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The pensions deal for health workers, civil servants and teachers provides real ammunition for UNISON negotiators dealing with the Local Government Pension Scheme.
UNISON played a key role in an historic deal last week, reached by the Public Services Forum on pensions for workers in health, education and the civil service. The deal guarantees lifetime protection of their existing pension benefits and current retirement age of 60.
UNISON's Heather Wakefield, local government pension scheme lead negotiator for the trade unions, said there can now be no excuse for the ridiculous proposals put forward on 22nd September 2005 to reduce benefits for local government workers. "The government continually agrues for joined-up working across the public services. Now we want joined-up pensions" she said.
She explained that the PSF deal was a fantastic achievement which must now be applied to the Local Government Pension Scheme negotiations. "If not, we will have teachers able to retire at 60 but lowe paid school support staff working on until they are 65" she explained, "Fire Fighters and Police Officers will be allowed to retire at 55 but our members working alonside them will have to work until they are 65. The same will apply in Probation and Higher and Further Education."
The PSF package contains a framework of principles for individual scheme negotiations, which will start once consultation over the overall package has ended. These will end on March 2006. Principles which will assist LGPS negotiations include:
- An open evidence-based approach to negotiations
- Scope for increasing take-up
- Robust costings of proposals
- Adequate time for negotiations
- Initial discussions to conclude by March 2006
- Scheme specific negotaitions should take account of the special mental and physical demands of many public sector jobs
It also details agreed key features of new schemes. They will be:
- Defined benefit schemes linked to individuals earnings
- Government to make 1% of payroll available to improve benefits in new schemes
- Equality proofing
- Encouragement of take up amongst part time and lowe paid workers
- Freedom form central direction over the type of scheme
- A reference age of 65 for new entrants after the implementation date with provision in future schemes to retire at 60
An early day motion has been tabled in the House of Commons, welcoming the successful discussions between government and public sector trade unions on future pension provision and looking forward to an early and successful settlement on the Local government Pension Scheme.
This motion is being supported by UNISON MPs through the unions Labour Link. UNISON is urging people to write to their MPs encouraging them to sign the early day motion as soon as possilbe.
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