The Prime Minister, David Cameron, called the 30th November Day of Action by over two million public sector workers a ‘damp squib’!
I think we will soon see the first scientific evidence of a damp squib exploding in the face of a British premier!
Hundreds and hundreds of thousands of hard-working, decent, public sector workers stood up together on the 30th November 2011, shoulder to shoulder, arm in arm, to defend their hard-earned pensions being stolen from them.
Unison Battle Bus at Waterloo Ambulance Station
Our General Secretary, Dave Prentis, stood on the picket line at Waterloo ambulance station and gave support to LAS UNISON members.
If anyone wants to see what a good public service looks like, then look no further than the London Ambulance Service (LAS).
Everyone, no matter what job they do, all working for the same aim: that is to protect the public services, look after the people of London and try to improve patient care.
We say that we are all front line within LAS, and what better example of that than the 30th.
It is a real disgrace that the Coalition is attacking our pensions but, we are seen as an easy target.
When we stand up and fight back we are called ‘stupid’ by government ministers. Stupid!
Camden Ambulance Station
They want us to pay more (not a bit more, but a lot more), they want us to work longer (not a bit longer, but a lot longer) and they want us to receive less (not a bit less, but a lot less)!
They have lied to us and misrepresented our pensions to the public, created a red herring regarding private v public, while all the time aiming to steal from us to pay for the debt that their irresponsible friends in the City got us into in the first place.
How stupid do they think we are!
They say we are stupid to take action: we say we would be stupid not too!
It is important to remember within this whirlwind of anti public sector pension rhetoric, three small facts:
- Our pension scheme is cash rich.
- It gives the treasury, and therefore the UK economy, £2 billion per year.
- More money is paid in than is paid out.
We have a fair and sustainable agreement on pensions currently and they want to simply rip it up. This agreement covers contribution increases and the fact of people living longer.
The real comparisons regarding our pensions is not the tired public v private argument, but should be Members of Parliament pensions v ours: Government Ministers pensions v ours:high earners in the City pensions v ours: Company directors pensions v ours.
This will not happen of course, because these comparisons will show how shallow and weak their argument is, while exposing the real reason for the attacks on pensions: public sector pensions first – public services next!
Pensions first - Services next.
Ambulance workers didn’t take action yesterday out of some kind of spite. In fact while taking action lots of members also provided emergency cover for the people of London. However, ambulance services are under huge threat because of the cut & burn policies of the government.
We did it because we are ordinary, decent, hard-working public sector workers, who are standing together, not just in defence of our pensions, but also in defence of our Services.
We defend them for our children, and their children’s children.
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 Information of all issues can be found elsewhere on our website.
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 I Am Frontline You Are Frontline We Are All FrontlineÂ
We are stronger together.
Eric Roberts
Branch Secretary
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