WHERE does Keith Whitfield get the idea from that public servants have privileged pension schemes? They are worked for and paid for by the employees concerned.

Not only that, they have been considerably reduced by a score of years of cash limiting by both Labour and Conservative governments.

When every other class of worker was having leave entitlement increased by government decree, that of public servants was reduced. The long leave was necessitated by the strain of having to deal with members of the public like Keith Whitfield.

The result of reducing the leave entitlement can quite clearly be seen in the vast increase in stress-induced sick leave that the public service suffers from.

As for pensions at 60, these were not handed out for the sake of the employees. Back in the Sixties public servants were quite happy to go on working as long as they could, even though it did not increase the pension. Colleagues of mine retired well into their 70s.

Then, along with the reduction in leave entitlement, public servants were compelled to retire at an earlier age, gradually reducing to age 60. The early retirement was introduced as a penalty not a privilege, even though it didn't take staff long to realise that, in terms of quality of life, it could be an advantage.

I took mine as early as possible because, although I took my title of civil servant seriously, I saw that serving the likes of Keith Whitfield just wasn't worth it!

K Barnes,

North View,

Catterton.

Updated: 10:32 Wednesday, February 23, 2005