UNISON, the UK’s largest public service union, said today (27 February) the Taxpayers’ Alliance have got it “wrong AGAIN” following their latest attack on local government pensions.
The union accused the alliance of churning out the same old tired statistics and coming to the same old wrong conclusions, by manipulating the statistics to suit their same old vitriol against hard working public sector workers.
Council Tax accounts for approximately 20% of all council income, which means that for every £1 in council tax, just 5p goes towards the pensions of the caretakers, refuse collectors, care workers and teaching assistants etc that deliver their council services.
Heather Wakefield, UNISON Head of Local Government, said:
“It is often said that there are lies, damn lies and statistics and the Taxpayers Alliance have got it wrong AGAIN.
Their claims about the cost of local government pensions are simply untrue and do not stand up to scrutiny.
“What do they want council workers to do?
Why should council workers such as teaching assistants, home carers, dinner ladies, social workers and refuse collectors, contribute all their working lives to save for a pension, if they end up as a burden on the state because they can’t make ends meet?
“They pay into their pension from their low wages year in, year out, and can look forward to an average pension of just £3,800 a year. More tin foil than gold plated.
“The Taxpayers’ Alliance should turn their firepower on big business bosses who use the company profits to award themselves generous pensions, but close their pensions schemes to staff and force them into pensions poverty.”