| Union
action forces pensions climb down
by Chris Bartter
The strong threat of UK-wide industrial action from Local
Government and other public service staff, brought a sensible
move in the debate on public sector pensions.
Just days from 23 March, when council staff from UNISON and
four other unions (two in Scotland), and civil service staff
across the UK were due to take part in the first one day strike
action, the Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott announced
that he was taking steps to revoke the amendments to regulation
due to come into force in local government down South on 1
April.
As Westminster precedent has been quoted by both the Scottish
Public Pensions Agency and the Deputy Minister for Finance
and Public Service Reform as forming the basis for Scottish
decisions it was vital that this was stopped.
In addition the Government set up a working party to look
at the whole area of public sector pensions - involving both
the unions and the employers in the kind of discussions we
have been arguing for.
Matt Smith, UNISON Scottish Secretary, said, "We are pleased
that these discussions will allow us to ensure the views of
local government workers can be made without immediate threats
to the pensions of colleagues in England and Wales and the
knock-on threat to Scottish Local Government workers.
"We are also pleased that we have a commitment from the Scottish
Minister to a similar mechanism when it proves necessary."
"I have no doubt that had the strike gone ahead we would
have seen a massive show of strength and solidarity across
public services.
"This solidarity must now be maintained during the discussions
and negotiations ahead."
The arguments on the need for decent pensions for public
service workers will continue. UNISON will be leading the
fight for an improved pension scheme offering people the choice
to work on through a flexible retirement age and protection
for pension scheme members who need to leave work early.
The union will continue to oppose unfair penalising of pension
scheme members either by cuts in benefits or increases in
contributions.
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Scotland's
public service union
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