'Public Sector workers should remember also that they have traditionally been in a very privileged position of having employer-supported-and co-funded pension schemes - many in the Private Sector didn't until the introduction of Stakeholder Pension Schemes five years or so ago'. I would hardly claim that I am privileged. Pensions contributions are no more than deferred salary. Public sector are now having to prop up the stakeholder pension schemes at the rate of £1 per public sector and £2.50 per private sector, which means the tax payers are paying MORE to prop up Private pensions than public pensions. Our pensions are NOT gold plated, final salary does not mean we get the same as we did when we were working which is something else I heard a memebr of the public say this week. as I said before, the Hutton enquiry said our pensions are self funding and had successive goevernments of all colours either ringfenced or invested them there would not be this problem. What they did do was when the private pensions haemorraged a few years ago because employers and government were not manging them they took the money to prop them up and bail them out from the public sector pernsions and never put it back which is why we are in this mess now. And if we are all in this together WHY has the government just awarded itself a masive hike in their ringfenced pensions to £28,000 per year after only one term in office, increasing after each term. If that is being all in this toggether I am happy to take it. That's nearly 3 times my pension.