nsion Ballot Special Edition...Pension Ballot Special Edition...Pension Ballot Special Edition...Pension Ballot Spec
Vote YES for action to protect our pensions City and County of Swansea
Review Exclusive interveiw: pension changes explained...
"Work longer, pay more, get less" Public Sector Pensions -
What Are The Key Issues We Face?
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Change to the way pension increases are calculated RPI/CPI Scheme contribution increases Retirement age increases Benefit changes to career average No right to our pension with privatisation or transfer to 'social enterprise'
Public Service Not Private Profit
ARE YOU UNDECIDED about the pensions issue? Or is the thought of retiring a distant one that you think you don't have to worry about? The best way to understand the pension changes is that they are a pay-cut now, and when you retire. If all of the government's changes go through it will be like losing six-days pay a year - every year until you retire.
is relying on this to push their attack through and you stand to lose far more by not striking. What is not understandable is that some may even still decide not to join a union and will let others fight on their behalf. The government is not interested in negociation - they want us to pay for the deficit and the financial crisis they and the bankers caused. Lecturers, civil servants and teachers all struck over pensions on June 30th. This time union after union are balloting, or have already balloted, for action over pensions. Even the NAHT headteachers union - which has never been on strike in its 114-year history - is balloting it's members for action.
UNISON has tried negociations as long as possible with the government. Unfortunately these have resulted in no improvements and the trade unions have all decided that enough is enough and we must resort to strike action - at present proposed for one day on November 30th. We recognise it is a difficult decision for members to take in hard economic times, November 30th looks set to be a historic and we have exhausted all other day when the largest coaltion of unions take united action since the 1926 General possibilities before advocating a strike. Strike. It will be a source of pride in our lives It is understandable if some believe they that we stood united together. cannot afford to strike - but the government Vote YES for action. ￭
'If all the governments changes go through it will be like losing six days pay a year every year until you retire' October 2011
"The price of this financial crisis is being borne by people who absolutely did not cause it, now is the period when the cost is being paid, I'm surprised that the degree of public anger has not been greater than it has." Mervyn King, Governer of Bank of England (speaking before the annoucement of ballots)
Attack Number 1: The Change From RPI to CPI In June last year an Emergency Budget outlined the change in the way inflation is measured from the RPI (Retail Price Index) to the CPI (Consumer Price Index) What does this mean? It means your pension will increase at a lower level. CPI is typically on average 0.7% lower than RPI - this might not sound a lot but is 0.7% every year, year on year until you retire. It adds up to a huge cut. LPGS members are likely to lose at least 25% of the value of their pension in the next 25 years.
Attack Number 2: Contribution Increases The government has announced a cut in funding to our pension scheme of £3.8 billion a year a year. What does this mean? It means paying just over a 3.2% contribution increase into your pension - 50% more than you currently pay. And none of our increased contributions will actually benefit us - it will be taken straight out of our pension fund again to pay the government debt. It is a tax on our pension fund.
Attack Number 3: Move Away From Final-Salary Pension Scheme The Hutton Report has recommended changing to a 'career average' scheme by the end of the next Parliament. This is instead of a pension based on your final salary, which for many will be higher than when they started work.
Attack Number 4: Raising State Pension Retirement Age (SPA) From November 2018 the SPA will be 65; from April 2020 it will be 66; it will be 67 between 2034 - 36 and 68 between 2044 - 46. This means that those 34 or younger now SPA will be 68; for those between 34 and 42 it is 67 and those 42 to 57 it will be 68.
Attack Number 5: Lose Pension Rights on Transfer The government wants us to lose our right to stay in the LGPS if we are forcibly transferred to another employer. This is to make privatisation more attractive to private companies who would not have to contribute to our pension scheme out of the profits we make for them.
You cannot afford not to strike - vote YES for action and defend our future Join UNISON now - 635271
Which unions are balloting and when?
EIS Scottish teachersʼ union: Ballot opened on 26 September and closes 3 November NAHT headteachersʼ union: Ballot began on 29 September, ends on 9 November. Nipsa (Northern Ireland): Ballot for strike over pensions, pay and jobs started 30 September Unison: Ballot papers will go out on 11 October to over a million members. Voting will close on 3 November Unite: Ballot papers go out on 24 October, ends mid November Prospect civil service union: Ballot over pensions will run from 24 October to 14 November. GMB: Ballot opens 31 October, closes 16 November Chartered Society of Physiotherapy: Ballot over pensions “will get underway at the end of October”. NASUWT: Balloting over pensions and conditions. Opens 4 November, closes 17 November.
Live ballots PCS: Live ballot over pensions, pay and cuts. Committed to November strike UCU: Members in Teachersʼ Pension Scheme will strike again in autumn. Also won ballot for lecturers in older universities in USS pension scheme NUT: Committed to further coordinated strikes to defend pensions ATL: Committed to further coordinated strikes to defend pensions UCAC Welsh teachersʼ union: Struck on 5 October and will also join 30 November Unison Northern Ireland: struck on 5 October and will also join 30 November
Others FDA civil service union: Strike ballot announced FBU: Has sent bosses trade dispute letter and says it is making “preparations for national strike action”, but has not launched ballot yet RCN nursesʼ union: Not balloting yet, but says it is “ready to ballot” as end of negotiations approaches if the talks fail
This newsletter is produced by the City and County of Swansea Unison Branch. Any letters, comments or suggestions for articles should be posted to the branch address or emailed to Unison@swansea.gov.uk. Correspondence is not guaranteed to be published and contents may not necessarily reflect Unison policy.