LGPS NEGOTIATIONS EDGING TOWARDS CONCLUSION
10 May 2012 – Negotiations on the proposals for the new LGPS are moving closer towards a conclusion. We hope that it won’t be too long before we can let you all know what the outcome has been. Both the unions and the LGA team have done our very best to protect you – the LGPS members – and the scheme for the future. We want more people to join it and for it to be sutainable far into the future……
LGPS Neogitations – Moving Forward In A Positive Direction
27/4/12 – After two further days of negotiations this week and more talks next week, we are moving closer to finalising the proposals for the new LGPS from 2014. Read more ….LGPS_PoP Campaign 18
24/4/12 – Negotiations Ongoing
You will understandably be wondering what is happening in the negotiations over the LGPS. At this point time, negotiations are continuing and are heading in a positive direction. There are still one or two issues which need to be concluded but we are hopeful that we will be in a position to brief members and activists on the proposals in the not-too-distant future. Once materials have been distributed and briefings taken place, the five Service Group Executives covered by the LGPS will meet to make their recommendations before we start a ballot of all members of those service groups. They are Local Government, Police and Justice, Community, Higher Education and Water, Environment & Transport (WET).
We have been discussing the scheme for the future from 2014 and governance arrangements in the new scheme. This has involved absorbing and negotiating on the basis of very detailed information on the LGPS, taken from 2010 valuations, data from the Government Actuaries Department (GAD) and the Treasury. We want to do the very best by you – LGPS members – and so the process has taken rather longer than we anticipated. We will be meeting again this week and the start of next week, but hope to move soon after that to a conclusion.
As soon as we have concluded the negotiations, we will let you know what the proposals are. Your Regions are being kept informed of the state-of-play so that they are in a position to organise briefings as soon as possible.
LGPS Negotiations Continue
2/4/12. Members and activists will be wondering where the negotiations over the LGPS have got to… The joint negotiating team and the Governance and Administration Sub-Groups have continued to meet on a regular basis – the most recent meeting of the negotiating Project team taking place today.
The negotiations are moving in a positive direction, in line with agreed principles agreed before Christmas. However, it is obviously crucial that we ensure that every possible element of a possible new scheme is fully considered and that we explore all options in order to get the best possible deal for members. This has required a significant amount of work by actuaries and others and it is therefore not yet possible to produce final proposals.
We hope that we will be in a position to give you full details before the end of April so that the all-member ballot can commence around the start of May.
12/3/12 – Government Response Awaited.
- LGPS contribution bandings 2012 – England & Wales.
- Contracting out rebates fall from April 2012
LATEST NEWS ON THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT PENSION SCHEME AND NO PAY AWARD FOR 2012/13
27/2/12
Another Pay Freeze for NJC Workers
The Local Government Employers have imposed a pay freeze for a third year running on NJC Workers, without George Osbourne’s promised £250 compensation for those earning below £21,000.
We will be discussing this with the LGA in future discussions over the new LGPS and highlighting the damaging impact the freeze could have on LGPS Membership.
What will the New LGPS Look Like – Talking “Big Ticket Items”
- CARE Scheme
- Accrual Rate
- Revaluation Rate
- Contributions
- What does all this mean for my pension in the new LGPS
- When can you retire? What will the pension age be?
- Protection
- Who’s taking the Decisions in Unison?
- When will you know the outcome of the talks and how will you have your say?
Read more on all the above here – localgovernmentpensionschemenewsletter27feb2012
How Are Talks On the LGPS Going?
13/2/12 – The LGPS Project Team has been meeting every Monday since the Service Groups gave their “go ahead” for discussions with the framework of the principles agreed with their Local Government Association in December – LGPS_PoP Campaign 13
New Local Government Pension Scheme 2014
31/1/12 – This joint communications update includes an update on progress including a series of objectives which need to be agreed following consultation with the membership – LGPS_PoP Campaign 12
Currently the project is gathering data in order to inform the discussions around the various options for the scheme including commissioning actuaries and setting up working groups.
Remember that whilst the project continues – no changes will be made to the scheme which is, and will continue to be aftet the project is complete, one of the best ways available ensure a decent income in retirement.
Negotiations Continuing Over LGPS
10 January saw each of the Service Groups covered by the LGPS meeting to take a decision over whether UNISON should proceed with negotiations over the LGPS on the basis of the principles and timetable agreed with the Local Government Association (LGA) on 21 December 2011. Those Service Groups are Local Government, Higher Education, Water, Energy and Transport (WET), Community and Police and Justice.
D Prentis highlighted the fact that UNISON remains in dispute with the Coalition over its attacks on our pensions and that the ballot is still ‘live’. We will not have to re-ballot at the end of negotiations if they fail. Any decision on final proposals in either the NHS or LGPS will be a decision for members, through an all-member ballot. If proposals are rejected, members will be asked whether they want to take further industrial action. He also made it clear that there will be lay member involvement in future negotiations.
Key points on the joint briefing are available here – LGPS_PoP Campaign 11
UNISON MEMBERS GIVE GREEN LIGHT TO PENSIONS NEGOTIATIONS
10/1/12 – UNISON activists have voted today to give the union’s negotiators the green light to continue discussions with government ministers on changes to public sector pensions.
More than 250 key elected national, regional, rank and file activists met at UNISON’s headquarters to discuss the details of the proposals for the Local Government and Health pension schemes. They agreed to the frameworks negotiators have developed with Government ministers since 30 November.
Dave Prentis, UNISON General Secretary said
“UNISON is a democratic union, and in today’s consultation, our elected activists from every service group in the local government pensions scheme endorsed the framework proposals we have negotiated, paving the way for more in depth talks.
“Our health members gave their support to talks on the NHS scheme entering a final phase, due to end in late January. When we have a final offer, we will take it back to members in a full ballot.
“Our action on 30 November got ministers back to the table, since then we have made some real progress. No contribution rises in local government until 2014 will be a real boost for many families that are hard hit by the pay freeze, and struggling to cope. The overwhelming majority of NHS scheme members won’t face contribution rate rises in 2012.
“We will continue to campaign to secure the best possible deal, which our members will then be consulted on. Should negotiations fail, our industrial action ballot, which remains live, gives us the option to take more strike action.”
Negotiations on the local government scheme are due to run until April 2012.
Local Government Pension Scheme Newsletter No 9 – 21 December 2011
21/12/11 – Agreement has now been reached with the Local Government Association (LGA) over principles and a timetable for negotiation over contributions and the scheme design of the LGPS in England and Wales from 2014. The Government accepted that the LGPS as a funded scheme with a high proportion of low earners was different to the other “pay as you go” schemes and has therefore given the go-ahead for a longer period of negotiation, over the short and long term issues. The government has also agreed to suspend the formal consultation on short-term savings while negotiations take place from January 2012. Important principles in the agreement are included - localgovernmentpensionschemenewsletter21dec2011
Local Government Pensions Scheme Newsletter No 8 – 20 December 2011
Since 30 November 2011, the LGA has moved quickly to establish some consensus over the direction of travel within the LGPS and establish some joint principles and a timetable for negotiation, stating in January 2012.
The Government and the LGA have accepted that the LGPS is different from the other public sector pensions schemes because it is a funded scheme and has assets of around £140 billion at current prices.
There are some key points of agreement between the LGPS unions and the LGA – localgovtpensionschemenewsletter20dec2011
After 30 November, what next?
(12/12/11) 30 November was an historic day – millions of public service workers uniting to say: “Enough is enough” in reply to the attack on their pensions.
But where do we go from here?
The strike had a purpose: to get ministers to negotiate meaningfully.
And we’ve already had an effect. Since 30 November, central negotiations, led by Dave Prentis, have resumed and negotiations are taking place around the specific schemes.
Meanwhile, the TUC public sector liaison group meets on 15 December to assess the strike and plan the way forward, while UNISON’s own service group executives will meet in January. The union also plans to hold its third pensions summit in January.
And we need to keep the momentum going among members after 30 November: keep campaigning and highlighting the pensions issue, get recruiting, and prepare for further action if necessary.
But what is happening in the three main pension schemes that affect UNISON members?
In local government, the strike has led to new developments in negotiations over the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) for England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Meetings are taking place before Christmas with the Local Government Association (LGA) and Local Government Employers (LGE) to attempt to agree principles and a timetable for negotiations early in 2012 that would defer any change within the LGPS until 2014.
At the time of going to press, if the Treasury and the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) agree the principles and timetable, it would allow negotiations to cover both short and long-term changes to the LGPS and, in the process, seek to minimise contribution increases.
There is consensus between the employers and unions that the £900m ‘tax’ demanded by Eric Pickles would lead to opt-outs from the scheme and possibly undermine some individual funds within it.
In the months leading up to 30 November, UNISON, GMB and Unite – on behalf of the 11 LGPS unions – had met the leaders of the political groupings within the Local Government Association and representatives of the Local Government Employers to explore the possibility for a joint response to the coalition’s demand for £900m short-term ‘savings’ from the LGPS.
UNISON and the other unions have consistently argued that the scheme has made £2bn savings since 2008, that pay freezes and job losses have also led to savings and that the 23% of the value of the LGPS generated by investments should be set against any ‘savings’.
While there was agreement that the savings could not be met from a scheme within which 70% of members earn less than £21,000 a year without leading to opt-outs and undermining the scheme itself, it was not possible to agree a way forward.
The LGA and LGE therefore put forward proposals of their own, which are now part of the formal consultation on short-term savings being run by the DCLG, with a deadline of 6 January.
Since then, there have also been meetings of the DCLG policy review group, within which there has been consensus between employers, actuaries, fund managers and the unions that the short-term savings required by Mr Pickles could not be delivered without potentially harming the scheme, meaning alternative ways of realising the ‘savings’ need to be looked for.
Both DCLG and LGA proposals contain changes to the accrual rate to achieve part of the savings.
The ‘reference scheme’ for longer-term changes to all public sector pensions from 2015 put forward by Danny Alexander calls for an accrual rate of 1/60 – the same as the current LGPS – linked to a career-average scheme.
It also provides for protection of benefits and retirement ages for those within 10 years of retirement and some tapered protection for those just outside of the 10-year limit.
UNISON and the other LGPS unions want to make sure that any changes to the LGPS are of equivalent value to members as other public-sector schemes and that the specific features of its membership, pay levels and funding are reflected in any changes; including keeping the Fair Deal on Pensions.
We therefore sought – and have agreement from Mr Alexander and the DCLG – to negotiate on the short and long-term issues together, to find solutions that are appropriate to the LGPS membership and the structure of the scheme itself.
In health, on 6 December the government announced that it was formally consulting on increases to the pension contributions in year one, which raise the cap at which staff start to pay increased contributions from £15,000 to £26,557.
Anyone who is earning less than this will have no increase in their pension contributions for 2012. This covers around 48% of all NHS workers and a much higher percentage of UNISON members.
While this is good news, and protects the lowest paid, it is only for one year and is only one element of the negotiations.
Discussions are currently focused on the accrual rate, the length of protection, how pensions will be uprated and retirement age. The unions want to minimise the impact of any changes on existing scheme members while keeping the scheme fair for younger staff and new joiners, and keep the Fair Deal.
At the start of these negotiations, accrual rates of 1/100 were being talked about – now we have a much more realistic figure of at least 1/60.
The government has the same protections for those near retirement as in the LGPS, and the unions are examining whether this can be extended.
The government seems intent on moving from final salary to career average (CARE) schemes across the public sector.
UNISON has never been opposed to CARE schemes in principle as these often benefit women and lower-paid members.
However, the type and value of the CARE scheme is important: various models are being considered for the NHS pay bands.
We still believe the timetable set by the government is unrealistic and unfair. We are making some progress in arguing that it is important to get this right rather than rush – but the government remains committed to and end-of-year deadline.
In the Civil Service pension scheme, 30 November reinforced the hand of negotiators working on behalf of members.
There have been regular meetings between unions and the Cabinet Office about the future of the scheme.
At the time of writing, there have been no proposals put forward, but discussions have centred around something similar to the existing career-average ‘Nuvos’ scheme for new starters.
(InFocus, January 2012)
Guardian Article Wed 14 December 2011
Public sector strikes announcement postponed until new year
This article was published on guardian.co.uk at 09.08 GMT on Wednesday 14 December 2011. It was last modified at 09.36 GMT on Wednesday 14 December 2011.
Public sector strikes – tens of thousands of people around the UK joined rallies on 30 November over proposed cuts to pensions. Photograph: Felix Clay
Trade union leaders will hold back from announcing public sector strike dates on Thursday as they consider their next step after mass walkouts on 30 November.
Representatives from 24 unions that took part in the biggest outbreak of industrial action in three decades are due to meet at the Trades Union Congress headquarters amid signs of progress in talks over pension reforms. More than 1 million public sector employees, from teachers to street cleaners, went on strike last month over changes to pensions for health, civil service, education and local government workers.
Dave Prentis, leader of the largest public sector union, Unison, indicated that a new walkout schedule will not be announced after the meeting after declaring the organisation remained “committed to exhausting all negotiations” with government officials and employers.
He added: “Both in local government and the NHS we are making significant progress in the talks. We are calling all our key activists together in early January to look at what progress has been made in the talks and to decide on the next steps in our campaign for a fair pension deal.”
The Public and Commercial Services union, which represents civil servants including border control officers, will push for action in the new year if there is no concrete progress in talks, in the belief that the spectre of the 30 November strikes was crucial to the government announcing a number of concessions weeks before the walkouts.
A senior trade union source said negotiations for the four schemes had picked up pace since the November strikes and are “at a stage of serious engagement”, although talks are “moving at different speeds.”
It is understood that negotiations over the local government pension scheme are most advanced, with unions and the Local Government Association, which represents more than 370 councils in England and Wales, agreeing a set of principles and timeframe for thrashing out a deal. However, that outline is awaiting approval from ministers, with the government adamant that talks must conclude by the end of the month. Ministers are also seeking “heads of agreement” for changes in each pension scheme by the time parliament rises on 20 December, according to union sources.
Brian Strutton, GMB’s national officer for public services and a negotiator in local government talks, said: “Negotiations became serious after 30 November, having stalled before then. We have made a lot of progress but it is now up to the government whether they want to sign up to a negotiated way forward which, I think, will lead to the sort of reform that the government wants and be equally fair to public sector workers.”
The government is implementing a wide range of reforms to pensions including switching the uprating of pensions from the higher RPI rate of inflation to the lower CPI rate, linking the public sector retirement age to the rising state pension age and transferring employees on final-salary schemes to career-average schemes.
Furthermore, the government has imposed a 3.2% increase in pension contributions, which will come from staff pay packets, beginning with a rise of £1.1bn in April, followed by increases of £1.1bn and £0.6bn over the following two years.
Unions view this as a tax designed to reduce the deficit rather than put pensions on a stable long-term footing. Last month Prentis said further industrial action could take place in the runup to the first round of contribution increases in April, with the possibility that protests and strikes will be split into regions or employment groups.
A spokesperson for the Cabinet Office, which is leading negotiations along with the Treasury, said the government “hoped” to reach a deal by the year end, adding: “There are intensive discussions on a scheme by scheme basis, and these talks are progressing well. The government remains committed to the talks and we are encouraged that the trade unions are engaging in discussions, rather than looking to take further irresponsible strike action. The action last month reinforced our belief that striking does not achieve anything.”
Photos From The Branch Day Of Action 30 November 2011
Hanley Town Hall - hanleytownhall1,hanleytownhall2
Stoke Civic Centre Rally- stokeciviccentrerally
Hanley Local Centre – hanleylocalcentre
Joint picket – Hanley Town Hall – jointpickethanleytownhall
Barry Russell’s Diary Of The Picket Line – Wednesday 30th November
Public sector Pensions
I was overwhelmed with the amount of support for our cause.
I was on the picket line at 06:45, set up outside Hanley Town Hall - said hello to our colleagues from PCS across the road and sent some stewards to Hanley local Centre to picket there.
Waited for the mass of council employees who were going to work if you believed the propaganda from the media and government. Still waiting at 08:00 but only a handful came in all day - one cowardly female member of staff waited by the side door and rang someone inside to let her in by the fire escape, too ashamed to face us. This is the least number to have crossed the picket line at Hanley Town Hall in history.
Went over to see the stewards at the local centre – they had a good response from the public – hardly anyone using the local centre.
Spoke to the media and along with our PCS colleagues posed for photos for the sentinel – if they print them I am the little dot on the end.
No public coming to the town hall till 11:00, then wedding party turned up - we agreed to allow the wedding to go ahead as groom was off to Afghanistan soon and on talking to some of the wedding party they told us they backed our cause.
Went to Stoke for the mass rally in Kingsway. Many good speeches and a very good turnout – bigger than I have seen in Stoke in a number of years.
It was a cold day but I was warmed by the tremendous support we had from our members and from the public.
A big thank you to all those who joined me on the picket lines in Hanley.
Barry Russell
LATEST SUMMARY OF GOVERNMENT PROPOSALS ON PENSIONS
On 2 November a statement was made in Parliament about public sector pensions, setting out a “preferred design” for the future of public sector pensions. This design entails a number of changes to previous proposals for the public sector pension schemes. Enclosed is a brief summary of:
- What has changed
- What has stayed the same
unisonsummarylatestpensionproposalsnov2011
15/11/11 – It’s a bit rich for Government ministers and business leaders to question the legitimacy of our vote:
UNISON General Secretary, Dave Prentis, has hit back at government ministers and business leaders who are trying to attack the legitimacy of the recent strike ballot result, on the basis of turnout. In the UNISON ballot, 245,358 people – just under a quarter of a million members – voted for strike action, with 70,253 voting against – that is 76% of those voting, choosing industrial action.
Dave Prentis said: “UNISON is a democratic organisation whose members have the right to vote in strike ballots. There was a 76% vote in favour of action and that democratic decision made by our membership is valid and legitimate and must be respected. “Democracy in the UK is not perfect, and we all need to look at why turnouts have fallen.
But for government ministers and business leaders to question the legitimacy of our result is a bit rich. “The UK’s democratic system gives people the right to vote, there is a consensus that whoever wins the popular vote governs the country. There is no requirement for an absolute majority of all potential votes, or of all votes cast.
Indeed, earlier this year the alternative vote was overwhelmingly rejected by the British public.
“If you follow our critics’ own logic, they would all have a rather shaky claim to power.” For example: -
In 2010 the Conservatives received only 23% of all votes that could have been cast. – General Elections do not take into account the estimated 3.5million people who aren’t even on the register, with those included Conservative support at the last election falls to 21%.
In London, Boris Johnson won control of City Hall with only 24% of potential votes.
UNISON members voted overwhelming in favour of strike action, with 76% of members who voted choosing industrial action. In contrast: . Boris won City Hall with 42% of votes cast . In 2010 the Conservatives received 36% of all votes cast.
UNISON members vote yes to strike
3/11/11 – Members of UNISON, the UK’s largest union, have today voted overwhelmingly in favour of strike action to protect their pensions.
The union balloted members including nurses, teaching assistants, social workers, care assistants, paramedics, police staff, school dinner ladies, probation workers and cleaners.
Overall: Yes: 245,358
No: 70,253
Results
Local Government (Including Scotland)
Yes 171,428
No 54,500
76% in favour – Turnout 30%
NHS (including Scotland)
Yes 73,930 No 15,753
82% in favour – Turnout 25%
Dave Prentis, General Secretary of UNISON said:
“The decisive yes vote in the ballot, reflects the deep concern that our members have over Government ministers’ proposals for their pensions. “Yesterday’s statement in Parliament was a marked improvement on earlier proposals.
“But, it is important to understand that the statement has to be translated into offers in the scheme specific talks. We still have had no offer in those negotiations, where such an offer can legitimately be made.
“We support the TUC day of action on 30 November, but will be negotiating right up to then and beyond to get a fair deal for our members.” Senior lay officials of the union are meeting throughout the afternoon to discuss the latest Government statement on pensions and to decide what action to take as a result of the strike ballot.
Separate figures for Scotland
Local Government Scotland
Yes 21,799 No 7881
NHS Scotland
Yes 13,236
No 1,880
Ends
03/11/2011
Yes Vote signals green light for strike action
Following the decisive yes vote, UNISON’s lay activists have given the green light to strike action on 30 November, to protect their pensions.
The union welcomed the theoretical improvements to the pension schemes made by Danny Alexander yesterday, saying that the pressure from UNISON and others had resulted in the Government moving significantly from their original position.
Dave Prentis, General Secretary of UNISON, the UK’s largest union, said:
“Today’s Yes vote signals the green light for the first day of strike action, and we will be joining with other unions in the TUC co-ordinated day of action on November 30th.
“While there was significant movement from the Government yesterday, at this stage we only have a theoretical pension scheme, that has yet to be translated into scheme offers. We have no offer in either the local government or the health pension schemes that we can put to our members.
“What we do have is a overwhelming yes vote in a legal ballot. And our democratic committees have taken the decision to authorise action with the TUC in line with the wishes of our members.
“So it is now up to government ministers and employers‚ to get down to work and come up with firm offers that we can put to our members.”
Ends
How Much Will The Proposed Cost You Personally?
We now have a ready reckoner for the LGPS scheme
This one gives the changes in contributions rates for the two different CLG options and show the reduction in take home pay
http://www.unison.org.uk/pensions/reckoner_lgps_pay.asp
This one shows how much longer will people will have to work, and how much pension will they will lose
http://www.unison.org.uk/pensions/reckoner_lgps_lose.asp
Pensions FAQs – 41 frequently asked questions and answers covering areas such as:
- What’s happening – What Does It Mean – Why Are We Striking?
- I Want To Strike But I Am Worried About……
- Why Should I Strike When………….
- About The Ballot
The answers to most common questions are here – pensiondisputefaqs
Local Government Pensions Campaign Newsletter No 6
- Interesting figures on the Local Government Pension Scheme
- New Campaign Materials For Members To Use
- Southwalk Council Leader Won’t Cross The Picket Line
- Early Day Motion (3)
- LGPS Fund Managers Brand CLG Proposals “Fiendisly Complicated”
- It’s Pension Time – Create A Rhyme!!
What We Think You Will Pay Extra Every Month If The Proposed Pension Changes Go Ahead
Pay More, Work Longer , Get Less – this is what we think you are likey to pay extra EVERY MONTH – pensions chart
Unison Pulse – your local branch newsletter – special pensions edition including Facts on the Pension Scheme and Myths – pulse oct 2011
Your Call To Action – Lobby Your MP And Councillor
Listed below is the latest news on the Local Government Pension Campaign:
-
Newsletter no 5 – LGPS_PoP Campaign 5 11 oct2011
- A model letter for writing to councillors expressing your concerns – LGPS Pop Campaign 5 Moder letter to councillors 11 Oct 2011
- A model letter for writing to MPs expressing your concerns – LGPS POP Campaign 5 Model letter to MPS 11 Oct 2011
- A powerpoint presentation on the Community & Local Government (CLG) Proposals on the Local Government Pensions Scheme October 2010 England & Wales LGPS Proposals – CLG PROPOSALS 11 October 2011
Vote Yes in The Ballot To Send A Strong Message To The Government That Public Sector Workers Will Fight To Protect Their Pensions, Pay and Other Terms And Conditions
WHY YOU NEED TO VOTE YES IN THE PENSIONS BALLOT 11 OCT – 3 NOV 2011
KEY ISSUES FOR THE FORTHCOMING PENSIONS BALLOT
A ballot needs to be held now in order to influence the Government timescales of April 2012. Although negotiations are still on-going, if we wait until the date of the final consultation and the final document goes out, this would create a tight timescale to complete the balloting process and we could be faced with potentially a set of regulations which could come into force in April 2012 with very little time to consult on.
A strong yes vote is required now to send a firm message to the Government of the intention of Unison to take action on this issue.
November 30th 2011 is the last opportunity to influence the Parliamentary timetable.
The key reasons why members need to vote yes are:
-
Contributions will increase by 50%.
- Individuals will have to work longer and for less.
- A move to a career average scheme will have a particularly detrimental effect.
- Every pound raised by the proposed increase will not go into the pension scheme but will be used to balance the deficit.
Two pieces of litigation are already being pursued:
-
A challenge on the move from RPI to the CPI measurement of index linking.
- A challenge as to whether monies paid by scheme members for the pension scheme can be used for something else.
Ballot papers will be sent to home addresses commencing 11 October 2011 and will be posted alphabetically.
The ballot closes on 3 November 2011 and the results will be known on the same day as a continuous count will be taking place.
Ballot helpline – 0845 355 0845 (17-31 Oct)
In order to received a ballot paper there will need to be a current home address, job title and workplace location held for your membership record. If you are not sure whether your membership details are correct you can check them on line at the unison national web site http://www.unison.org.uk
The latest pension information is also available there.
Should a yes vote be achieved, industrial action notices will be sent out on 17 November for strike action on 30 November 2011.
Letters informing the employers of a trade dispute were posted on 21 September 2011.
A strong yes vote is required to give a clear message to the Government and to strengthen the bargaining position.
A branch poster is available for your workplace noticeboard – stating the key facts – KEY ISSUES OSBORNES PENSION ROBBERY OCT 2011
Joint Union Newsletter 1 – 6 September 2011 – Osbourne’s Devastating Pension Raid
The three NJC Unions – GMB, Unison and Unite, met with the political leaders of the Local Government Group (LGG) – once the LGA – on Friday 2 September. This was the 3rd meeting called to respond to the letter sent to the LGG by Secretary of State Eric Pickles, asking them to meet the unions with a view to making joint proposals for ways of “saving £900 million from the Local Govermment Pension Scheme (LGPS).”
This newsletter outlines the arguments that that unions have made to the employers. We have demonstrated that there is no need for further savings to the LGPS – LGPS Joint Union News 1
Sign the Government Petition Opposing Move from RPI to CPI For Pensions
Please click on this link Pensions Newsletter to read the first West Midlands Regional e-Newsletter on Pensions.
You are strongly advised to follow the link in this document and sign the Government petition opposing the move from RPI indexing to CPI indexing.
17/8/11 – Where are we at with negotiations on the Local Government Pension Scheme?
This newsletter includes the current position, together with model letters to council leaders, councillors and MPs should you wish to use them in the fight to maintain your pension rights.
Local Government Pension Scheme Campaign 3
Pensions Campaign Newsletter 26 July 2011
No concessions on pensions but further talks with Government now planned.
Government recognition that Local Government Pension Scheme is different to the others.
10/6/11 - Protect The Local Government Pension Scheme –
Bringing you up to date with Government’s attempts to attack the Local Government Pension Scheme and Unison’s fight back.
- Highlighting preparations for an industrial action ballot if the government won’t see sense in the regulations.
- Acting being taken against the use of CPI to index your pension and the consultation over “Fair Deal” for members transferred to private companies or the voluntary sector
- Updating your Unison membership details on line
Read more – PENSIONSNEWSLETTERNO2
Protect Our Pensions – Briefing No 2 – Hutton says Pay More, Work Longer, Get Less – We organise – protectpensions11march2011huttonreport0001
Protect Our Pensions – Briefing No 1 – What does Lord Hutton Have In Store For Pensions on Thursday 120 March 2011?protectpensionsnews8march2011
