The day before UNISON announced that our members had voted overwhelmingly to support the Day of Action on the 30th November, Liberal Democrat Danny Alexander (Treasury Secretary) and Tory Francis Maude (Cabinet Secretary) outlined a number of new proposals to the TUC pension negotiating team.
These included an improvement in the proposed accrual rates within the major public service schemes compared to their previous position, and new proposed transitional protections for those closest to retirement.
They also indicated a long-term commitment to any agreed reforms not being reopened within the next twenty-five years. Let’s hope they are not in power for the next twenty-five years!
All of this is a start and is welcome. They could have said this, however, before the ballot started. They could have said it months ago when they were in talks with the unions if they really sympathised strongly with us.
They don’t sympathise strongly with us of course, and they were made to sugar the pill as a direct result of the strength of feeling and determination shown by UNISON public sector workers, and the groundswell of support for the TUC Day of Action at the end of this month.
Their proposals have been welcomed nevertheless and will need to be considered in detail. They have not, as yet, withdrew their more contentious proposals, one of which is the rise in contributions.
We are still a long way from these proposals and principles being put to us as a firm offer, and until they are, we will be committed to the Day of Action.
We know that people are living longer (although we see that as something to celebrate). We know that contributions sometimes have to increase. We know that the retirement age may change over time.
We know all this because we entered into an agreement with the last government to take into account all of these things. That is where the ‘Pension Choice’ came from. A choice that will be null and void if this Coalition gets its way.
We agreed changes with the last government in good faith that would have kept our pension scheme fit for purpose in the modern world as well as cash rich.
It still is cash rich and the Coalition is acting in bad faith by trying to deceive us, steal from us, and condemn millions of young workers to pension poverty.
I wrote in my last blog posting that public service pensions have been around in one guise or another for hundreds of years. The National Day of Action on the 30th November is there to help us pass them on to the next generations.
Pensions are important. They give people dignity and a decent life after work.
I want to thank all London Ambulance UNISON members for taking part in the ballot.
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  Information of all issues can be found elsewhere on our website.
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Eric Roberts
Branch Secretary
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