Pensioners' lunch

What a Truly, Truly Sad decision on the Pensioners’ Lunch and what a pathetic defence (“Reluctantly for me”) [No more pensioners’ lunches - Tom Glocer]. For God’s sake, man, at least have the guts to say you went along with it.

Fine on the principal (or is it "ile" - need one of those unsung subs or telex people or news clerks or translators or secretaries or drivers or messengers or fixers or sweepers who always corrected my copy and I always looked forward to meeting at pensioner lunches) of not just London but why not have one for each region? Or just for Thomson and just for Reuters. Or Thomson Reuters. If you had 600 people in each of five regions at 100 euros a head the cost would be a total of 3 million euros. And I reckon most people would at least pay half of their way just to be in touch with Mates from long ago. So maximum cost 1.5 million euros. Frankly, I reckon everyone would pay the whole cost. I've never managed to have the pleasure of being at one of the pensioners’ lunches but it was one of those events out on the horizon where you hoped one day you might get there and pay respect to people you worked with. Why not even only have it very three years or five years or 10 years but keep the tradition unless you think the Tradition isn't worth honouring which is what this decision to bin it does? How Sad.

On a day when we're boasting analysts are saying a 52-week high, to announce this smacks so much of churlish retribution for criticism of the Goldman defence that it cannot be ignored. It also smacks of a deliberate effort to write "Reuters" out of "Thomson Reuters".

That ain't the Reuters way. That ain't the way we earned our reputation and respect. We've stood up to countries that bullied us and our people and I hope to God we stand up to one of our own who is now bullying us.

Thanks to Mary Norsworthy/Barry May/George Short/Steve Somerville/Bernard Edinger and countless others as well as we ourselves as pensioners we have our own lunch and our own communications network and our own Soul and Pride. 

We are undiminished. This decision is tawdry, little and mean spirited in the extreme.

It must not stand or at least in the next company report be highlighted - "In a major cost saving measure Pensioners’ Lunch abolished." ■