Posted by Denis Martin on 27 November 2000 at 15:37:43:

I note that the online pensions page has recently been updated.
It is now titled 'IBM Pension Plan' and has a contents pointing to the C-Plan section, N-Plan section, I-Plan section, and M-Plan section. The implication is that all plans are sections of the one pension plan.
The page is at w3.emea.ibm.com/uk/pensions, though I think that w3 indicates internal access only.

Posted by Jennie Manuel on 28 November 2000 at 13:00:31:

In Reply to: UK Pensions Trust Page posted by Denis Martin on 27 November 2000 at 15:37:43:

: I note that the online pensions page has recently been updated.
: It is now titled 'IBM Pension Plan' and has a contents pointing to the C-Plan section, N-Plan section, I-Plan section, and M-Plan section. The implication is that all plans are sections of the one pension plan.
: The page is at w3.emea.ibm.com/uk/pensions, though I think that w3 indicates internal access only.

This pensions page has been moved to:

w3.ibm.com/emea/uk/pensions

Posted by MrCynical on 29 November 2000 at 11:01:31:

In Reply to: Re: UK Pensions Trust Page posted by Jennie Manuel on 28 November 2000 at 13:00:31:

A pitiful and pathetic attempt to cover their tracks. I have documentation sent to me from back in March 1994 with updates to the Pension and Life Assurance Plans handbook.

The first Heading
"How the IBM Pension Plans affect you" - an obvious plural.
again on Page 15
"Administration of the Plans".

It is very clear that the intention was to lead the employee to the conclusion that schemes were seperate. Note this is well before the M plan was invented however, and was intended to differentiate the various V, N, B and C plans.

Most laughable of all, under the section "A summary of your benefits if you join the C Plan at around age 25" it states

You should remember that :-

IBM makes substantial contributions in order to meet the balance of costs necessary to provide the pension benefits.

Should I laugh or cry ???

Posted by Tally_ho_us on 06 December 2000 at 20:33:12:

In Reply to: UK Pensions Trust Page posted by Denis Martin on 27 November 2000 at 15:37:43:

I would consider what I said earlier - find out if the group of employees
are the same in both plans. A section seems to say to me that the
same employees are covered. I am under the impression that c has
a separate group of employees from the M group and the two groups do
not have an option of changing into various plans depending on which
on is better. It seems that you are frozen so to speak in one plan.

I would think that the plans would be separate if you could not change
by choice or did not cover the same group of employees at the same
level in the organization. For example all executives are covered in the
M plan but are all band 7,8, 9 covered in the c plan - I think not therefor
this is more than just a terms and conditions change of plan "sections". Can
people elect to change sections - what by law qualifies a section of a plan
vs. plan. I bet employee covered is one bases of the law. It doesn't
hurt to check anyway. The more informed you are the harder to pull
the wool over your eyes - we have found this out in the states.