ANALYST VIEWS: WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF BT’S MASSIVE PENSION DEFICIT?
ROS ALTMANN | INDEPENDENT PENSIONS EXPERT
BT has a huge pension scheme with a massive deficit. The company is doing quite well, so it’s important it pays as much as it can into the scheme now. If it doesn’t, we could see a situation similar to British Airways, which is in serious trouble with its pension deficit.
JOHN RALFE | INDEPENDENT PENSIONS CONSULTANT
What surprises me most about this announcement is how surprised people have been. The regulator is going to be unhappy with the repayment being over 17 years rather than 10 – this is unusual for a company that is in fairly robust health. They need to put more money in now.
ELMER DOONAN | DENTON WILDE SAPTE
BT has no reasonable prospect of being able to deal with its pensions deficits and they are an obstacle to its future. It has to deal with it. The obvious solution is a restructuring under which these pension schemes are transferred into the Pension Protection Fund.