CIVIL SERVICE PENSIONERS' ALLIANCE

CSPA
First Floor,
102-104, Park Lane,
Croydon,
Surrey, CR0 1JB
Tel: 020 8688 8418
E-mail: enquiries@cspa.co.uk

Challenging Times

You will be well aware of the radical changes the Civil Service has undergone and how much its conditions of service have been altered. Pensioners too will experience change. The Civil Service pension scheme is always under review, and the Government continually changes the provisions for older people in general; whether it is the State benefits to which they are entitled, their tax allowances, care in the NHS or something else that has a particular impact. Age discrimination can also affect older people in many ways.
 
Civil Service Pensions - The Facts
 
The average Civil Service pension is £5,400 a year. The average Civil Service widows' pension is £2,400 a year. A quarter of all Civil Service pensioners have pensions of less than £2,000 a year and a third of all Civil Service widows have pensions of less than £1,000 a year.
 
Civil Service pensions are not free. Civil Servants pay between 1½% and 3½% of their salaries for Widows' and Orphans' benefits. Because the scheme is otherwise non-contributary, salaries are reduced by about 6% to account for this. Therefore, final salaries and hence pensions are about 6% less than they would otherwise have been and will remain so for life.
 

Meeting the Challenge

It is therefore of crucial importance that there should be an organisation which can speak and campaign for you, help prevent the erosion of your rights, and make representations on your behalf to all levels in Government in order to influence possible changes in legislation. That is why the Alliance exists. It is not a Trade Union but is run on a voluntary basis by retired Civil Servants. It is the only body recognised by Government Departments dealing with Civil Service pensions as speaking solely for all such pensioners. We co-operate on issues of common concern with other pensioner organisations such as Age Concern and through our affiliation to the National Pensioners Convention and the Public Service Pensioners Council. By joining the CSPA you will be adding your voice and expressing your support for our campaigns.