I will try and make this brief.
I work for the Police as an Emergency 999 Call Handler. Yes… It is stressful, and I only work late shifts. Between the Police and Local Government, I have 23 years continuous service.
We had a big meeting yesterday as are joining forces with a neighbourhood force, and there are massive changes afoot.
One of the options I can apply for is Early Retirement on the grounds of ill health, and I spoke to a Unison Rep after the meeting and he said ‘well you are half way there really’…
Fortunately I have a meeting with the Force Medical Advisor tomorrow, as I am struggling with my late finishes on my shifts.
Time is of the essence, as I only have 2 weeks to get my request in.
What will I expect financially ? Will I be forced to live on a pittance… Will I get a lump sum, and then a Pension ? I rfeally dont know what to expect.
Any advice is appreciated.
Sam
Hi,
You really need to be asking at work what you would get, not here, because every scheme’s different.
Isn’t there a pensions adviser at work, or can’t the Unison Rep point you in the right direction?
In any event, you should get a full quotation of what the terms would be before you decide. You can’t decide blind, and then discover it’s not enough to live on.
There should be a mechanism to say that you want to see figures, but without committing yourself to actually accepting. I can’t believe they’d ask anyone to say yes or no without understanding exactly what they’d get, anyway. That would be ludicrous!
Tina
I don’t know. My neighbour is a sergeant in the police but his brother had to ‘retire’ from the fire brigade at a fairly early age. I had to retire at 54. All I can say is good luck and I would be interested to know what you do as everyone is different!
Marcus.
Contact the pensions officer who will be someone in the payroll office of your employer - ask him or her for a quotation for retirement on ill health grounds. i have just done this in another public sector job. AS other respondent says, what you get depends on the terms of your scheme - there is not a general rule or entitlement- and how old you are, how much you have contributed etc.
Contact the pensions officer who will be someone in the payroll office of your employer - ask him or her for a quotation for retirement on ill health grounds. i have just done this in another public sector job. AS other respondent says, what you get depends on the terms of your scheme - there is not a general rule or entitlement- and how old you are, how much you have contributed etc.