One and a half million of the country’s most essential public sector workers will go on strike on 28 March to protest at unfair and unjust cuts to local government pensions, the Joint Union Strike Team (JUST) announced on Wednesday.
UNISON said: ‘The strike is planned because the government refuses to give protection for existing members of their pension scheme.’
Members of nine of the country’s biggest unions have overwhelmingly voted “YES” to strike action because the government and the Local Government Association refuse to pay out what they promised on the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS).
The government wants to get rid of the Rule of 85, with only limited protection for existing members. LGPS members will have to keep working until they are 65, even though they have been paying six per of their salary into the pension scheme and planning for their retirement for years.
UNISON, the UK’s biggest public sector union, has the largest number of members affected.
Chairing a press conference in London, UNISON general secretary Dave Prentis said: ‘UNISON members voted by over 80 per cent for strike action to support LGPS members.
‘By refusing to pay out on the LGPS, especially when they have given protection to every other government pension scheme, the government has destroyed the retirement plans of tens of thousands of public sector workers.
‘These essential public sector workers have had enough of being told they’re to blame for rising council tax increases.
‘LGPS pensions cost just 2.7 pence of the council tax pound, so don’t be fooled into believing that these people are to blame.
‘It is simply immoral that the employers’ association doesn’t come clean and admit that they have already spent the pension funds paid in good faith by LGPS members. This is a pensions con.
‘Civil servants, teachers, police, firefighters and the NHS have all been given protection for existing members of their pension schemes, so there is absolutely no rhyme or reason in singling out LGPS members for such unfair and unjust treatment.
‘The government must extend the same protection to existing LGPS members that it has given to all other public sector workers. To continue to refuse to do so is unfair, unjust and inexplicable.
‘Three quarters of LGPS members are women, who did exactly what the government told them and started paying for their retirement out of their earnings – and now because of the financial mismanagement of their employers, the rules get changed and they have to work an extra five years.
‘After a lifetime of dedicated service to their local communities, our members deserve the pensions they have already paid for.
‘We have been negotiating for months over this issue, and it is still not too late for the government and the employers’ association to sit down and talk sense.
‘The latest figures from independent actuary Aon, show small costs and huge savings for employers if protection for existing members is retained – and both the government and LGA accept these findings.’
Under the banner ‘Unions Together Fighting to Protect Our Pensions’, UNISON was joined by the Association of Educational Psychologists, the Community and Youth Workers Union, the GMB, the National Association of Probation Officers, the Northern Ireland Public Services Alliance, the NUT, TGWU and construction workers’ union UCATT.
Amicus is also supporting the action.
The GMB trade union said in its statement: ‘GMB members have sent a strident message to John Prescott and local government employers that they will not stand by and see their retirement pension needlessly attacked.
‘In the biggest dispute in the UK for 80 years, GMB members have voted a resounding 82 per cent in favour of strike action to defend their pensions.
‘It seems only the most drastic action by union members will convince the Deputy Prime Minister that pensions are a core part of local government workers’ terms and conditions.
‘GMB members throughout the UK working in schools, town halls, care homes and colleges will be involved in the industrial action.
‘Drivers, refuse collectors, estate and street cleaners, caretakers, gravediggers and parking staff and all support services staff that are the backbone of local public services will all start the campaign of strike action to protect their pensions on Tuesday 28th March 2006 with one day of strike action.’
Brian Strutton, GMB National Secretary, said: ‘A staggering 4 to 1 yes vote for strike action sends the strongest possible message. 200,000 GMB members are incensed at attempts to steal up to a third of their hard-earned pensions to offset employer contributions.
‘This is an outrage and the local government employers need to listen carefully. Our members’ pensions must be secure and guaranteed.’
The Transport and General Workers Union (TGWU) confirmed its members in the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) have voted by over 8-to-1 to take strike action on Tuesday 28th March to defend their pension rights.
TGWU General Secretary Tony Woodley said: ‘This strike is about low paid council workers, the majority of them women, defending themselves and claiming what is rightfully theirs.
‘They have been told they cannot take their full pension rights at age 60 after years of hard work and paying into the scheme. This is unjust and, in our view, unnecessary.
‘The average pension for women is only £31 a week. The overall average is less than £4,000 a year so we are genuinely talking about low paid people.’
The TGWU said many of its members in the pension scheme worked in stressful and low paid jobs. Even with the six per cent contribution paid by members it was still ‘six per cent of very little’, said Woodley.
The union noted: ‘Changes to local government in recent years mean that while many TGWU members may not work directly for the local authority they are still members of the local government scheme.
‘They include toll collectors on the Forth Road Bridge as well as many bus drivers at Lothian Buses in Edinburgh and Cardiff Bus.
‘Many other staff work in local transport, cleaning and waste, charities, police support, universities, environmental services and housing associations.’
Woodley said a settlement could be found if the political will was there – especially with the local elections due on 4th May.
‘It cannot be right that people who signed up to a contract are now being told they cannot claim what is rightfully theirs after a lifetime of work,’ he stressed. ‘Ministers and council leaders can be clear our members will strike if that is what it takes to inject some common sense into this situation.’
The public service trade union NIPSA also confirmed on Wednesday that union members employed by District Councils, the Education and Library sector, the NI Housing Executive and in a range of other north of Ireland public bodies covered by the Local Government Pension Scheme have voted by a majority of over 71.5 per cent in favour of industrial action.
NIPSA General Secretary John Corey commenting on the outcome of the ballot stated: ‘NIPSA members covered by the Local Government Pension Scheme in Northern Ireland are extremely angry at the failure of the government and employers to provide the same protections of existing pension rights as agreed last year for other public servants, such as civil servants, teachers and health service workers.
‘That anger is reflected in this vote to join the UK wide strike action. There is no justification for these public servants to be treated as second class public servants.’
Corey added: ‘With the massive changes being planned for public services in Northern Ireland under the Review of Public Administration we cannot afford to have any group of public servants with far less favourable protection of their pension rights.
‘We believe our 14,000 plus members covered by the Local Government Pension Scheme will be ready to join their colleagues in the other trade unions throughout the UK in making a firm stand to protect the right to retire at age 60.’
