Department of Home Affairs - Retirees

[mrmadmanx]

Just speaking to a friend who was telling me that a certain highly paid member of the above Department (or section of that department) has recently retired after reaching his retirement age.

 

Low and behold he is now working for the same section that he retired from, on a contract!

 

I am sorry but surely this is wrong, and how on earth will any one of our kids ever be able to get onto the employment ladder if our Government is doing this!!

 

If Mr Watterson reads this please tell us if this is true.

 

 

[GD4ELI]

He's probably been taken on because of his experience, this is exactly what I would do rather than having to spend money training someone who then buggers off once they have two or three year's experience. It could well be cheaper to take on someone like this on short-term contract rather than a salaried employee.

 

This is the real world.

[Shake me up Judy]

That's bollocks GD4ELI. It's jobs for the boys plain and simple, and we see it time and time again on this Island.

[Albert Tatlock]

Needs to stop. If you are still drawing a government salary after 'retiring' your government pension should be deferred. And with talk of redundancies, other people should be doing this role (if the role is actually needed).

 

There is a large scale claw back on government pensions on the way, mark my words, it is inevitable. It will raise all kinds of shit, but it is inevitable.

[wrighty]

Just speaking to a friend who was telling me that a certain highly paid member of the above Department (or section of that department) has recently retired after reaching his retirement age.

 

Low and behold he is now working for the same section that he retired from

This is a popular sport at the hospital. One week someone is having a retirement 'do', then the next they're back, sometimes in a slightly different coloured uniform, doing their old job.

 

I was asked to contribute to someone's retirement present - I refused as I assumed, correctly as it turned out, that they weren't really retiring but just drawing pension and continuing to work (or perhaps it was because I'm a tight-wad, but whatever, the point was made)

 

I think I agree with Albert on this, however, I don't see how it can be stopped. Once you're claiming pension I don't think they can prevent you taking on other work.

[Stu Peters]

I've always thought this a mean-spirited argument. If someone is eligible to retire and draw a pension, why should that be witheld or limited if they decide to carry on working rather than taking it easy?

 

This presumes that the person has skills and experience that their former employer still find useful, and (for once) I agree with GD4R2D2. If it IS a 'jobs for the boys' scam it's outrageous, but since money is so tight, I don't suppose that's likely.

 

Some people have a strong work ethic, are good at what they do and aren't ready to decompose in the garden. I fear it's just envy that brings out the haters.

[Gladys]

What is the normal retirement age in the cs? I have an age of 60 in mind but with the ability to draw a reduced pension from 55 on early retirement. Surely, one way to deal with it is to up the retirement age? This has multiple advantages and is more equitable.

 

I do agree with the critics here, if you have a limited pot you want to get the maximum bangs for your buck. Retirement and then back doing substantially the same job means either succession planning was woeful or the age is set too low, possibly both.

 

A previous employer had pension arrangements that mirrored UK cs terms although it was a commercial operation, but there was no re-employment as a consultant - once you retire that's it. From a business point of view early retirees were good rather than redundancies, as it shifted the cost to what was a very well funded pension scheme.

 

I don't think the same applies here though.

[TurricanII]

I fear it's just envy that brings out the haters.

It might have been envy once, but now it is anger at govt mismanagement, exemplified by another person drawing hefty pension and wages out of the dwindling pot.

 

The pension liability alone shot up nearly 300mil in one year. Govt is not addressing the unsustainable pension scheme, excessive number of managers etc. following the loss of 25% of income. Instead they are still giving pay rise and subsidising the Sefton.

 

What have they done so far? Cancelled the sandwiches, fiddled with a few bus drivers and waited for a few hundred posts to become redundant as people leave/retire.

 

The pension scheme needs to be declared insolvent a la KSF, and reasonable capped £12k minimum wage pensions be provided under a new scheme.

[P.K.]

They should try and re-balance the workload FIRST before replacing the lost headcount.

 

It's not mean-spirited - it's basic management. Or not as in this case...

[Donald Trumps]

Presumably they pay tax on the pension and the consultancy income?

[Yin & Yang]

As a consultant, the employers don't pay NI, sick pay or holiday pay - so there's a sort of saving!

[mrmadmanx]

Stu, Ying and Yang and GD4R2D2 I do take your point and realise that there is a department saving with taking these people back on into their roles, but my point is that if this continues, my kids (and possibly yours) will never have a chance in a new Government career, and it is a tiny bit greedy of the retiree to stay on after there time is done, and therefore their roles cannot be filled by promotion from another member of that same department which in turn will lead to a new position at the bottom of the ladder for a new member of staff.

 

That's my penneth worth, I just feel it sucks of jobs for the boys!!!

[Albert Tatlock]

 

Just speaking to a friend who was telling me that a certain highly paid member of the above Department (or section of that department) has recently retired after reaching his retirement age.

 

Low and behold he is now working for the same section that he retired from

 

 

I think I agree with Albert on this, however, I don't see how it can be stopped. Once you're claiming pension I don't think they can prevent you taking on other work.

The point is, it's costing the taxpayer twice over - by that I mean it's costing to keep someone on the dole, because this has all kinds of effects down the 'employment food chain'.

 

A change in the law will stop it, and put the civil service and government back into the reality of the real world, by extending the retirement age in these posts, unless they pay in a significant amount of their own money to retire earlier.

 

Government pensions are nothing but one great institutionalised corrupt self serving piss take.

 

Roll on the next election. It's way past time for the forensic accounts, enquiries and the cops - for those that have helped themselves to help themselves over the last 20 years. I feel a big swing towards commonsense brewing with the electorate.

[craggy_steve]

When this happens it demonstrates a clear failure in succession planning by senior management. Failure to plan for the departure of a resource through something as predictable as retirement is really, really naff, and the lack of succession means that junior roles aren't created for young recruits which is, in the case of a public sector employer, clearly socially irresponsible.

 

Return after redundancy is a similar matter, when organisations are so stupid as to pay redundancy to someone they need and rehire them 'on contract' it sends the very clear message that management is incompetent.

 

And if the retiree or redundancy victim takes advantage? Good on them, they obviously have more nous than their management.

[Non-Believer]

Just speaking to a friend who was telling me that a certain highly paid member of the above Department (or section of that department) has recently retired after reaching his retirement age.

 

Low and behold he is now working for the same section that he retired from, on a contract!

 

I am sorry but surely this is wrong, and how on earth will any one of our kids ever be able to get onto the employment ladder if our Government is doing this!!

 

If Mr Watterson reads this please tell us if this is true.

 

Been going on for years and still is. Want some examples?

 

Bruce Hannay at the DOI/DOT. Selwyn Taggart (and others) at the Vehicle Testing Centre. Trevor Hussey (ex Prison) and his cabal of ex coppers and retired Civil Servants within the Motorsport Dept of D.E.D. All grabbing as much as they can whilst they can (or could in some cases). We're all in this together.....honest...