A great post from Kate Ramsden of Aberdeenshire Unison on last nights pension meeting.
http://www.aberdeenshireunison.com/pensions/pensionsmeetingjuly11.html
Peter Smyth
Communications officer
Friday, July 15, 2011
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Protect your pensions
Public service workers from across Aberdeen will join together this week to discuss attacks on their pensions and plans to defend them.
UNISON, Scotland’s largest union in public services, together with Unite, GMB and EIS have called the mass meeting on Thursday, July 14, to outline plans to protect members’ pension rights. Staff from north-east NHS, police support staff, teachers and local council employees will all be in attendance.
The UK Government is proposing to increase pension contributions by 50 per cent, raise the retirement age and change the way pensions are indexed from RPI to CPI – resulting in a cut of 15 per cent. However, as pension regulation is devolved to the Scottish Parliament, MSPs can choose to reject the UK plans and protect quality pensions in Scotland.
Mike Kirby, UNISON’s Scottish Secretary, said: “UNISON is in discussions with both the UK and Scottish governments about its unfair and unnecessary changes to our members’ pensions which would see them working longer, paying more and getting less. These changes amount to nothing more than a pensions’ tax on public service workers, who are being left to pay the price for bailing out the bankers.
“These proposals would make saving for retirement unaffordable and out of reach for those we most depend on to clean our hospitals, care for the sick and elderly and teach our children.
“The Scottish Government has a choice to make and it’s a simple one; reject the UK Government’s unfair attack on the pensions of hard-working people and protect quality pension provision for Scotland’s public service workers.”
Posted by Peter Smyth
Communications Officer
UNISON, Scotland’s largest union in public services, together with Unite, GMB and EIS have called the mass meeting on Thursday, July 14, to outline plans to protect members’ pension rights. Staff from north-east NHS, police support staff, teachers and local council employees will all be in attendance.
The UK Government is proposing to increase pension contributions by 50 per cent, raise the retirement age and change the way pensions are indexed from RPI to CPI – resulting in a cut of 15 per cent. However, as pension regulation is devolved to the Scottish Parliament, MSPs can choose to reject the UK plans and protect quality pensions in Scotland.
Mike Kirby, UNISON’s Scottish Secretary, said: “UNISON is in discussions with both the UK and Scottish governments about its unfair and unnecessary changes to our members’ pensions which would see them working longer, paying more and getting less. These changes amount to nothing more than a pensions’ tax on public service workers, who are being left to pay the price for bailing out the bankers.
“These proposals would make saving for retirement unaffordable and out of reach for those we most depend on to clean our hospitals, care for the sick and elderly and teach our children.
“The Scottish Government has a choice to make and it’s a simple one; reject the UK Government’s unfair attack on the pensions of hard-working people and protect quality pension provision for Scotland’s public service workers.”
Posted by Peter Smyth
Communications Officer
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
More Pension News
Scottish Government attack pensions increase
Cabinet Secretary for Finance, John Swinney MSP made a statement to Parliament that increased pension contributions will place an unnecessary burden on public service workers who are already suffering from pay restraint and rising living costs. He also said that this would damage the Scottish economy, undermining consumer confidence. UNISON Scotland welcomed this recognition from the Scottish Government of the unfair and unnecessary attacks on public service workers’ pensions by the UK government.
However, the statement was less clear on those pension matters that are the responsibility of the Scottish Government – including pension contribution increases. He set out the limitations of his powers in relation to the NHS scheme and confirmed his greater flexibility in relation to the local government scheme (LGPS). The financial numbers he gave were somewhat confused and he avoided MSP questions on the cost in relation to the LGPS.
In a letter to UNISON he states that he is waiting on developments at UK level while continuing the dialogue in Scotland. Negotiations with the UK government are continuing into July. UNISON will argue that the Scottish Government must face up to the challenges facing Scottish workers and will urge him not to blindly follow the ConDem’s plans.
Taken From UNISON's Scottish Pensions Bulletin No24
And remember Join Us on the 14th at the Beach Ballroom 5-7pm
Peter Smyth
Communications Officer
Cabinet Secretary for Finance, John Swinney MSP made a statement to Parliament that increased pension contributions will place an unnecessary burden on public service workers who are already suffering from pay restraint and rising living costs. He also said that this would damage the Scottish economy, undermining consumer confidence. UNISON Scotland welcomed this recognition from the Scottish Government of the unfair and unnecessary attacks on public service workers’ pensions by the UK government.
However, the statement was less clear on those pension matters that are the responsibility of the Scottish Government – including pension contribution increases. He set out the limitations of his powers in relation to the NHS scheme and confirmed his greater flexibility in relation to the local government scheme (LGPS). The financial numbers he gave were somewhat confused and he avoided MSP questions on the cost in relation to the LGPS.
In a letter to UNISON he states that he is waiting on developments at UK level while continuing the dialogue in Scotland. Negotiations with the UK government are continuing into July. UNISON will argue that the Scottish Government must face up to the challenges facing Scottish workers and will urge him not to blindly follow the ConDem’s plans.
Taken From UNISON's Scottish Pensions Bulletin No24
And remember Join Us on the 14th at the Beach Ballroom 5-7pm
Peter Smyth
Communications Officer
Monday, July 4, 2011
Protect YOUR Pension
Do You Want To Pay More for Your Pension While getting less and working longer?
DO you think its fair that the government plans to take £4 Billion out of YOUR pension Schemes to pay for the financial crisis caused by fat cat bankers?
No, then come and join us at the Beach Ballroom on Thursday 14th July at 5pm, The meeting to be Addressed by UNISON's Scottish Secretary Mike Kirby.
For more information on UNISON's Campaign then please go here
So Remember THURSDAY 14th JULY 5-7pm Beach Ballroom
Peter
Communications Officer
DO you think its fair that the government plans to take £4 Billion out of YOUR pension Schemes to pay for the financial crisis caused by fat cat bankers?
No, then come and join us at the Beach Ballroom on Thursday 14th July at 5pm, The meeting to be Addressed by UNISON's Scottish Secretary Mike Kirby.
For more information on UNISON's Campaign then please go here
So Remember THURSDAY 14th JULY 5-7pm Beach Ballroom
Peter
Communications Officer
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
A Trip to London
Well for those of you who didn't watch the TV this weekend you might not have seen that 500,000 people peacefully marched through the streets of london to show that their is an alternative.
We left Aberdeen 39 of us a mixture of Unison, Unite, GMB and NUS all wanting to show that Aberdeen said no and after a 12 Hour bus ride we arrived at Paddington Station just a quick tube ride away from the Embankment and the start of the March.
Over on our flickr site you will be able to see the pictures taken of the day, some in focus and some not but all of them of all of us fighting to ensure that the voice of Aberdeen was heard in the march.
A big thanks everyone involved, To Charlie and John for carrying our new branch Banner, to Isobel and Wendy from Alford Place for adding to the pictures of the day and to Anne Begg MP for getting through the crowds to welcome us to London.
It was a great day and a great march and the Branch was proud to be part of it.
We left Aberdeen 39 of us a mixture of Unison, Unite, GMB and NUS all wanting to show that Aberdeen said no and after a 12 Hour bus ride we arrived at Paddington Station just a quick tube ride away from the Embankment and the start of the March.
Over on our flickr site you will be able to see the pictures taken of the day, some in focus and some not but all of them of all of us fighting to ensure that the voice of Aberdeen was heard in the march.
A big thanks everyone involved, To Charlie and John for carrying our new branch Banner, to Isobel and Wendy from Alford Place for adding to the pictures of the day and to Anne Begg MP for getting through the crowds to welcome us to London.
It was a great day and a great march and the Branch was proud to be part of it.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
A Message from Dave Prentis
A message from Dave Prentis,
UNISON General Secretary
Your pensions are at risk
You may have seen some of the media coverage today of the Hutton report into public sector pensions. I have been interviewed on national BBC TV, Channel 4, ITV, the Today programme, 5 Live, many regional radio stations and by the newspapers.
See our press releases, put out to the media this morning, on our website. I wanted to let you know personally how your pensions and those of your members are being placed at risk by the government. The coalition government has shown contempt for Hutton.
Even before he finished his inquiry, the government decided to increase contributions by more than 50%, at a time when pay is being frozen, inflation is rising and our members' jobs are threatened with cuts and privatisation.
Additionally, the value of members' pensions has been reduced because the government changed the method of calculating annual inflation increases so pensions will increase by less than retail prices.
Hutton is recommending that public sector schemes move from final salary pensions to career averages and that members work longer. This will mean a lower pension because it is based on an average of how much members earn each year rather than on final salary.
And the move to the lower CPI method of calculating inflation undermines the career average scheme, so everyone will be worse off.
You and your members already have to pay more. I am convinced that the government will use this merely to cut costs and benefits. Whatever Hutton says about fairness in his report, it will be used by the government to cut the value of our pension schemes.
These changes are totally unnecessary. Our NHS scheme is cash rich and pays £2bn into the Treasury each year. There are no problems with the local government scheme that would justify this change.
We have already negotiated with the previous government new schemes that reflect people living longer and have made sure they are affordable and sustainable. Talks with the coalition government to protect and defend our members' pensions will be tough. And we need your support.
I will be sending this message to all our members for whom we have an email address. But I felt it only right that you, the activists who are the backbone of this union, got it first.
And remember: we don't have email addresses for everyone: if you do one thing, please make sure all your members are aware of this message and the threat to their pensions.
And use it to recruit new members: tell them what we're doing to protect pensions and ask them to join, so we have a stronger voice.
And get involved in activity within the branch or become a pension champion or write to your local MP to protest.
If we cannot make any progress in our talks with the government to get it to see sense, we will have to take very hard decisions on moving to an industrial action ballot.
You can keep informed of developments by looking at our webpage at unison.org.uk/protectourpensions, which also contains briefings on the threat to our pensions and other resources which you will find useful as an activist.
But I believe that this issue is so important that I will personally let you and our members know the outcome of the talks.
Dave Prentis
UNISON general secretary
UNISON General Secretary
Your pensions are at risk
You may have seen some of the media coverage today of the Hutton report into public sector pensions. I have been interviewed on national BBC TV, Channel 4, ITV, the Today programme, 5 Live, many regional radio stations and by the newspapers.
See our press releases, put out to the media this morning, on our website. I wanted to let you know personally how your pensions and those of your members are being placed at risk by the government. The coalition government has shown contempt for Hutton.
Even before he finished his inquiry, the government decided to increase contributions by more than 50%, at a time when pay is being frozen, inflation is rising and our members' jobs are threatened with cuts and privatisation.
Additionally, the value of members' pensions has been reduced because the government changed the method of calculating annual inflation increases so pensions will increase by less than retail prices.
Hutton is recommending that public sector schemes move from final salary pensions to career averages and that members work longer. This will mean a lower pension because it is based on an average of how much members earn each year rather than on final salary.
And the move to the lower CPI method of calculating inflation undermines the career average scheme, so everyone will be worse off.
You and your members already have to pay more. I am convinced that the government will use this merely to cut costs and benefits. Whatever Hutton says about fairness in his report, it will be used by the government to cut the value of our pension schemes.
These changes are totally unnecessary. Our NHS scheme is cash rich and pays £2bn into the Treasury each year. There are no problems with the local government scheme that would justify this change.
We have already negotiated with the previous government new schemes that reflect people living longer and have made sure they are affordable and sustainable. Talks with the coalition government to protect and defend our members' pensions will be tough. And we need your support.
I will be sending this message to all our members for whom we have an email address. But I felt it only right that you, the activists who are the backbone of this union, got it first.
And remember: we don't have email addresses for everyone: if you do one thing, please make sure all your members are aware of this message and the threat to their pensions.
And use it to recruit new members: tell them what we're doing to protect pensions and ask them to join, so we have a stronger voice.
And get involved in activity within the branch or become a pension champion or write to your local MP to protest.
If we cannot make any progress in our talks with the government to get it to see sense, we will have to take very hard decisions on moving to an industrial action ballot.
You can keep informed of developments by looking at our webpage at unison.org.uk/protectourpensions, which also contains briefings on the threat to our pensions and other resources which you will find useful as an activist.
But I believe that this issue is so important that I will personally let you and our members know the outcome of the talks.
Dave Prentis
UNISON general secretary
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