Protecting pensions
The Con-Dem government has
commissioned a review into public sector pensions. There are lots
of myths about public sector pensions repeated in the press without
basis in fact. Unite believes that everyone -no matter where they
work - deserves a fair pension.
Find out more on joint trade union campaign and read materials
giving you the truth about the local
government pension scheme.
Protecting Pensions for our
Public Servants
Unite has 250,000 members in public service
who have committed to their careers with a promise of a decent
pension as a key element of their remuneration package.
The ConDem Government is bringing forward a
series of proposals which when taken together threaten to greatly
reduce the pension benefits and increase their cost to
members.
Members need to understand this threat and the
Union has to prepare to support them in resisting it.
The mounting threats to your pension
- lower pension
increases – in future pensions are to be increased in line
with the lower CPI measure of inflation rather than the long
established RPI basis – this could reduce the lifetime value of
benefits by 15% (more
>)
- higher contributions –
the Chancellor has demanded that pension scheme members pay 3% of
salary extra for their pension phased in from 2012-2014 - while the
lowest paid may pay less it means others will have to pay more
(more >)
- lower quality benefits
– Governments can provide pensions cheaper than private sector
employers but they are consulting about ignoring this so that
inflated costs can then be used to ‘justify’ benefit cuts
(more >)
- ending final salary
pensions – as well as reducing the quality of benefits
they are likely to impose a recommendation to change the type of
pension that most public servants get (more >)
- raising pension age –
we had an agreement that retirement ages would be 60 for pre-2008
members and 65 for post-2008 member now pension age could be
increased to State Pension Age for all (more >)
- no protection if you are
contracted-out – they are consulting with a view to ending
the requirements for public servants whose jobs are contracted-out
to be remain in public service schemes or given equivalent benefits
(more >)
- imposition not
negotiation – they clearly want to impose more and
negotiate less and over-ride existing partnership and cost-sharing
arrangements which had put the schemes on a sustainable footing
(more >)
Unite, in partnership with the TUC and other
public service unions, is trying to draw the Government into a
framework of negotiation in which all these proposed changes are
dealt with together and a more reasonable outcome secured – but
while we have talks there is no sign yet of any moderation in the
intended outcome.
By the summer the full extent of the threat
may be apparent and we will be looking to consult you about support
for action to defend your pension
Your future is at stake.
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