UNISON’s campaign against government plans to force the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) to be invested in infrastructure projects has taken a leap forward, after a petition on the government’s own site hit 100,000 signatures.
This means that Parliament will debate the issue, as raised by the petition. We are now waiting for a date for the debate to take place.
Launched in March, the petition points out that using regulation to rule on how pension funds should be invested is not allowed in any other scheme – even the pension scheme of MPs themselves.
UNISON is not opposed to investment in infrastructure per se, but believes that the determining factor for how funds are invested must be the members’ interests.
The petition, which is currently standing at over 105,000 signatures, is open until 26 September, so you can still add your name at https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/125475.
UNISON has also produced a new guide to the LGPS: you can download it as a PDF from www.unison.org.uk/catalogue/23973. Print copies will also soon be available via the online catalogue – stock number 3660.
