- Conference
- 2011 Retired Members' Conference
- Date
- 4 May 2011
- Decision
- Carried as Amended
Retired Members will have noted with growing concern the government’s attack on both the state and public sector pension schemes. Not only are they constantly attacking the pensions in the media, but they are always doing their best to attack pension funds with statements about the public sector pensions being ‘gold plated’. If this is allowed to continue, the future of the pension schemes will become grim realities, and our fellow working members will be faced with great hardship.
We must stop all attacks made by the media and this government on our pensions and the pension funds. The cuts and the reduced staffing levels which are proposed, and in many councils now in place, can only damage the future of the pension schemes and create more members facing a very poor retirement. Moves like this government’s move to use Consumer Prices Index (CPI) instead of the Retail Prices Index (RPI) to calculate future increases to pensions, and the benefits which play a vital role in many of our members lives, is a major backward step and is a definite reduction in their income. We will see more people having to face a situation of trying to survive on a lot less, and this will only create more problems for the NHS and a very depleted Social Service. t is wrong for any government to prune our economic tree from the bottom and not the top. ‘Pay more in, get less out’ or ‘work longer and die sooner’ are not acceptable slogans. Many workers, particularly those in heavy manual work, will be unable to sustain working to the proposed retirement age, and then to be required to retire on a reduced income.
Therefore, this Retired Members’ Conference gives its full support to the National Executive Council through the National Retired Members’ Committee in putting pressure on the Government through MPs, and on local councillors to stop the constant attack on public service pensions and pension funds.
Conference also calls on the national Retired Members’ Committee to work to involve UNISON’s retired members in the Protect Our Pensions camapign.