GLA workers defied Tory London mayor Boris Johnson today to join today’s industrial action in defence of their pensions.
“It’s a very difficult and brave step for these members to strike,” said London regional secretary Linda Perks.
“These are key workers for the mayor of London, a mayor who is a high profile Tory politician and in the frontline of Tory policy. Boris was determined to keep City Hall open today. We have effectively ensured that 90% of staff joined the strike. It shows how determined these people are to protect their pensions.”
Vice chair of the GLA branch Rebecca Palmer has spent the last five years in the authority’s children and young people’s unit, helping hundreds of ordinary youngsters in the city to better access a range of services and opportunities.
But she says that the changes to her pension will affect how she can provide for her own children.
“These changes will affect my income quite dramatically,” she says. “My parents were in a position to support me through difficult times but I won’t be able to support myself, let alone provide a safety net for my own children – whose own pensions are going to be much worse.”
As UNISON members picketed the GLA’s riverside headquarters, they cheerfully engaged with passers-by, explaining to them exactly whey they were striking today.
“My favourite has been a jogger who stopped running to talk to us,” says Rebecca. “He said he works in the private sector and wished us all the best. He also wished he had an organisation like ours so that he could have a decent pension.”