UNISON, the public service union, today insisted that it could not sign up to proposals by the Local Government Group (LGG) and the Local Government Employers (LGE) to the Government, to increase pension contributions, worsen the accrual rate and raise the retirement age in the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS).
National Secretary for local government, Heather Wakefield, said:
“We have told the LGG and the employers that we cannot sign up to these plans which are proposed to raise nothing more than a £900m ‘tax’ on LGPS members for the Government in the short term.
“These proposals may well be overtaken in October, when we are being asked to enter discussions on the longer-term structure of the LGPS. We have always said that the two issues should be dealt with together in the same negotiations, within a reasonable timetable. Ministers have refused both.
“Additionally, savings of almost £2bn have been made since 2008 as a result of redundancies, a two-year pay freeze, the ending of the Rule of 85 and changes to the benefit structure. These cuts are totally unnecessary.
“Our members in the LGPS are facing attacks on their pay and conditions everywhere, local government pay has been frozen for two years and inflation is going through the
roof. Increases in pension costs are the final straw.”
UNISON has announced that it will ballot more than 1.1m of its members in local government and health over Government ministersÕ plans to make them pay more and work longer, for less pension.
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