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Wednesday, May 09, 2012

Pensioner announces attack on pensions

An elderly lady (who is not herself worried about pensions) today told our assembled legislators what the Cabinet of millionaires have in store for us (http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/queens-speech-2012).

Amongst her pronouncements she said that "Legislation will be introduced to reform public service pensions in line with the recommendations of the independent commission on public service pensions." In other words, public servants can pay more to get less when we retire at 68 (or later) with grateful thanks to renegade Labour peer "Lord" Hutton (who appears to have been rewarded with a role in the faux mutual "MyCSP" organisation - http://www.guardian.co.uk/public-leaders-network/2012/apr/30/lord-hutton-mutual-civil-service).

Good luck to all those who will be responding appropriately to this outrageous attack by taking strike action tomorrow.

I am only sorry that, thanks to a shortage of confidence and lack of sound judgement at the UNISON Centre, the UK's most important public service union won't be amongst those taking action.

Neither in health nor local government have UNISON members settled our trade disputes with the relevant Secretary of State - and UNISON members in both the health and local government pension schemes are covered by live mandates for lawful industrial action.

It is entirely correct that our General Secretary has called on the TUC to organise their largest ever demonstration against the disastrous policies of the Coalition Government (http://www.unison.org.uk/asppresspack/pressrelease_view.asp?id=2681) and that we should be preparing for the co-ordinated industrial action which can defeat the public sector pay freeze (http://www.unison.org.uk/paymatters/news_view.asp?did=7675). Both initiatives can unite the rank and file and UNISON officials.

However, neither of these projects will prosper if UNISON is perceived as continuing to do the bidding of lame-duck soon-to-be-former TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber by being the most significant labour movement advocates of shoddy deals with the Tories on pensions.

Sent using BlackBerry® from Orange

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