Pensions

Union unity on pensions?

Late last year union leaders of the public sector unions met to discuss the way forward on pension rights and provision. This meeting had been convened on the initiative of the civil service union PCS but was called under the auspices of the TUC. In the civil service, as with the rest of the public sector, the Government is proposing to raise the pension retirement age and is talking of ending the final salary scheme. The PCS is trying to build a common cross public sector union position, hence the meeting. In the jointly agreed statement following the meeting the TUC said, “The TUC will be...

Pensions, charity, and branch business

Notes from AWL North London branch meeting 21/12/04 Political report - pensions (discussion introduced by Jean) The main attacks at the moment are: raising the retirement age from 60 to 65 (and the minimum retirement age from 50 to 55) ending final-salary pension schemes, replacing them with eg. 'defined contribution pensions', where the employers pay less and pensions are more dependant on how the fund fares in the stock market. There has also been corruption / 'dodgy practices' in the private pension companies eg. Equitable Life. The state pension is very low - now 15% of average earnings...

For a one-day public sector strike!

Trade unionists from across the public sector have launched a campaign for united action to defend pension provision. Employers, and successive governments, have already trashed the basic state pension and private sector pensions. The basic state pension is a pittance, needing means-tested top-up to raise it even to subsistence level. The better (“final salary”) schemes have been broken, one by one, in the private sector. Now Gordon Brown is starting in on pensions in the public sector, where trade unions are strongest. In Italy and France, similar moves have brought huge across-the-board...

Pensions

Text for motions on pensions. Please adapt as appropriate for your union, and let us know about the results when you move it in your branch. 1. We note the attack by the government on pension provision across the public sector. 2. We note that this is part of a continuing trend to increased inequality of wealth and income in society, including among retired people. 3. We believe that the unions should defend pension provision, and that any increased costs due to retired workers living longer should be covered by increased contributions from employers and from taxing the rich. 4. We support the...

Defeat Brown’s poverty plans: Decent pensions for all!

Britain’s basic state pension is only 15% (and falling) of average earnings. It is the meanest, in proportion to earnings, of all the richer capitalist countries. Last week Gordon Brown, speaking to the bosses’ association, the CBI, endorsed the Thatcher government decisions which started the withering of the state pension, and assured them that he would stick to that policy whatever the pressures from the labour movement. The Guardian reported (10 November): “The chancellor said that Germany and France both faced spending 15% of their national output on pensions by 2050, but that the decision...

One day general strike for pensions!

Mark Serwotka, general secretary of the civil servants’ union PCS, has called for a one-day public-sector general strike in early 2005 over pensions. At a TUC lobby of Parliament on 16 November, he declared: “Unions across the public sector need a united campaign in the face of the growing pensions crisis. It is a crisis, which unless the government take steps to seriously address, raises the possibility of unions across the public sector taking united action in a one day strike in the run up to the general election.” PCS members struck for one day on 5 November over government plans to worsen...

The pensions wealth gap

The UK’s pension fund bosses control about £600 billion. Meanwhile the basic state pension has been progressively run down so that today, at £79.60 per week, it is only 15% of average earnings. On present trends it will be down to 10% of average earnings by 2020. The New Labour government’s latest effort to patch up the scandal, Pension Credit, sets a floor income of £105.45 for pensions, about 20% of average earnings. Even the end-of-welfare USA has a basic state pension at 25% of average earnings. Now employers are shutting down the final-salary pension schemes which promised more security...

Briefing: How to solve the pensions crisis

Earlier this month the government’s Pensions Commission reported on the state of Britain’s pension provision. Its main finding was that 11.3 million workers were not making any pension contributions, and that those who are making pension contributions are saving “too little”. The report did not tell us why this was, and the generally accepted line is that people try to forget about approaching old-age. But maybe the truth is that many British workers earn too little to save and are already so poor that they can do little other than ignore the fact that they will spend their old age in poverty...

Civil Service: Vote “yes” to action!

By a civil servant Civil servants should vote “yes” in the ballots being conducted up to 22 October by the PCS trade union for a strike on 5 November. We are facing serious attacks by a ruthless government that plans: to cut more than 100,000 jobs throughout the civil service. to increase the pension retirement age from 60 to 65. to scrap the final pension scheme. to reduce the redundancy payment scheme. Also, in the last Budget Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown warned: “Because the current arrangements for sickness leave across the civil service and public services are open to abuse, I...

Network Rail dispute

By a RMT member The RMT is holding talks with bosses at Network Rail in their dispute over pay and the closure of the pension scheme to new workers. Both signal and infrastructure staff. have been offered the reinstatement of their Christmas bonus (£35) which they lost last year, a 25% discount on season tickets for work related travel and a Joint Working Party (talks) on pensions. If any action is taken, it will effectively boil down to a one day strike with no indication of what would follow. On a strike day the action will be called in 4 hour "windows" and there will be three of these...

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