In Reply to: Re: IBM Complaints posted by Martin on 09 January 2002 at 22:15:06:
I expect most of us have experience of overwork and will sympathise with the Ombudsman's staff. I am sure the staff are public-spirited, hard working, talented and efficient. However, in any enterprise, there can comes a point when lack of resources has an effect on outcomes.
Personally, I believe that point has already been reached, and the expediency adopted in the way the complaints were set up for investigation has affected the prospects of the complaints being upheld. (Mine, at least).
The resources difficulty is not new. It is commented on in a report by The Industrial Society, "Pension tension", ISBN 1 85835 9015.
In the long term, writing to MPs as Martin suggests can have an effect. Additionally, there is (during January 2002) a way of communicating more directly to the decision makers by submitting views to the Pickering Review's consultation team.
Some of us have already made the point about resources earlier, but further submissions would emphasise the importance of this matter to consumers of occupational pensions. Newsletter Nine describes how to comment on "Consumer Protection".
Brian