| Union
action forces pensions climb down by Chris
Bartter
The strong threat of UK-wide industrial action from Local
Government and other public service staff, brought a sensible
move in the debate on public sector pensions.
Just days from 23 March, when council staff from UNISON
and four other unions (two in Scotland), and civil service
staff across the UK were due to take part in the first one
day strike action, the Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott
announced that he was taking steps to revoke the amendments
to regulation due to come into force in local government
down South on 1 April.
As Westminster precedent has been quoted by both the Scottish
Public Pensions Agency and the Deputy Minister for Finance
and Public Service Reform as forming the basis for Scottish
decisions it was vital that this was stopped.
In addition the Government set up a working party to look
at the whole area of public sector pensions - involving
both the unions and the employers in the kind of discussions
we have been arguing for.
Matt Smith, UNISON Scottish Secretary, said, "We are
pleased that these discussions will allow us to ensure the
views of local government workers can be made without immediate
threats to the pensions of colleagues in England and Wales
and the knock-on threat to Scottish Local Government workers.
"We are also pleased that we have a commitment from
the Scottish Minister to a similar mechanism when it proves
necessary."
"I have no doubt that had the strike gone ahead we
would have seen a massive show of strength and solidarity
across public services.
"This solidarity must now be maintained during the
discussions and negotiations ahead."
The arguments on the need for decent pensions for public
service workers will continue. UNISON will be leading the
fight for an improved pension scheme offering people the
choice to work on through a flexible retirement age and
protection for pension scheme members who need to leave
work early.
The union will continue to oppose unfair penalising of
pension scheme members either by cuts in benefits or increases
in contributions.
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