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Military Pension - Forced Redundancy Days Before Entitlement

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Military Pension - Forced Redundancy Days Before Entitlement

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Old 6th Nov 2013, 07:29
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Military Pension - Forced Redundancy Days Before Entitlement

Please sign this petition, as we get ready to remember the sacrifice of our Service people. An Army Sergeant is being made redundant 72 hours before becoming entitled to a full pension for his 18 years service. The same page of the same newspaper reports that MoD spent £17,000 on wine at meeting held to discuss personnel cuts! http://tinyurl.com/odc6j5l
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Old 6th Nov 2013, 07:41
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What would happen is he became medically unfit before he was made redundant? Would they keep him in to get him fit first?
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Old 6th Nov 2013, 09:05
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Quote Pontius Nav: "What would happen is he became medically unfit before he was made redundant? Would they keep him in to get him fit first?

Afraid not, you are discharged "whatever" and, the bits are sorted out in your own time I believe.
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Old 6th Nov 2013, 09:09
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Shame, knew an aircrew cadet with shin splints. He was on hold awaiting improved fitness before being discharged. Certainly used to be that case that they tried to get you fit before discharge.
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Old 6th Nov 2013, 10:06
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On the subject of early discharge from a previously pensionable engagement. Surely, the straightforward solution is that, unless the early discharge is by individual choice such as PVR, if the Service chooses to terminate the engagement before the nominal pension rights are earned the individual should gain the pension and gratuity earned pro-rata, paid from the point of termination for an immediate pension engagement or, from the original date that the pension should start, in the case of a delayed pension.

Come on CDS! Fight for better pension rights for your Servicemen!

OAP
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Old 6th Nov 2013, 10:27
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If he got put on a charge wouldn't he stay in until processed?
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Old 6th Nov 2013, 10:34
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But need to ensure he was not reduced to the ranks
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Old 6th Nov 2013, 10:46
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Easy then, just crash a MT wagon into the bosses motor then. And claim that the brakes were defective.

That would last for months sorting that out.
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Old 6th Nov 2013, 10:52
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I've signed the petition but I'm having difficulty believing this has actually happened to the sergeant. What idiot would actually authorise his redundancy, 3 days before he was due to retire, anyway?

Hopefully the pro-rata rule applies in this case.
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Old 6th Nov 2013, 11:26
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What idiot would actually authorise his redundancy, 3 days before he was due to retire, anyway?
Someone taking instructions from HM Treasury. The MoD has form on this as it occurred during Options for Change back in the 1990's. It saves a huge amount of money. I can think of several friends who were 'Opted for a Change' with less than a year to go.

EG
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Old 6th Nov 2013, 11:43
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Im with you mad jock, some sort of delaying tactic to keep him in as long as possible, now and somehow can drag the service into having to delay his removal. Also he needs to get an employment lawyer on his case who may be able to work out a course of delaying action. Very very poor all around. Terrible sort of statement to set or show by MOD again.

Drifts... I used to hope these things would never happen to "us" the service family, but then deep down I knew they would one day.
Many servicemen are pretty well on the right wing of political opinion-I saw 30 years of name calling and abuse by servicemen heaped in turn on the heads of Miners, nationalised shipyard workers, firefighters, steel workers, teachers, students,NHS, ambulance crews... and on and on...deep down most people just used to laugh at them, ignore their plights and pleas.
And now its "our turn" to be properly shafted - and now no-one cares.

Stop press right now BAE are laying off hundreds of men in shipyards in Pompey and Glasgae- thats their futures buggered up and no one cares about them either.
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Old 6th Nov 2013, 12:04
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A few guys were affected by this issue at Kinloss in the redundancies Round 1. With varying amounts of time needed for them to do to qualify for pension, they were told 'one size fits all' - missing it by 1 minute is the same as by 1 year. I believe the Forces Pension Society have also decided it is not a 'winnable case' as where would the line be drawn - 1 day, 1 month, 1 year etc etc ?
I would have been 8 months short myself if I hadn't jumped ship via OASC some 11 years earlier. Especially galling for all concerned when we see the money the MoD does throw around on 'equality campaigns', 'infomercials', 'social media interactions' etc etc
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Old 6th Nov 2013, 12:19
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This is grotesque.

The line is, 'we have to draw a line in the sand somewhere'. What complete and utter blx. Why do you, why can't you show some common sense instead of hiding behind the hideous prescriptive thinking that some shameful administrative dogma allows you to? The MoD is the only department within government, that I know of, that has decided not to allow the tapering of redundancy versus retirement benefits. How much have you allowed to be wasted on other projects with impunity?

It would be simple to stretch the 'line in the sand' back a little and show either some flexibility or common sense. If someone was about to be discharged ordinarily and had a job to go to, the system allows early release without a punitive outcome, because it is.. being flexible, and 'caring'. This, by contrast, is against the spirit of everything that is holy about loyalty, commitment and the Covenant. There is absolutely no point in some state vessel approaching this guy after he got discharged and then asking if/why he and his family is in financial trouble.

Redundancies happen, life's a bitch sometimes. But to kick a man when he's down, to wreck not only his future and financial aspirations but also those of his family makes my blood boil and I hope that anyone who has the ability to do something about this, does so. I include within that, the Forces Pension Society which now takes on a more leading role in the future state of the military pension and has been quiet on the matter. This is shameful, scandalous and completely indefensible.

Al Rush | New wave of redundancies looms for the army
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Old 6th Nov 2013, 12:45
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It happened to a mate of mine, Cpl with one day left to his 18 year qualifying point.. Didn't matter, it was one day less that the hard date.

Saves money so the wasters of Westminister can blow it on lining their pockets..
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Old 6th Nov 2013, 13:21
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Times change. Naming no names, a colleague of mine, suffering from a debilitating disease, in service but not related to it, was given a medical discharge 3 days before his due date, as a result of which he got a disability pension paid tax-free
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Old 6th Nov 2013, 14:18
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I was going to post something, but AL R has said what I was going to say and more eloquently as well.

So, if you'll excuse me for one moment, I'll descend into the vernacular...

Shafting someone in this way is the work of an utter cnut and that applies to everybody that could have intervened, bent, twisted or otherwise effected a better outcome for said people.

To those that are still serving (and I've said this before)...look after yourself, your families, and your mates first.

Matter of fact I heard this on Sky Sports from a well known and controversial character yesterday...

"I'm all for people making as much as they can while they can, whatever their job. In this world, we are all pieces of meat, and once we are used up our employers won't give a sh1t"

I don't find this quote remotely cynical...just bleakly, starkly realistic.
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Old 6th Nov 2013, 15:27
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The petition is being signed at an impressive rate - as so it should!

74321 when I signed at around 16:00, now 79049! And now 79262 even as I type.
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Old 6th Nov 2013, 15:37
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Although not directly affected, I feel particularly strongly about this disgraceful behaviour. Please correct me if i'm wrong, but I believe that the redundancy terms were quietly amended about a year before SDSR (when it was obvious that redundancies would be required). Prior to the amendement I think that Officers who had served 12 years but had not completed 16 years service received that proportion of their pension upon being made redundant (e.g a pension of 14/16 if being made redundant after 14 years service). If that rule still existed then none of these unacceptable cases would have occured.
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Old 6th Nov 2013, 16:10
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Armed Forces pensions
A story in The Times reports that thousands of people have signed a petition calling on the Prime Minister to prevent Sergeant Michael Anderson from being made redundant 3 days before he is eligible to receive an immediate Armed Forces pension.
All those made redundant will receive an Armed Forces pension and a generous compensation package. No individuals are being denied a pension and everyone selected for redundancy will still get an Armed Forces pension, which remains one of the very best in the public or private sector.
They will receive their Armed Forces Pension and all their accrued pension rights at the age of 60 or 65. Armed Forces pensions are non-contributory, so, unlike other public sector or private pensions, Armed Forces personnel do not contribute to them throughout their career.
It should also be noted that, in recognition of redundancy, we have reduced how long individuals have to serve for before they qualify for an immediate pension from 22 years down to 18 years for most ranks.
Inevitably we have to draw the line somewhere, but those who are close to their immediate pension point – a small minority of approximately 1.2% – will receive a larger tax-free lump sum in compensation. This is in addition to their resettlement grant and in some cases could total over £100,000. No individuals were selected because they were close to their immediate pension point.
The above is from the MoD Pravda website. Clearly the civil servants writing it came from the Jozef Goebbels school of propaganda script writing. Best I don't comment on the above. It could get me into a sh1t load of trouble
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Old 6th Nov 2013, 17:19
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Sorry, I keep banging this drum! Armed Forces pensions ARE as contributory as any other public service pension. Pay rates ARE abated. Just because no figures appear on the pay statement makes no difference apart from the political fudge factor of trying to fool Servicemen (particularly VSOs!).

Come on you! Generals, Admirals and Air Marshals sort out Service pensions ASAP!

OAP
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