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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