A government e-petition organised by DC Mick Pearson of Greater Manchester police revealed clear sexist anti-male discrimination in the way that final lump sums are paid by the police pension schemes. Over 10,000 people signed the petition (link).
He found that on retirement, a female police office will recieve £12,000 more than a male officer and as revealed by Personnel Today (link), a female superintendent could recieve £26,000 more. This, despite, the fact that a woman could pay less.
This is a clear case of where men are sexually discriminated against. There has been rightfully an outcry on some women losing out on pensions because they have looked after their children and for other reasons. Nothing on an issue like this though, no outcry from the Equal Opoortunities Commission or the Guardian/BBC.
DC Pearson is quoted in Personnel Today as stating, “Not all females live longer than males – and many other factors come into it, for example, some ethnic groups may live less than others, people who smoke tend to live less, or hereditary factors.
“To offer women higher lump sum payments purely because they are women is discrimination.”
He added: “Everybody should be treated equally – if it’s a financial investment, we all pay the same contributions each year, so we should all get the same contributions back.
“I don’t think the scheme should take into account different factors like gender, or factors such as hereditary disease or health factors [like life insurance funds do] as this is a financial investment – we should all get the same. Even if it’s legal, it’s still unfair.”
Pearson tried to raise the inequality between men and women in lump-sum police pension payments with the Police Federation three years ago, but said he was frustrated to find they “took the attitude that rules are rules – and they were set in stone”.
He is again calling on the Police Federation to review the current system. “The petition will be put before the new Prime Minister, and I can use it as a basis to ask the Police Federation to do something,” he said.
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