@ super huey "If pay was rubbish for nurses, they should have looked for a job in the private sector? I mean I would have... "

Actually many people get into nursing and doctoring because they believe in the difference that health for all can make to peoples lives.
Also there is the issue of quantity of job places, often taking a private sector job will mean having to uproot family and area, as the nurses often are not earning well on the NHS they cannot necessarily afford to move to these other areas, something that's often forgotten about job mobility is that affording to be mobile is a task of economy on it's own.

@ mr Smith

I entirely agree. The spin seems to be to paint public sector workers as having gold plated pensions and evoking the politics of envy so that we indulge in a race to the bottom.

Here's why a large number of major private pension schemes are underfunded (including the likes of British Airways) - it is because contributions to the pension scheme affect the bottom line and therefore the bosses bonuses! Simples.

I'm curious as to what constitutes a ''partially closed'' school -

a deputy headteacher alone in their office,
an art teacher tidying the artroom, a care-taker airing a gym,
a handful of pupils using the library?

Would be more meaningful to know how many schools were fully functioning and how many were not.

Something that seems to get swallowed up in all of this is the fact that people in the public sector actually pay for their pensions- it's not all from taxation. Of course, public sector workers also pay tax.

Two issues here on your story and the comments so far.

Firstly, yes both sides will spin. That is now unfortunately what we have come to. Basically you cannot believe what you are told by either side as far as figures are concerned. Perhaps understandable for a Union or group of unions, but when it comes to not being able to believe what the government says - perhaps that tells its own tail. David cameron obviously told a porky about 40% of schools being open. We just cannot trust them.

Secondly, Gold plated pensions is rubbish for public servants. Yes a few top earners will get good pensions as do top managers of private companies. However most will not be very good at all and you have to remember that pay in the public sector is lower than that for the private sector. Take nurses for instance. They can earn more working for a private company and get perks (something not allowed in the NHS) than they do in the NHS. So a career taking home less pay entitles them to a very slightly improved pension. I'm sure if whole life earnings were compared the priavteers would be streets ahead.

By the way most NHS staff will only have about £15-18,000 pensions if they worked their entirity in the NHS. Those coming in later in life will have much less. Some will no doubt be on benefits as well.

Nice one Des Demona. Useful figures.

@Super Huey- er, not everyone in the public sector has a pension. When looking for a job, there are many factors to consider-such as location, availibilty, skills held by the employee and skills required by the employer-and not just pay. A lot of the problems we are facing are due to the fact that people in powerful and influential positions focus on nothing but the bottom line and encourage those like yourself to do the same. It's just not that simple.

NS you are a complete sorry excuse for a freedom of speech... I posted a comment and put words like

Sh0pp1ng, 4rmy, cust0ms and I suspect any other buzz words from TV that could damage your Samira Shackles article and you veted a perfectly sound comment just because you don't like it all I did was replace a few letters and it's gone through... how pathetic... I wonder if you samira, had added a rule in your article to exclude comments with those words?

@Richard Albright
Let's not pretend that there are not vast differences within both the public and private sector in terms of final pensions;the gap between the lower and upper echelons of each is far too wide. Also, vould you clarify where you got your figure of £1800 from? It seems a little low for an average. Des Demona's averages are of the more relaistic median variety-what kind of average is yours?

The figure is based on a worker earning £16.000 paying 6% into a money purchase pension scheme.

Family UK’ have consistently taken out the equivalent of loans and mortgages to support their lifestyle, so now instead of spending all of their income on ‘Family UK’ they are paying a large part to the people they owe money to in interest. Not only that but when the children want to know how much they owe and how long it will take to pay back, the parents don’t seem to be able to work it out…that's Scary

It seems that ‘Family UK’ finds itself in a difficult place. Like all children while things looked good we didn’t ask where did the money come from, now things look tough we are complaining about bad management. So should ‘Family UK’ drop the pride and forget about status in the interest of balancing the family finances or should it continue on the same course and let the next generation take on the full burden of the debt that the parents have created.

I for one like stability and uncomplicated decisions. For me stability comes from being in control. In this case being in control starts with balancing the finances and not spending beyond your means.

If ‘Family UK’ were a real family, with high debt and interest payments, wanting to bring their finances under control they would do the following.

I can agree with having the sense tonot live beyond your means. I do have a problem with the concept 'Family UK' you are using- it doesn't help your argument. It's not evidenced and is allowing you to argue the point you want to make. You also haven't addressed Special K's question on where the averages came from and what kind of average they were.

"Money purchase pension schemes and final salary schemes are worlds apart and most in the private sector no longer enjoy the best of these two worlds."

Something to add to the list of reasons for those in the private sector to approach their unions.

@ Richard Albright
Rather than have us shout at the screen, explain what you mean clearly so your arguments can be tested and debated. Britain PLC is just as meaningless as Family UK without any explanation.

@ Des Domona

I like you!!!!! more please.