etc.
I thought Bobby Cowell's sad demise was widely known - 5 years ago, to celebrate his 60th birthday, he went on holiday to Zimbabwe and was travelling in a taxi from Victoria Falls with his travelling companion, Celia wife of Ian Bielby (exLATCC & DM), when they were wiped out by a lorry coming in the opposite direction - it was overtaking on a blind bend!
Malc & Bren
On my 65th birthday last month my pension dropped to £35148 as the VPO finished, I'd like more but have nothing to show for my first 10 years of work before CAA, so 'C'est La Vie'. Old age pension for both Anne and me kicked in, so that's another £9000 approx - still better off than most people in the land!
My advice - if you can afford to go 2 or 3 years early, do it. Why people work beyond 60 amazes me - remember Derek Harriss? Worked to 65, boasted that he was the highest paid ATCO in the job ( ATCO1 pension and salary) and died before he was 66! Very sad.
Regards Brian W
I really miss the guys and girls I had the privilege of working with, especially the lighting operators - Dick with his fund of jokes, booming Pete Kemp, pulling Tee's leg when Southampton lost, Roger wetting himself one morning when my first 15 minutes of transmissions were complete garbage ( as usual I hear you cry!), Phil Kerai offering to smile so you could see him in the dark etc etc.
I thought Bobby Cowell's sad demise was widely known - 5 years ago, to celebrate his 60th birthday, he went on holiday to Zimbabwe and was travelling in a taxi from Victoria Falls with his travelling companion, Celia wife of Ian Bielby (exLATCC & DM), when they were wiped out by a lorry coming in the opposite direction - it was overtaking on a blind bend!
Malc & Bren
On my 65th birthday last month my pension dropped to £35148 as the VPO finished, I'd like more but have nothing to show for my first 10 years of work before CAA, so 'C'est La Vie'. Old age pension for both Anne and me kicked in, so that's another £9000 approx - still better off than most people in the land!
My advice - if you can afford to go 2 or 3 years early, do it. Why people work beyond 60 amazes me - remember Derek Harriss? Worked to 65, boasted that he was the highest paid ATCO in the job ( ATCO1 pension and salary) and died before he was 66! Very sad.
Regards Brian W
Last edited by Brian 48nav; 24th Oct 2011 at 09:58. Reason: missing letters
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OK Brian... be assured that you get very considerably more than me and we survive quite comfortably. Bonus is that neither of us drink or smoke!
I'm still not with this 40 years stuff. Surely it's the "40" bit which is used to calculate one's pension? I get 31 x 58ths (or is it 59ths?) so irrespective of what NATS calls it, if one retires with 40 years service the pension is 40 x 58ths?
I still think of Bobby Cowell on No.2 screaming "Get me out; I'm doubly incontinent"!!
I'm still not with this 40 years stuff. Surely it's the "40" bit which is used to calculate one's pension? I get 31 x 58ths (or is it 59ths?) so irrespective of what NATS calls it, if one retires with 40 years service the pension is 40 x 58ths?
I still think of Bobby Cowell on No.2 screaming "Get me out; I'm doubly incontinent"!!
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That's right Bren that's the way it's calculated assuming you go at 60, if you go before age 60 they take some off your pension (abatement I think it's called) as they reckon you're going to live longer. This is watered down considerably by the ATCO early go scheme.
They had a rule that you could go on full pension if you'd done 40 years no matter what your age was i.e. you didn't lose anything if you went at 58 say, but snatched that away.
I went at 58 taking a small hit thanks to the union guys who negotiated the Atco flexible retirement scheme.
Miss a load of people (not senior management with daft ideas that just seem to keep coming round with every new boss) miss the practical part of the job, don't miss nights or the seemingly endless paperwork.
Miss all the daft lot from my time LL and the things we got up to - no you couldn't print them!
They had a rule that you could go on full pension if you'd done 40 years no matter what your age was i.e. you didn't lose anything if you went at 58 say, but snatched that away.
I went at 58 taking a small hit thanks to the union guys who negotiated the Atco flexible retirement scheme.
Miss a load of people (not senior management with daft ideas that just seem to keep coming round with every new boss) miss the practical part of the job, don't miss nights or the seemingly endless paperwork.
Miss all the daft lot from my time LL and the things we got up to - no you couldn't print them!
Join Date: Nov 2000
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ATCO early retirement..have you taken it? How was it for you?
Beats working for a living. Mind you, I used to say that about controlling!
The commuting is the hardest thing nowadays. From Scotland to, well, anywhere in Europe. Decisions, decisions. Thought I'd left all that behind. None of this new-fangled, lighter-than-air stuff for me, though. It's cars and ferries, for me. Not subject to those pesky, striking controllers (French?). Ooh, er, better not say that. Oh, too late.
I do like the non-productivity bonus that appears each year in my pension, though. What was it this year? 5% and I didn't even have to threaten to withhold my extremely valuable services. And what did those extremely, hard working ATCO's earn as a bonus? I'm not sure. Bet it wasn't 5% though.
I do miss management, though.
No, that's wrong.
I do mis-management now, but that'll cost any ANSP's reading this an awful lot. (PM me for details)
On the beach (and staying here).
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Brian
Buy the beers? On what he must be raking in it'd be a good malt if he were mine.
I mean, what's the point of having them if they don't help you out in yer old age? They've got you there quicker than you would have been otherwise....
Buy the beers? On what he must be raking in it'd be a good malt if he were mine.
I mean, what's the point of having them if they don't help you out in yer old age? They've got you there quicker than you would have been otherwise....
OTB
No, he's a chip off the old block - not interested in promotion at all, just a humble ATCO2.
Thinking about it - not very humble at all!
I'm sure he said 5.5% plus maybe 3.5% next January, certainly over £100k now with OJTI & LCE supps included. I'm sure someone here will confirm or deny!
Thinking about it - not very humble at all!
I'm sure he said 5.5% plus maybe 3.5% next January, certainly over £100k now with OJTI & LCE supps included. I'm sure someone here will confirm or deny!
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not interested in promotion at all
Tell him to volunteer to do the EG and leave roster. If he does it correctly he can retire at 55.
Worked for me, everyone thinks I'm still on leave.
OTB
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Low profile. Yes, good idea.
It's only recently that I have told my parents what I did for a living. They are both 83 now.
I always told them that I played piano in a whore house in Soho. They seemed happy enough.
Clint.
It's only recently that I have told my parents what I did for a living. They are both 83 now.
I always told them that I played piano in a whore house in Soho. They seemed happy enough.
Clint.