Government Publishes Pension Details

Last month I joined local teachers, college lecturers and civil servants on their picket lines when they undertook a day’s industrial action in protest at the Government’s attack on their pensions.I spoke at the unions’ strike rally in Westminster. This is a film of my speech. Last week the Government published the details of the increased contributions public sector workers would have to pay if the Government gets its way in the current pensions negotiations. This announcement by the Government in the middle of the negotiations has produced a strong reaction from the unions and has almost innevitably provoked further industrial action. An independent assessment of the affordability of the pensions schemes commissioned by the Government has confirmed that the pension schemes are viable with their costs falling in the coming years. The unons also agreed two years ago that if there were any additional costs arising out of people living longer, then these costs would be paid for by increased contributions paid by the employees not the employers. The increase in pension contributions currently demanded by the Government are to be paid into the Treasury to pay for the economic crisis caused by the bankers. It is no wonder that the teachers, lecturers and civil servants are angry. They are being forced to pay for an economic crisis they never caused and they are fearful if the Government gets its way that public sector pensions will be destroyed just as private sector pensions were destroyed in the 1980s and 1990s. The UK is the 5th richest country in the world and can afford to have workers in both the public and private sectors to have a decent pension. If we had a fair taxation system which collected the £150 billion a year lost as a result of tax evasion and avoidance by the large corporations and the rich, there wouldn’t be any cuts in pensions or public services.

submitted by John on 02 Aug 2011 at 17:48