Pensions and equal treatment
of dependants
Current UNISON Scotland policy (1):
Superannuation forms part of staff service
conditions and as such should be disbursed equally and
without discrimination. Currently, in public sector schemes
and many private schemes, benefits are disbursed to ‘spouses',
usually defined as ‘only persons married to the member
at the time of death'. This excludes non-married partners,
be they heterosexual, gay or lesbian, and is clearly discriminatory.
This leads single people and couples living together or
in a financially interdependent relationship actually
subsidising the pensions of married couples.
Background:
UNISON has a UK campaign to end discrimination
against non-married partners in public sector pension
schemes.
Changing the public sector schemes requires
government action and the Government has argued that members
would have to pay increased contributions in order to
extend pension rights to unmarried partners. UNISON has
counter-argued that this is not the case - that extending
benefits would be cost-neutral because of the unplanned
savings in the schemes resulting from the drop in numbers
of people getting married.
The new Civil Service pension scheme,
coming into effect in October 2002, has introduced a ‘surviving
partner's' pension but at an increased cost to members.
UNISON is examining whether to take a
test case and is monitoring a case Liberty is taking through
the European Court of Human Rights.
For further information on UNISON's campaign
to extend pension rights to unmarried partners see: http://www.unison.org.uk/resources/
document_view.asp?did=157
For further information:
Civil Service Pensions - dependants' and ill-health retirement
benefits: http://www.civilservice-pensions.gov.uk/menu.asp?MenuIDS=2,14,134
Local government pension scheme: details of benefits
http://www.lgps.org.uk/AAYS/
protection_for_your_family.htm
NHSScotland and Scottish teachers pension scheme - Scottish
Public Pensions Agency click http://www.scotland.gov.uk/sppa/
home
(1) Source: City of Edinburgh motion for
National Delegate Conference, supported by Scottish Council,
February 1999. Also: Glasgow City branch motion 2001 calling
for united campaign to change conditions of Strathclyde
Pension Fund
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Scotland's
public service union
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