Pensions for some past assignees into France
Some IBMers who were assigned to IBM France or IBM Europe in France qualify
for a pension from the France state and (in fewer cases) IBM France’s “company”
pension.
There is a lengthy procedure
for procuring such pensions.
The longer ago that you
worked in France, the more likely it is that you qualify for these pensions
because it appears that later agreements consolidated the pensions in the
“home” IBM countries.
I was assigned by IBM UK to
IBM La Gaude, France for exactly three years in 1970-1973 at level 56 (initially
for four months to IBM Europe and for the remainder to IBM France). Although
varying with the euro-pound rate, I now receive:
1.
For my 3 years work
there, a monthly “French state” pension of about £63 (in 12/2008) paid by post
to me by Alliance and Leicester sterling cheque.
2.
For the 2 years and 8
months that I worked for IBM France, a quarterly “IBM France” pension of some £640.
(At age 71 in 2008, my friend
Horst Geiss, an early 1970s IBM Germany assignee to IBM La Gaude received a
handsome back-dated cheque for his “IBM France” pension that he had not claimed
until that age. It appears that the countries Germany and France already had an
agreement in the early 1970s that the state pension contributions by
individuals and employers should be made to the “home” countries – so that no
French “state” pension is now payable to German and probably other “early EU
country” assignees. Horst Geiss advises speaking about back payments to Madame
Pons in Novalis on 0033-1-5882 5505.)
I and IBM paid considerable
sums for these pensions. Neither during my assignment nor later did IBM or the
French state inform me that pensions were payable: to me it is lax of IBM not to
advise all former assignees about how to procure these pensions, for instance
when leaving IBM. There were many assignees from the USA in senior positions
who probably are not aware of their pension rights: I have asked IBM to pass
this information to them without success as far as I know.
I was also assigned to IBM La
Gaude from 1 June 1987 to the end of 1989. My correspondence with IBM and the
French state authorities indicates that this period qualifies for neither the
state nor the “IBM” pension – I am
not entirely convinced. I have been in email correspondence with IBM
France’s Marie-Ange Hazard (marie-ange_hazard@fr.ibm.com, +33 4 6887 7894) who was asked by the
IBM France HR Director to help assignees. (The HR director is Tim_Stevens@fr.ibm.com). I asked Marie-Ange for information that
should be useful for me and other assignees. She states that:
1.
IBM had a fire of many
documents archived by a sub-contractor in May 2002.
2.
She is uncertain at what
date assignees stopped paying into the French schemes.
3.
Regarding my wife “she
could only be entitled to French pensions should she have contributed from her
own salaries” [what about at least a widow’s pension I wonder?].
If you think you may qualify
for a pension or pensions, I suggest you state your full name and address, date
of birth, period on assignment, and if possible your social security number,
and contact:
Alan Smith (UK retiree) reports that the UK revenue authorities allow
10% off pensions from abroad and that such pensions should be declared as
“foreign income”. I have UK HMRC confirmation of this and declare both pensions
with 10% off.
Duncan Ogilvie, +44-117-973 6688, duncanogi @ aol. com
Bristol, England