Public Sector Employees Facing Redundancy Should Consider Unemployment Insurance
With the recession officially over and 0.5 percent growth in the last quarter of 2009 you might be fooled in believing that unemployment is a thing of the past.
The grim truth is that every day up and down the country people are still losing their jobs in the thousands.
For the Public sector this must be a worrying time. Whoever gets into power come the elections in May, will make public sector job cuts their first priority in order to reduce the massive National debt accrued by so called quantitiive easing.
Civil Servants need to ACT NOW! if they are to protect themselves from redundancy come the Summer of 2010.
Dennis Haggerty Fellow of the Chartered Insurance Institute (FCII) from lifestyle protection company
iprotectinsurance explains.........
Up until now, Public Sector jobs have largely escaped the ravages of the recession. Although for Defence related jobs, budget cuts have already begun to bite. Because of this, many Mortgage Protection and Income Protection Insurance providers are currently turning down applications from people who work in the Defence industry, believing they now represent an exceptional level of risk. What is meant by risk? The Underwriters think in terms of the number of redundancies made by a specific employer proving much higher than average. The same view is taken about people working for several Councils currently implementing staff reductions.
"Therefore, it is probably the last chance for the majority working in the Public Sector to buy this type of insurance, before the deep post election budget cuts begin."
State benefits are pitiful compared to the real cost of living for the average family or young couple living in the UK today. When denied their ability to earn a living wage by accident, sickness or unemployment, everyone needs money to fall back on. The fortunate have savings, however the majority will find themselves in real financial trouble within weeks. Research published in 2008 established that most people of working age have less than 2 months wages saved, with 25% reported to have nothing at all. This applies equally to Public Sector employees. Therefore, having an insurance policy that covers all important bills whilst out of work, makes a great deal of sense. For those that need this insurance, get it now before the Underwriters say 'no thanks' to all Civil Servants, Local Authority and Health Service employees.
For anyone employed full time (at least 16 hours per week) in the Public Sector and where there are not any reports of any impending threats to jobs, it would be prudent to consider getting a quote right now. If a Government Department or Council for example, has made an announcement regarding cut backs, a recruitment freeze or layoffs, it is probably too late to buy this cover. Without any doubt, now is the time to get a low premium deal, rather than wait for this cover to rocket in price, or applications to be simply denied altogether.
Even those who already have this type of insurance, perhaps just covering a mortgage or a single loan, should check if they have sufficient benefits. For working couples, particularly where the main wage earner is employed, say, by a Local Authority, it could be prudent for them to take out additional low cost cover whilst it is still on offer.
Mortgage Payment Protection Insurance (MPPI) is designed to cover monthly mortgage payments and can usually be increased by up to 25% to contribute toward other expenses related to the home.
Income Protection Insurance (often called
Lifestyle Protection) is very similar to MPPI, however it is designed to replace the majority of net income if the person insured is unable to work. As it pays out for up to a year it is more accurate to describe this as short term income protection insurance. It is not limited to mortgage repayments. However many providers cap their maximum monthly benefits at £1500, some £2000. It is rarely more because the Underwriters make the assumption this would be enough for most buyers to pay their monthly bills.
Most buyers tend to be only be interested in unemployment cover in the mistaken belief health related benefit is less important for them. However there are relatively few providers of unemployment only cover and frequently their competitors will offer full Accident Sickness and Unemployment cover for less! More importantly with 2.4m people in the UK claiming Disability Benefit (Dept of Work and Pensions 2008) the risk of health related claims is greater than many think.
The best rates are available on line where Income Protection and Lifestyle Protection Insurance can be bought without the expense of telephone sales or high commission to inflate the price. Moneysupermarket are a good source of comparison quotes, howeve
r the summary of cover should always be read very carefully to ensure what each provider offers for the price, really is like for like.
A web based comparison service is provided by the FSA. This is entirely independent and not trying to sell anything. Their tables also include quality measures, although as a result they are quite complex and therefore not easy to use. However they represent a good place to research a shortlist of suppliers to compare quality as well as price.
Applying for Income Protection, Mortgage Protection or
Payment Protection Insurance on-line is a great way to save money. However the acceptance criteria applied by different underwriters varies. If applying on-line does not work out, it may simply mean the applicant is one of many who need advice regarding what to buy.
Labels: income protection, lifestyle insurance, mortgage protection, mortgage protection insurance, Quantitative Easing, redundancy insurance, UK government, unemployment, unemployment insurance
A History of UK Unemployment Insurance
Unemployment Insurance has hit the headlines recently, mostly due to a rise in demand due to the recession, but also due to misselling of payment protection accident, sickess and unemployment insurance and the subsequent flood of claims.
As a concept the first type of Unemployment Insurance available in the UK was created by the Liberal Goverment of Lloyd George with the passing of the National Insurance Act in 1911.
The bill was introduced mainly to protect the two point five million workers in manual trades who along with their employers were required to pay into a central fund to cover the claims.
The payments were calculated on a sliding scale up to a maximum of seven shillings a week.
The cover period for which claims could be drawn was limited to one fifth of the period of contributions.
In other words you had to be in work and paying contributions or premiums for five years before you would be covered for unemployment that lasted a year.
The unemployed who did not qualify for cover or who had not been in work long enough had recourse to the Poor Law authorities which inevitably at this time still meant the workhouse for many unfortunates.
High premiums and poor cover, not a very good effort for the first Government led insurance scheme, but it did offer some protection to those in work, and coupled with the social change of the Edwardian period led to a new sense of Government social responsibility and a working class mentality that became the foundations of the Labour Party and eventually led to other social provisions such as the NHS.
This National Unemployment Insurance scheme proved to be inadequate to provide for the large numbers of unemployed and returning demobilised military, that followed the end of the First World War in 1918.
A temporary scheme of unemployment relief was designed to combat the suffering, which was known as the 'Out of Work Donation'.
This enabled a much larger payment of 29 shillings a week for men and 24 shillings for women to be made to claimants, with additional allowances for dependents, to most adults who registered as unemployed.
This was available for a strictly limited period, but the Government was forced to grant extensions as more and more servicemen were demobilised.
In 1920 the Unemployment Insurance Act was passed amid an mini economic recovery. The Act extended the provision of the 1911 Act to most workers earning less than £250 per year.
The period in which money could be claimed was shortened to one sixth of the period of payment contributions and for the first time a maximum cover period, during which benefits would be paid was set to 15 weeks.
The UK Economy changed radically for the worse early in 1921 and by the middle of the year unemployment exacerbated by the coal strike, was close to 20 per cent. Under these conditions, the contributory system and the one in six rule were untenable given the threat of political instability and civil unrest among the unemployed.
The Unemployment Insurance Act of March 1921 relaxed the 'one in six' rule by providing for the payment of 'uncovenanted' benefit without previous contributions. The intention was that benefits would be paid for a maximum of 32 weeks.
The 1921 Act also introduced for the first time what were effectively 'policy conditions' a 'seeking work' test for those claiming benefit.
Claimants had attend a labour exchange and show that they were genuinely seeking work and were obliged to accept any work paying a 'fair' wage - whatever that means!.
In February 1922 further conditions were introduced by way of a means test, aimed at restricting benefit payments. Some groups, such as single adults living with relatives, could be excluded unless it would cause serious hardship.
So what has gone wrong with the system of Nationalised Unemployment Insurance?
Jump forward sixty years to 1979 when Margaret Thatcher duped the nation into electing her with her infamous Labour isn't working campaign...
...only to return Britain to the largest number of Unemployed since the 1920's.
Under the Conservative Government of the 1980's the number of claimants for unemployment insurance far outweighed the resources being paid into the risk pool.
Civil unrest spread to every corner of the country in 1981 as the great unemployed sought vengeance on the Tory elite.
Unemployment Insurance now had to cover many millions who had never contributed to the system, not just those who had worked all their lives and paid their premiums. Fortunately for Mrs Thatcher she was able to pay for her mismanagement by squandering the proceeds of North Sea oil and keeping most of the nation at subsistence level.
So little had changed in sixty years. Out of this mess in the late 1980's was born a new private market for mortgage protection insurance for unemployment, aimed at the new home owing working classes and middle classes; and initiated by the banks and building societies, primarily to ensure that their mortgages got paid should the home owner lose their job.
Most of these policies were flawed in their design and have been subject to recent criticism leading to the mis-selling findings by the Competition Commission and large fines by the FSA.
To counter this the insurance industry came up with an income protection policy designed to protect the insured against unemployment for a fixed period and a fixed amount commensurate with the level of premium.
National Unemployment Insurance still exists in the form of job seekers allowance or income support whatever they wish to call it, today pays out very little, is still means tested although everyone has to still pay 'national insurance' contributions and has an excess period of 13 weeks before you can claim.
One thing that hasn't changed in nearly 100 years is that, if you are unfortunate enough to become unemployed - you can't rely on the Government to cover you!
In the current recession it is wise to protect yourself against unemployment with
income protection or
lifestyle insurance.
Very reasonably rated polices are available from independent suppliers such as Personal Accident.
Labels: income insurance, income payment protection insurance, income protection, income protection insurance, redundancy insurance, UK government, unemployment insurance
Payment Protection is the solution to National Debt management
InsuranceBlogger was calling for an overhaul of the way the Government manages unemployment back in November last year. The recent global economic events have seen record levels of unemployment in the UK. Now one of the UK's leading experts on the cost of Unemployment and lobbyist for the prevention of the mis-selling of
Payment Protection Insurancehas stepped in with some interesting comments....
PPI Should Have Been Included in Government's Debt Management White Paper Says BurgessLast week's Government announcement that consumers are to get their own 'champion' in the form of a consumer advocate and benefit from a raft of measures to help them better manage their debts is to be applauded says Payment Protection Insurance lobbyist Sara-Ann Burgess from specialist firm Burgesses, but time will tell whether the theory works well in practice.
Braintree, Essex (
PRWEB) July 6, 2009 -- Last week's Government announcement that consumers are to get their own 'champion' in the form of a consumer advocate and benefit from a raft of measures to help them better manage their debts is to be applauded says Payment Protection Insurance lobbyist Sara-Ann Burgess from specialist firm Burgesses (http://www.burgesses.com), but time will tell whether the theory works well in practice.
In its White Paper 'A better deal for consumers - delivering real help now and change for the future' - the Government is proposing to appoint an advocate who will raise awareness of national issues and represent groups of consumers in court to help them seek compensation and refunds.
It's banning credit card cheques - blank cheques that are sent to card holders who are encouraged to use them as an alternative spending tool. These involve handling fees and contrary to credit cards, there are no interest free periods and no protection if something goes wrong.
Other debt-management measures include; preventing card providers increasing limits without their customers' consent, launching a new online credit card comparison tool, courtesy of the Financial Services Authority, assessing whether monthly card minimum repayments are too low (and so allow debts and accrued interest costs to spiral) and reviewing high cost credit providers (50% + APR) who offer credit over the doorstep or via payday loans.
There are also plans to assist people who are at risk from rogue traders - they will be supported by a team formed to tackle internet-based scams and a review of protection for consumers who pay for goods but are not delivered due to the company going into liquidation.
"All of these recommendations sound great," says Sara-Ann, "but unless the advocate has real power, he or she will not deter credit card providers from encouraging customers to plunge deeper into debt and it will probably take years to implement as there will be a consultation period."
The Government predicts its advocate will be in post early next year, but concedes the appointee will have no legal power as consultation and a new law would be needed to allow this to happen.
Sara-Ann comments: "I'm interested to see how fast the Government will tackle rogue trader issues as it's done little to address widespread mis-selling in the PPI sector for years. As a result of its sluggish response, consumers have sunk further into debt via prolific sales of single premium PPI, where the cost of the premium is included in the final loan amount and interest added onto both, complaints to the Financial Ombudsman Service have escalated, group actions are now being undertaken and providers have a free rein to increase their prices and restrict their cover.
"I wonder how long the White Paper review period will last for? The PPI sector has been under scrutiny for around four years now and the deadline for the Competition Commission's remedial measures isn't until April and October next year - some five years after the Citizens Advice Bureau first identified that features of the PPI market were seriously harming the interests of consumers."
She continues: "Given the continued failings that have been allowed to occur within the PPI sector, I'm sceptical about how effective these measures and the role of the advocate will be. I hope I'm proved wrong and sweeping changes are made to stop consumers being encouraged to spend beyond their means, but I would equally like to see greater PPI mis-selling clampdowns and more advice on how to shop around for cover."
Sara-Ann believes PPI is an effective debt prevention tool as it will repay monthly credit card bills for up to a year in the event the holder loses an income due to accident, sickness or unemployment and would have liked to see reference made to this product in the White Paper.
She concludes: "It only takes a couple of months of missed credit card payments to build up debts which is why this cover is so useful. Credit card providers should be pressurised into offering this cover free of charge to their customers or allow them to purchase at reduced rates.
"It's a shame the Government didn't consider
Payment Protection Insurance in its measures to tackle indebtedness - instead it's left to online independent providers such as
Burgesses and
British Insurance () to ensure quality cover is affordable and accessible to all. Premiums are calculated per £100 of monthly benefit and firms such as these two charge £1.90 per £100 for accident and sickness cover, £3.40 per £100 for unemployment and £3.90 per £100 for all three - well below other providers' premiums."
Anyone looking for Credit Card Payment Protection should opt for a policy that pays off all or part of the credit card debt, dependant on the amount of benefit purchased. Older-style policies tend to only pay a proportion of the total credit card bill, usually the outstanding minimum payment. "
........and while we are on the subject of Credit Cards. Lord Mandelson - please bring the extortionate rates charged by the UK banks into line with the other forms of credit in the UK. The credit card debt is stopping the so called green shoots of recovery!
Labels: income payment protection insurance, insurance news, PPI, redundancy insurance, UK government, unemployment, unemployment insurance
Maximum Redundancies for Mini Workers
When the most succesful British (German owned) car of the last fifty years is laying off workers, it only emphasises the depth and breadth of the spread of the global economic downturn contagion.
BMW owned Mini based at the old Morris plant at Cowley Oxford, today announced the redundancy of 850 of its workers. The company which ships over 250000 Minis every year atound the world, has seen its sales in January 2009 drop by an astounding 35%, reflecting the drop in demand felt by the rest of Britain's ailing motor manufacturing industry.
The redundancies are sure to be felt by supply workers who make parts for the Mini and distribution workers who are having extreme difficulties selling them. There is estimated to be over 10000 minis awaiting shipment abroad at Southampton docks.
If you are one of the lucky workers who still hold down a job in the car manufacturing and associated industries we urge you to consider taking out
Redundancy Insurance - given the latest number of layoffs across the country -no car manufacturer job can be considered safe. Plan for your future economic welfare now before it's too late.
Mini Classic car insurance - hopefully not a thing of the past
Labels: classic car insurance, credit crunch, redundancy insurance
Lifestyle Insurance: How to avoid the unemployment spectre
Yesterdays latest unemployment figures were rather depressing with the official count just bubbling under two milllion unemployed in the UK at 1.9m.
The January job losses have yet to be taken into account and with the closure of many high street shops and the recently decimated manufacturing, financial and motor industries, we could see the official job loss rate of 6.3 rise dramatically this time next month when the January figures are published.
Is your job on the line?
Very few jobs are 'safe' in the current economic climate and it is worth considering
How you would protect your current position should the worst happen and you face redundancy?
What contingencies do you currently have in place should you find yourself unemployed?
Do you really know the monthly amount of outgoings you will need to sustain your current lifestyle?
IProtect are offering a whole new take on unemployment protection and income protection for unemployment by offering a wholistic '
lifestyle insurance' policy thatis designed to maintain your existing lifestyle should you suddenly become incapacitated or unemployed through redundancy.
Visit Iprotect for lifestyle insurance information
Labels: credit crunch, income protection insurance, lifestyle insurance, PPI, redundancy insurance, unemployment insurance
