Firm allows staff unlimited paid leave

Regarding state pension, it's pretty tiny and will be pretty irrelevant if it exists at all by the time we retire.

Company pensions have generally been seen as the best option for those who can get one, but recent stock market slump has hastened the demise of 'final salary schemes', where one receives a set proportion of one's final salary upon retirement. Firms are closing these to new entrants, and offering only money purchase pension schemes. With these, one ends up with a pension that is dependent on the fund's performance. So the stock market risk is borne by the employee rather than the employer. Of course, in theory one might end up better off than with a final salary scheme should the stock market (and the fund managers) be doing well when one retires, but its the insecurity that is unattractive. Also, I hear that at the same time as all this, employers are taking the opportunity to lower the contributions they make as well, which is less forgivable.

What with one thing and another, the government is generally perceived to be doing a rather weak job of sorting out the pension problem. A few years ago they launched something called 'stakeholder pensions', which have been a bit of a flop. They recently ducked out of any radical solution like forcing people to put earnings into a pension fund. They warned that people will have to work longer in the future, which caused a fuss.

Public sector pensions are still pretty good, I think. And accountants are rich and should be able to sort themselves out quite comfortably.

Other scandal in the UK was the 'misselling' of pension plans by representatives of many of the major pesnions companies. People were encouraged to opt out of SERPS (State Earnings-Related Pension Scheme) by wily salesmen, and ended up with innappopriate products. Or something like that. I don't know why I know all this. It's the story of my adult life - I know lots of stuff about money but I never have any and my finances are in a complete mess. While other people know fuck all, have no investments till they bought their London flat three years ago which has now quadrupled in value or whatever.

You can check out anytime you want, but you can never leave.

(The weekly wages took me 2-3 days each week. When I was leaving, they got two people in to replace me - the manager there was crap at work study, but top at empire building.)

Most people complain 5 weeks isn't enough though. I work at a newspaper where we are expected (but not forced) to come to work on every public holiday, with the incentive of 50% extra pay, and a "lieu day", a day off at our own choosing. I don't mind doing this because it means I can save them up and get an extra two weeks off every year (I work three 12 and a half hour shifts a week.)

As far as that scheme goes it seems entirely reasonable, it appears to combine all of the benefits of contract work with job security. One has to wonder how one protects your workload from increasing.

Also, if you finish a project and bugger off then you will never be there to get given any more work so you need never come back! Permanent holidays!

Waiting and seeing on this proposal.

Americans are mugs. I guess you can take holiday between jobs though.

Sick days are mad in the States too. Over here you get six months sickness - as long as you are actually sick (ie proof with Doctors notes after three days).

Best thing for small businesses. Coops give everyone a stake in the business then not only do people have a real reason to turn up but since they own the business paid holiday is kind of an arbitrary concept.

Well yeah, but if Americans are all futuristic and flexible so get paid more and have mucho job instability then it becomes a realistic equivalent.

Anyone know what's happening about the extra bank holidays the UK is supposed to be getting to make us more like the rest of Europe?