Doctors wrong on pensions, says Hutton The architect of public sector pension reform has described industrial action by doctors on Thursday as "completely wrong," arguing that "much lower-paid porters and cleaners" were in effect subsidising "the very generous pensions of those at the very top of the salary scale." The British Medical Association is urging its members to take industrial action for the first time since 1975 over plans to require doctors to pay higher contribution rates and also extend their working lives. Lord Hutton of Furness, who in 2011 published a pivotal government-commissioned review of public sector pensions, told the FT: "There is no justification for industrial action ... given the generous offer on the table." Doctors would still receive "an exceptionally good pension by any comparable yardstick," he said. An analysis of NHS pensions accounts by the Financial Times underlines the cost to the public purse of doctors" retirement benefits, due to working patterns, retirement ages, level of salaries and life expectancy - all of which are higher than those for public service workers in general. According to NHS pension scheme accounts, its 1.37m members had an average contribution rate of 6.6 per cent in 2010-11 with a notional 14 per cent borne by NHS employers. However, the additional pensions rights accrued are of benefit to higher-paid workers, such as doctors, to a much greater extent than lower-paid ones. Analyses by the Pensions Policy Institute and the Government Actuary's Department have found that higher-paid workers earn more in benefits than those on lower pay. Lord Hutton's Independent Public Service Pensions Commission concluded that "high-flyers" received almost twice as much in benefits for every £100 of contributions. In a circular to members, the BMA said that strike action over increased contributions was justified because the level had been increased to up to 8.5 per cent in 2008. Retirement ages for some had already been lifted, it added. Its own analysis suggests that if the proposed changes were implemented, a 40-year old consultant who joined the NHS before 1995 would pay £103,181 more over a lifetime of work and earn benefits that were 6.7 per cent below those that would otherwise have been received.