Date: 20 December 2007

All they need for Christmas is a pension scheme

UNISON, the union representing Scotland's careers staff, today announced that Father Christmas, had been recruited to the union's campaign to secure adequate pension coverage for staff transferring to the new Skills Development Scotland - the quango set up by the Scottish Government to run careers, skills and lifelong learning strategy.

Father Christmas will be delivering a sack full of Christmas cards to Fiona Hyslop MSP, the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning, at the Scottish Government Offices at Meridian Court, Cadogan Street, Glasgow at 9.30am Friday 21 December 2007.

The cards say - "All I want for Christmas is my Pension Scheme" and have been signed by most of the staff of Careers Scotland.

You are welcome to send photographers and journalists to this event. Please contact either contact below.

The merger of the various organisations that will make up Skills Development Scotland, mean that staff with a range of different.

James Corry, UNISON Careers Scotland Branch Secretary said: "Despite the fact that it takes 4-6 months for an organisation to become part of the Local Government Pension Scheme - to which most of the staff belong - and the date for the new agency to be up and running is 1 April, staff have still had no clarification on what pension scheme the agency will become a part of.

"We have had some positive meetings with the new management, but have had no guarantee that staff will transfer without detriment to their pension. UNISON is clear that we need urgent clarification of this if staff are to transfer into this new body with any enthusiasm."

Careers Scotland staff attached to both Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise, will be merging with LearnDirect to form the new 'super-quango' set up by the Scottish Government, despite the wishes of the careers staff to be devolved to Local Government.

ENDS

For Further Information Please Contact: James Corry (Branch Secretary) 07785 517 204 (m) Peter Veldon (Regional Officer) 07904 342 285 (m) Chris Bartter (Communications Officer) 07715 583 729 (m)

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