In 1988 there was a BBC Management notice in Ariel saying that the BBC Pension Fund was being transferred to a managing company, BBC Pensions Trust Ltd. The notice also said that there was a substantial surplus in the fund. The statement came as a surprise to staff and pensioners alike and was, at the time, viewed with deep suspicion.

There were a number of letters to Ariel and many more to Pensions Manager who eventually set up a series of meetings with invited pensioners to discuss and answer some of the questions that had been raised.

Because of the interest raised at the time a number of pensioners decided to set up an association of BBC pensioners and the BBC Pensioners' Association was born.

The main objectives at that time were to recruit many more pensioners into the Association and to press for a Pensioner Trustee. We now have over 3000 members and a Pensioner Trustee.

The vulnerability of Pension Funds was highlighted by a number of court cases, the major ones being Imperial Tobacco and Lucas, but the most significant of all was Maxwell and the Mirror Group pension fund. The government at the time acted by setting up the Goode committee to which the Association made representations. Eventually the government passed the 1995 Pensions Act which unfortunately only incorporated some of the aims of the Association.

BBCPA Committee

BBCPA Constitution