Public sector union Unison yesterday hit back at Treasury Secretary, Danny Alexander’s, call for strike-breakers for the November 30th national pensions strike.
Unison gave an angry response to his plan to write to 2.5 million union members calling on them to strike-break on November 30 and his claim that only certain trade union leaders want the strike.
A Unison spokeswoman told News Line yesterday: ‘We have a 70 per cent decision to strike.
‘We don’t get into negotiation over the airwaves.
‘We have had no offer from the government. So far all we have is a framework that needs negotiating to turn it into an offer.
‘The call to strike break is what you’d expect from a Tory government. It’s no coincidence it came 24 hours after the ballot result.
‘Our members have voted and will strike on November 30th.’
A spokesman for the civil servants union PCS said: ‘Danny Alexander is politically illiterate.
‘Every time the Tories do this, it only increases our members’ determination to strike.’
Unite accused Alexander of attempting to manipulate public opinion over public sector pensions.
Unite assistant general secretary, Gail Cartmail said: ‘Danny Alexander is making extraordinary claims in order to mislead and manipulate the public about the government’s pensions proposals.
‘He’s using distorted figures to conceal the way in which government proposals will reduce pensions.
‘Most NHS workers will not get a pension anywhere near this maximum full-time service example, and many will have lower pay than the qualified nurse he has focused on, but all will suffer similar proportionate losses to those he is trying to conceal.
‘Currently the average (median) pension received by NHS workers is only around £4,087.
‘If the government’s proposals are fair why is Danny trying to pull the wool over our eyes?
‘Danny Alexander also claimed there would be no detriment to public sector workers who are 10 years or less from retirement but conveniently failed to mention that they still face a 50 per cent increase in contributions and could lose up to 11 per cent of the value of their total pension because the government is moving to a lower measure of inflation.
‘The unions are telling the truth when we say the government wants public sector workers to pay more, work for longer and retire on less.
