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4.
JOINING THE SCHEME
Who can join the scheme?
You can join the Scheme if you are an employee of the GFTU and your contract of
employment says that you are eligible to join.
Some GFTU employees are employed under contracts of employment that state they are
eligible to join a national pension scheme called NEST. If that is what your contract says then
you should refer to the NEST Welcome Pack that you will receive. This scheme, and this
booklet are not applicable to your employment
When can I join?
Employees of the GFTU who are eligible to join automatically when their employment
commences, unless they choose not to join.
If you choose not to join within your first month of employment, you will be treated as if you
had never been a member. Neither the GFTU nor the Trustees can advise you whether or not
to join – only an independent financial adviser is permitted to do that – but bear in mind that
the GFTU will not pay contributions towards any other pension arrangements that you make
for yourself. You should also note that the some of the life assurance benefits described in
Section 8 will not apply to you and your family.
If you decide not to join and change your mind later, you can apply to join the Scheme but
your admission will not be automatic. It will require the permission of the Trustees, and if
you are admitted the Trustees may impose limits on the level of your benefits.
You should think very carefully before deciding not to join. Membership of the Scheme is a
very valuable benefit, and you should consider taking financial advice before making your
decision.
How do I join?
If you are eligible to join, you will automatically become a member when you start work.
You will be asked to provide evidence of your age, marital status and you may be asked to
provide evidence of your health, but your membership is not dependent on supplying this
information. If it is not immediately to hand you can provide it later.
When you join you should also consider nominating a Dependant for the purpose of paying
any benefits payable on your death. See Section 9 of this booklet for more details.
Evidence of health will not normally be required. Some of the Scheme benefits are insured
however, and the insurance company may require members to supply evidence of health if
their Pensionable Pay is over a certain amount. If they ask for evidence of health and you do
not supply it then these insured benefits may be restricted. The Trustees may also require
evidence of health if you do not join when you first become eligible and apply to join at a
later date.