pension for pharmacist by RPSGB

[howe928]

I heard that if you are teachers you get teacher pensions, how about pharmacists? Teacher is a profession, i thought pharmacist is a profession as well. For the fee that we pay, apart from membership to right to practice in the UK + PJ journals, i think it might be worth to have a pension scheme and .

1) Is RPSGB or its new body likely to follow teacher union to include pension scheme for pharmacists?

2) Part of the fee we pay today could be used to pay for our registration fee in the future e.g. after 60 years old ?

[admin]

It sounds great, but in practice they put up our fees to over four hundred quid and propped up their own pensions with it.....or something like that..................

[confused.com]

i dont get it so baisically the increase in fees was to pay the society's pensions but not the members?? so pharmacist are quite happy to do this?? Imagine if the teachers were asked to do this there would be an all out strike. Why dont pharmacist make a big fuss??

Its making me quite angry to think that once i have qualified i have to pay for someone elses pension. Im already vexed with the society they are like leeches at the moment. Paid them for going on pre-reg placement, on top of that fees to sit the flipping exam and then pay them again to register!!!

[johnep]

Teachers are in fact govnmt employees. If you work for a PCT, hospital or prison, then you too can enjoy retirement at 60 on 2/3rds final salary, inflation proofed pension. The rest of us just work to keep the trough filled.
johnep

[Fleegle]

Almost agree..only one problem with that..these guys generally earn Jack Squat in the first place..even at the top.

[admin]

Originally Posted by Fleegle

Almost agree..only one problem with that..these guys generally earn Jack Squat in the first place..even at the top.

They choose to do that job don't they? They get paid enough for the work they do in my opinion. Who else can put up membership fees so high above inflation, and use the cash for the pension fund? I'd like it if you lot all put a bit in my pension fund if that's ok......

To confused - we didn't have a choice - we never do. We have to pay up or get out. Like Johnep says we fill the troughs.

[Fleegle]

Originally Posted by admin

We have to pay up or get out.:

I totally agree with this..I paid a part-time fee for 10 years, although I did not do a days work in the UK..I misguidedly felt the money was somehow helping my peers. Two years ago, I received a letter telling me to produce CPD returns (FROM IRELAND where they have NO jurestriction), and that I would be required to pay full membership fees to boot. This decision particularly affected British-registered pharmacists working voluntarily in deprived countries..they were effectively being struck-off if they could not "show the money"... their work was voluntary..they often did not have the money. (In many African countries, for example, a British certificate was accepted as a valid qualification, as they had no Pharmacy schools of their own). We were also told to send our certificates back if we would not pay up.

The letter went on to inform me that if I refused to conform to the above, then my only option was to resign my membership. Their attitude and complete lack of respect led me to resign, along with many (some very distinguished) others.

A few months later, I happened to read an article in PJ online, which said that they had "reviewed the situation" and CPD returns were no longer required from members resident overseas, regardless of membership level. All I had to do was ring the society, state my case, and they would re-admit me, upon payment of the full yearly fee.

They had not even bothered to contact me directly about this U-turn, although they still wanted my 400 quid.

I did not come back, and am not at all surprised that they now steal members' money to feather their nests. They are completely up their own a***s, and always have been...especially the "legal department". I could name one individual in particular, but I won't..YET.

They even banned Mark Koziol from entering Lambeth in the 90's because of his views..you know the rest..

Rant not over yet...

[Tony Schofield]

Pensions are part of a remuneration package. I am sure that Boots and Lloyds etc have company pension schemes I know we offer our employees a company pension scheme. It is a legal requirement that staff are offered at the very least a stakeholder pension.

Teachers pensions are paid by their employers and as it is the Govt. they are generous schemes and yes usually that is compensation for compromised salaries in the first place. Teacher's professional bodies do NOT pay pensions so it is inappropriate that the RPSGB do.

Hospital and PCT pharmacists are in the NHS pension scheme and Pharmacy academics are paid pensions from the department of education.

Pensions do have to be contributed to so how many here would want to pay into a RPSGB pension fund and trust them with your retirement income?

I thought not.

The RPSGB scheme for all employees is a legal requirement. As members of the society we are the employers and technically responsible for the pensions of the staff (NOT I must point out, the elected members of council. They get nothing out of the pension fund). As with all pension schemes since Gordon Brown abolished tax relief on dividend income for pension funds in his first ever budget (1997), the RPSGB has struggled to meet it's obligations to it's pensioners. The Citizens Advice Bureau is in danger of folding due to it's pension liabilities and many big companies have had to endure strike action as they struggle to offer the same benefits as they previously did with their pensions.

The RPSGB had a plan in place to gradually address pension shortfalls at as little cost to the membership as possible. However, Lord Young announced that the RPSGB would split into two bodies by 2010. As all pension funds will be transferred at that point to the successor bodies, it is a legal requirement that they are paid up to date. That was the reason for the sharp increase in fees.

Don't blame the RPSGB council who had no vested interest in this process other than to comply with the law. Blame Lord Young for the time frame.

[Fleegle]

Originally Posted by Tony Schofield

The RPSGB scheme for all employees is a legal requirement. As members of the society we are the employers and technically responsible for the pensions of the staff

VALID POINT..Next time you get the usual bull on the phone from the tower of ivory in the high street of lambeth..just remind them their pensions rest with us...

[Pharmanaut]

Originally Posted by Fleegle

VALID POINT..Next time you get the usual bull on the phone from the tower of ivory in the high street of lambeth..just remind them their pensions rest with us...

I am not a member, I am a registrant.