Scottish Labour Party Conference
Overwhelming Labour Vote wins review commitment from Minister.

Late breaking web only story

An overwhelming vote of support for Local Government Pension scheme workers at the Scottish Labour party Conference last weekend, in Aviemore, has won a commitment from the Scottish Minister for Finance and Public Service reform - Tom McCabe - to look again at the legal advice the Scottish Executive claim to have that brand the rule of 85 as discriminatory, and to attempt to reach a negotiated settlement of the local government pensions dispute.

The conference overwhelmingly passed a composite motion - put forward by the three largest unions in the LGPS - UNISON, T&GWU and GMB supporting the members of the LGPS and calling on the Executive to resolve the dispute by negotiation rather than unilateral imposition.

Eleanor Haggett, from UNISON Fife, who seconded the successful composite said

"The Government wants staff to deliver joined up services but are not proposing joined up pension rights. Under these plans Teachers can retire at 60 on an unreduced pension, whilst low paid classroom assistants are forced to struggle on to 65. "

She also drew attention to the attitude of the Liberal Democrats' UK spokesperson on Pensions - David Laws MP.

"Saying that allowing public sector workers to retire at 60 is 'neither sensible or affordable' is starting to sound an awful lot like the Tories" she said.'

UNISON Labour Link Scotland used the platform of Scottish Labour Party Conference to promote UNISON's position on the LGPS.

Action included:

• Contemporary resolution
• 1000 special conference briefings for delegates
• Leaflets, briefings etc on UNISON's conference stall
• Questions during 'Let's Talk' sessions and fringe meetings
• Direct discussion with Ministers, MSPs and MPs
• Delegates lobbied their local MSPs and MPs from a briefing that included details of MPs record on EDMs.

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