Doctor, Doctor
I came across an article about doctors' pensions the other day.
Which said that an e-petition to the UK Government - submitted by a Scottish doctor - has received more than 17,000 signatures in just under a week.
The e-petition was lodged apparently by Dundee doctor Alan Robertson - who just so happens to be the 'chairman' of the British Medical Association's (BMA’s) Pensions Committee.
Perhaps unsurprisingly the petition calls on the UK Government to think again about reforms to the doctors' pensions scheme which are intended to:
- increase the retirement age
- mo from a final salary to career average scheme
- increase contributions for senior doctors from 8.5% up to 14.5% by 2014
Well knock me down with a feather!
I bet if you asked a pub fullof drinkers if thet agreed with putting up beer by 10 p a pint - that 100% of them would say - I don't agree.
But what's surprising about that - you'd get the same result if you asked smokers about putting 20p on a packet of fags?
The whole point is that doctors benefit enormously from the thw way in which public sector pension schemes work at the moment - because the 'rules are drawn up in their favour.
Doctors benefit from preferential retirement - but what good reason is there for doctors to stop working earlier than anyone else?
None that I can see.
Doctors also benefit from a final salary pension scheme - so it's only fair that they pay more in contributions - from 8.5% to 14.5% - to retain these benefits.
Surely the BMA is not arguing that other less well paid NHS staff - should subsidise the pension benefits of BMA members.
Because that is extremely unfair in this day and age - and it's high time that the present 'rules' were changed.
