Topic: New retirement age 67

[Kea]

I'd be happier if I could find work so that I could fret about the retirement age...  :-X

Me too!

[fitzsie]

Yeah some days your the dog ....some days your the tree...

love the quote.....

Unfortunately this will affect different people in different ways. As someone who works in a prison the very idea of having to work longer feels me with dread. We have to pass a fitness test every year as it is so this is just another worry...........

Since when have you had to pass a fitness test to work in a Prison ?, the POA would not put up with it,

Unfortunately the POA did !!  ::)   (Where have you been !!  ;D ). They've been about for over 10 years and yes, I knew what was required of me when I joined the job and in my mind felt, if I could last until I approached the latter half of my 50's I would be happy ( I only joined the job when I was 47) .
My pension won't be huge, but if these changes come in then it starts to look bleak.

The fitness test is a mixture of tests which include being able to push & pull a certain weights and the worst bit , the bleep test. Not a high figure to obtain but the older you get the harder it is and I have never in my life been a runner !!  ( I find a being a talker helps the most in my job !!)  The worst part is that the police don't even have to do anything like it. Basically it is a means of getting rid of staff before they cost too much to pay. If you are a former employee you will understand what I am saying. It's worst for the new staff coming into the job now as they already have to pay a higher pension and on lesser pay.   ........Getting ready for privatisation  ::)   oooooh I could go on and on and on.........................

                            Which is why I have turned to growing vegetables, and.......relax !!

[Mr Smith]

Because the other has been retired for nine years, I can't stop laughing at this, the hardest exercise I have seen a screw do is lift a pint in the Brixton club, ;D

[queenbee]

Is the government taking our octogenarians of today as an example of people living longer? These 80 -90 year olds went through the austerity of the second world war. They had to make meals out of nothing, no ready meals or burgers for them.
very small amounts of meat, sugar, butter and eggs. Do you really think that today's teenagers and twenty somethings with their takeaways, convenience foods and binge drinking will last that long? I don't.  In 60 years time the government will be laughing all the way to the next budget.

[saddad]

According to today's news their livers are on the way out already...  :-X

[fitzsie]

Because the other has been retired for nine years, I can't stop laughing at this, the hardest exercise I have seen a screw do is lift a pint in the Brixton club, ;D

I can't comment on the London jails but I have worked at two in the east of england and the days of spending lunch in the Mess are way gone. As I mentioned before we are all heading towards privatisation (Birmingham being an example)  which will mean working for less money, with less staff.  At least your other half was there in the " good old days" because he wouldn't recognise the service now !!   

[Aden Roller]

Is the government taking our octogenarians of today as an example of people living longer? These 80 -90 year olds went through the austerity of the second world war. They had to make meals out of nothing, no ready meals or burgers for them.
very small amounts of meat, sugar, butter and eggs. Do you really think that today's teenagers and twenty somethings with their takeaways, convenience foods and binge drinking will last that long? I don't.  In 60 years time the government will be laughing all the way to the next budget.

Dead right!

My parents are both in their 90s having come from quite poor backgrounds where food was basic, they survived the war on meagre rations (here and abroad) and worked bl**dy hard. My dad started work as a farm hand and then a Hall Boy at 15 yrs of age. At 96 he is at last taking it easy.

Personally I'm not sure I'll make it to his age and I am even more doubtful about the younger generation.

Smile more, be grateful for what you have and don''t worry about those who have more. Enjoy what's yours. Life's too short.

[Mr Smith]

Because the other has been retired for nine years, I can't stop laughing at this, the hardest exercise I have seen a screw do is lift a pint in the Brixton club, ;D

I can't comment on the London jails but I have worked at two in the east of england and the days of spending lunch in the Mess are way gone. As I mentioned before we are all heading towards privatisation (Birmingham being an example)  which will mean working for less money, with less staff.  At least your other half was there in the " good old days" because he wouldn't recognise the service now !!   

                            Not me but my Mrs

[Mr Smith]

Yeah some days your the dog ....some days your the tree...

love the quote.....

Unfortunately this will affect different people in different ways. As someone who works in a prison the very idea of having to work longer feels me with dread. We have to pass a fitness test every year as it is so this is just another worry...........

Since when have you had to pass a fitness test to work in a Prison ?, the POA would not put up with it,

Unfortunately the POA did !!  ::)   (Where have you been !!  ;D ). They've been about for over 10 years and yes, I knew what was required of me when I joined the job and in my mind felt, if I could last until I approached the latter half of my 50's I would be happy ( I only joined the job when I was 47) .
My pension won't be huge, but if these changes come in then it starts to look bleak.

The fitness test is a mixture of tests which include being able to push & pull a certain weights and the worst bit , the bleep test. Not a high figure to obtain but the older you get the harder it is and I have never in my life been a runner !!  ( I find a being a talker helps the most in my job !!)  The worst part is that the police don't even have to do anything like it. Basically it is a means of getting rid of staff before they cost too much to pay. If you are a former employee you will understand what I am saying. It's worst for the new staff coming into the job now as they already have to pay a higher pension and on lesser pay.   ........Getting ready for privatisation  ::)   oooooh I could go on and on and on.........................

                            Which is why I have turned to growing vegetables, and.......relax !!

              Just had a word with the Brother-in-law about the Fitness test and the good news is even I could pass it after an afternoon in the pub, but he does agree it could be used as a  way  to get rid of staff,

[ACE]

We have 3 prisons here, both my father and father in law were officers there. Retirement at 55, bought their houses on the prison officers estates at knocked down prices, pensions rated on final salary which was very good as most of them had to work double shifts before the 'new start' came in.

Most of the old school officers had long retirements, not so now, what with modern diets and lazy habits most of the newer officers end up on boot hill long before their 3 score and 10 The cemeteries are full of graves that have ages less than sixty marked on the headstones. So they are not paying out the pensions they used to pay. Fitness tests seem a good idea as I am always seeing working parties of fit cons being guarded by their fat controllers stood with hands in pockets and  chain smoking the pass the boredom. Heart attacks must go with the job. 

[fitzsie]

Most of the old school officers had long retirements, not so now, what with modern diets and lazy habits most of the newer officers end up on boot hill long before their 3 score and 10 The cemeteries are full of graves that have ages less than sixty marked on the headstones. So they are not paying out the pensions they used to pay. Fitness tests seem a good idea as I am always seeing working parties of fit cons being guarded by their fat controllers stood with hands in pockets and  chain smoking the pass the boredom. Heart attacks must go with the job. 

Actually, the opposites can also apply. I remember the days when officers had access to cheap booze in the Mess and could be seen visiting at all hours. ( During the working day as well ! ) Together with the cooked breakfasts that they could get , meant that some of the officers had dreadful lifestlyes. I've attended  a few funerals, of officers who have retired and a few years later have died from heart attacks or similar.
I think it is a benefit having this fitness test as it does mean that you end up making an effort to look after your own health. However it is still galling that we have to have this test when no other organisation ( like the police officers ) have to do one...............Kenneth Clarke does not like us   :o

[Deb P]

Interesting thread this. I really hadn't given much thought to the age I might retire at until forced to last year, when us NHS types had to do a 'pension choice' exercise. As a midwife, I could in theory retire at 55 (which seems a bit near now, only 5 years away!) but would face a much reduced pension because of the number of years service...but the reality is that I really don't think I could cope physically with 'hands on' midwifery much beyond 60, and I am fit and well at the moment.

Doing at least 1 week of night duty every month, 12 hour shifts (my choice to do that, otherwise it is 5 x 7 1/2 hour shifts a week with up to 10 on the trot) this job does not is not for the faint hearted and really does not take your age into account at all. I still feel very privileged to do my job, and will happily carry on until I drop, but hope that isn't literally! ;D

[betula]

I did have a letter ages ago to say I could get my pension at 63.

Must say I love my part time job selling Antiques but weeks when I have done lots of extra shifts I really feel it.Being on your feet for a long time is something I notice now.

Had to give up my Gardening round due to two ops but determined to stay as active as possible.

As I live close to town I only get the car out when I go out of town.Tend to walk most places.

I don't fancy retiring full time.........work gives me money....new friends,meeting people from all over the world...yes have the lottie in the summer but can imagine winter could be trying.

[Digeroo]

67 seems very old to me.  I found my job working with figures increasingly stressful and in the end decided to retire at 55.  I was very short of cash until my state pension kicked in.  But certainly no shortage of things to do. 

I think if people are going to work that long there will be a need to find second careers.  I suppose that allotmenting has become my second career.   Someone will have to look into creating millions of part time jobs.  Seems odd to me to get older people working longer and then not have enough jobs for the youngsters. 

[betula]

I know someone who has 4 MacDonald's,he has a thousand applications on average every month from kids looking for jobs. :(

[Spudbash]

Over the weekend I bumped into an old friend who took up a creative second career doing silk paintings, in her sixties. She's now well into her seventies and I think it's the work that's keeping her young. She once worked as a school nurse and later stopped because of health problems, but she has found something that combines little-and-often work at home with dates in the diary for craft fairs at weekends - a good balance of quiet industry and sociability. I've admired her for years and continue to hold up her as a role model for later life.

For myself, I've worked as a teacher and as a food writer, but now regard my fruit and veg growing a purposeful hobby that puts food on the table and allows me to put my health and my family's interests first.

It would be nice to think that someone else will create appropriate opportunities for us to work at different stages of our life, but in practice, only I can judge what works for me. It took quite a while to adjust from being a public sector employee to being self-employed, but my life was richer for making the journey. I really enjoyed food writing, but stopped when the time and effort of writing proposals got out of all proportion to the remuneration available in a recession, plus the ever-increasing competition. So I decided to focus on the growing, shopping (parsimoniously!) and cooking, and I find it a very satisfying way of life. With my husband's earnings and my ability to be flexible, we are very happy and, as life events have shown, we are well-placed to deal with the unexpected.

I wish everyone else sufficient income and the level of life satisfaction that we've reached.

Spudbash  :)

[lincsyokel2]

im 57, ive called it a day. And from the age of 15 ive worked for 39 of the last 42 years, and paid more than £200,000 into the system in taxes. I am now extracting whatever benefits i can from them, and  doing cash in hand. I refuse to pay anymore in, and  i refuse to work till i drop dead at 66 , bearing in mind ive already had a heart attack and bowel cancer.  I exepct a reasonable retuyrn on my £200,000 - if i had not paid any of that and invested it, by now it would be making me about  £10,000 a year in a bond.

[Mr Smith]

im 57, ive called it a day. And from the age of 15 ive worked for 39 of the last 42 years, and paid more than £200,000 into the system in taxes. I am now extracting whatever benefits i can from them, and  doing cash in hand. I refuse to pay anymore in, and  i refuse to work till i drop dead at 66 , bearing in mind ive already had a heart attack and bowel cancer.  I exepct a reasonable retuyrn on my £200,000 - if i had not paid any of that and invested it, by now it would be making me about  £10,000 a year in a bond.

                 You have taken the words straight out of my mouth, I don't blame you I will be on the same bandwagon next March, :)

[OllieC]

heart attack and bowel cancer.

Both must have been very hard - you have my condolences, but in your calculation to justify tax dodging have you deducted the cost of your treatment? I reckon the CT scan I used to get every 3 months (now 6 months) costs a few thousand a pop, on top of the cost of surgery & medical expertise.

[ACE]

 Due to being deemed disabled I had to take early retirement 10 years ago. I refused to accept that I was unfit for work but nobody would employ me. After 40 years in the forces and local authority I was given decent pension, but the big gap needed filling, so I started up on my own. In a months time they will give me another £500 a month and I will be a bona fide pensioner. But I'm not ready to stop yet and I cannot ever see the day I have will not have a spade in my hand. Modern medicine  has given me back my full mobility, why waste it.

Mind you these new walking frames do help. ;D