Dow members of staff can also become members of the staff association. For Dow pensioners, there is the Dow Pensioners Association (DPA). What does this association do? And what does it mean to retire? We spoke to Ceciel van Eijl, secretary of the DPA, about her own experiences.
Ceciel tells us: ‘I retired on 1 January 2020, having worked at Dow for more than 40 years. Because I had accrued leave, I actually went on leave a year earlier. It was like a transitional phase between work and retirement. While I was on leave, I was not an active member of staff any more, but nor had I retired. That meant that the way I got information about my forthcoming pension was not the normal way.’
Options
She continues: ‘Having worked in HR for many years, I was well informed about my pension. But if you’re not so well versed in how it works, then the Pension Office can give you the information you need. They invite you for a meeting, during which they go over all the options with you and discuss the implications for your pension. It means that you can make informed decisions about what suits your pension situation. You will also be invited to participate in a full-day workshop entitled “Towards a new future”. Unfortunately I was unable to attend, but this workshop is really worthwhile.’
Dow Pensioners Association
‘The association’s goal is to represent the tangible and intangible interests of all current and former members who receive benefits from the pension fund. We follow all developments in our pension fund closely, and we try to find a solution for our individual members’ questions and concerns.’ If you would like more information, please visit www.vdgnl.org.
