by Chris Bartter

A massive YES vote in the Local Government Pensions action ballot signals the next step in UNISON's fight to protect pensions across the public sector. The ballot result in Scotland showed a 77% vote in favour of strike action, and UNISON joins a range of other unions in delivering a YES vote.

In Scotland, the PCS and FDA civil service unions and other local government unions Amicus and Ucatt joined UNISON in delivering Yes votes ranging from 73% to 87%. Day of Action As we go to press, arrangements are being made for an STUC co-ordinated multi-union day of action on the 23 March, with marches and rallies in Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Inverness as over 100,000 workers in Scotland are expected to strike.

Matt Smith said, "This level of majority shows that members across Scotland are angry at proposals to tear up their contracts with no proper consultation and negotiation.

"Raising pension age and penalising hard-working public service workers is bad for the workers, bad for public services and bad for the economy of Scotland, as Scotland has a higher proportion of public service workers and lower average pay than the UK as a whole."

The action follows successful rallies last month - again co-ordinated by the STUC, and a campaign to increase pressure on MPs across the UK to get amendments to regulations increasing Local Government pension age in England and Wales withdrawn.

The Scottish Deputy Minister for Finance, Tavish Scott MSP, has indicated that this should also apply in Scotland. Negotiations with Deputy Prime Minister, John Prescott and Local Government employers were continuing as this was being written.

Keep up the pressure - use the materials

UNISON has produced a Campaign Bulletin for all Local Government Pensions Scheme members. These have been delivered in bulk to local government (and other) branches, and contain, draft letters for members to use to write their own letters to MPs and MSPs and arguments for a YES vote in the action ballot.

Although the last items are now past, the letters are still important - especially the letters to MPs. Around 17 Scottish MPs have so far failed to sign UNISON's Early Day Motion (EDM579) calling for withdrawal of the proposal to increase the pension age of Local Government Pensions Scheme members.

Why not draft three or four letters yourself and ask members in your workplace to sign, date and address them? Then get them sent off to their MPs!

Who's out?

Local Government Pension Scheme members work in many other places than just for local councils. Not all members have been balloted for action at this stage but are being held in reserve for future action.

Those taking part in the ballot and action on 23 March are - Local council staff; staff working for Valuation Boards; Fire Boards and Tayside Contracts; FE College support staff; Leisure trust workers; Glasgow Housing Association and Dumfries and Galloway Housing Partnership staff; Meat Hygiene Service workers; Strathclyde PTE staff; Scottish Social Services Council and Commission for the Regulation of Care Staff and the staff of some Voluntary Sector employers in the North East.

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STOP PRESS

UNISON CALLS OFF LOCAL GOVERNMENT PENSION STRIKE

See also Pensions Campaign pages for general secretary's message

UNISON, Scotland's largest union, today called off planned strike action by 90,000 members of the Local Goveernment Pension Scheme due to go ahead on Wednesday (23 March), following an agreement reached last Friday.

Lengthy negotiations led by UNISON General Secretary Dave Prentis, led to a written statement by Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott, confirming the withdrawal of the Amendment Regulations, which would have raised pension and retirement ages in Local Government in England and Wales from 2005 and threatened to do the same in Scotland from 2006.

He also agreed to the setting up of a negotiating forum on the Local Government pension scheme with "nothing ruled in or out". At the same time Work and Pension's Minister Alan Johnson called for a fresh start on discussions and for real negotiations on pensions across the whole of the public sector, saying "I think we need to take the time to get this right".

In Scotland, Joe Di Paola, UNISON's Scottish Organiser for Local Government said: "We are pleased that these discussions will allow us to ensure the views of local government workers can be made without the immediate threat to the pension ages of colleagues in England and Wales, and the knock-on threat to Scottish Local Government workers.

"We look forward to these discussions as they affect Scottish Local Government pensions."

Dave Prentis General Secretary of UNISON said: "The strike is off but I have no doubt that had it gone ahead on Wednesday we would have seen a massive show of strength and solidarity across public services.

"However, I am pleased that the government has listened. Our aim throughout talks with the Deputy Prime Minister has been to have these regulations revoked and to have real negotiations on how we can have a viable, sustainable pension scheme that will benefit all. We have achieved both these objectives and we now look forward to meaningful talks on the future of our members' pension schemes.

"The commitment we have from the Deputy Prime Minister would not have been possible without the determined campaigning and hard work of our members. Local Government unions have presented a united front and the support of the PCS and FDA also contributed to the successful outcome of the talks.

"We also have to thank more than 200 MP's - 31 from Scotland - for their active support in UNISON's campaign."

ends