The mantra of choice in public service provision has now gone so far that the Coalition Government are offering local government workers in England, Wales and Northern Ireland a choice of two different ways in which we can be ripped off to the tune of £900 Million!
The statutory consultation document which was published yesterday includes Options One and Two.
On this menu of robbery we can either have £450 Million taken off us now in increased contributions, with reductions in the accrual rate which will reduce the value of the pensions we will be paying more for by a similar amount, or we can get away with the theft of a mere £300 Million from our pay packets to fund pensions from which, by a greater change in accrual rates, £600 Million would be stolen.
UNISON were rightly quick off the mark to condemn these proposals - now we need to produce the pensions calculator which will enable members to see what each of Options One and Two would mean for them.
With ballot papers due to hit doormats in the coming week, the timing could not be better. Rather than choose between Option One and Option Two - I shall vote "YES" for action on 30 November and beyond.
I believe anyone who pays PAYE, NI, VAT, roof tax, tele tax etc etc etc is entitled to a decent pension. Governments down the years have succeeded in deviding tax payers into sections and play one off against the others. Devide and conquer. To win the pension war. The battle-cry needs to to be 'Good Pensions For All'. To win this war we must develop a Tax Payers Union. VAT has put governments hand in glove with the corporations. The voter/taxpayer can only pick who's going to stitch him/her next.
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