Pensions are used as a Sword of Damocles to hold over people's heads to get them to shut up when they see a misuse of power.
Shut up and you get your pension, for as long as they allow you to keep living.
Open your mouth, and you risk losing your pension.
And the Unions and Government Agencies all push the idea of pensions, while private business are not offering them as much as they used to.