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