Unison strike action.

[MagicBoy]

As for the OP hmmm why dont they just increase pension payments. Mine are currently at 11.5%.

Because that's not what we agreed to. The LGPS scheme I'm in was restructured about 5 years ago and is on a sound financial footing. There is no need to increase employee contributions. All this pensions crisis stuff is a load of crap where the LGPS is concerned. Local Government workers with the occupational pension will get penalised because other public sector schemes didn't sort themselves out.

What the government is doing is reducing the employers side contribution, making us pay an extra 3% (a 40% increase) then pocketing the extra cash. Local Government has lost significant numbers of frontline staff, there is no money and we're all on a pay freeze. The Government have crossed the line and we've just had enough.

 

[Xinn]

I'm in Unison and didn't get a ballot paper. Due to recent change of address and I didn't call them and request another sending.

As magic boy said, we joined the pension fund at it's current rate. The only reason they want to increase it is so they don't have to increase council tax and they can make up the money from our contributions.

The LGPS already rakes in far far more in contributions each year than it pays out and it's assets are in the hundereds of millions of pounds.

The Unions are fully aware of this hence the reason for strike action, there just isn't a solid case for increasing it so much. If they want to keep council tax down fund it from elsewhere or use the existing money.

 

[digipeep]

What the government is doing is reducing the employers side contribution, making us pay an extra 3% (a 40% increase) then pocketing the extra cash. Local Government has lost significant numbers of frontline staff, there is no money and we're all on a pay freeze. The Government have crossed the line and we've just had enough.

Diddums.

Stop whining, we all know Local Government workers haven't done a proper days work in their lives.

 

[Castiel]

What is the white poppy all about?

Some daft peace thingy thought up by a bunch of women in the 1930s.

 

[MagicBoy]

Diddums.

Stop whining, we all know Local Government workers haven't done a proper days work in their lives.

Utter rubbish.

 

[Draeger]

These gold plated public sector pensions are contributing to the crippling of the UK financially. Why should the tax payer have to pay for public sector workers pensions?. It's quite ridiculous.
































I haven't added [sarcasm] tags as there's no real point in doing so.

 

[Castiel]

Which of course proves nothing but that Peter Hitchens is a chap who likes to intellectually bully people from his ivory tower without actually going out there and doing something moral himself. Do as I say not as I do and all that.

As for the OP well 29% is about as legitimate as what got our current government in and they are starting wars on that remit not moaning about pensions.

I not so sure, there is a fairness issue to consider. Is it right that the private sector worker subsidise the vastly better public sector pensions when they can barely fund their own and vastly reduced benefits?

As for the ballot, a low turnout is not indicative of opposition to the strike amongst Unison Members, it simply means a significant proportion are ambivalent about it, if they were oppposed they would have voted against.

 

[Rotty]

These gold plated public sector pensions are contributing to the crippling of the UK financially. Why should the tax payer have to pay for public sector workers pensions?. It's quite ridiculous.

the first offer they got was something the majority of people would be delighted with, improving on this was a joke, time these people got real

 

[Mercenary Keyboard Warrior]

Unison don't generally represent teachers, but they do represent other individuals who work in education such as teaching assistants and cleaners, dinner staff etc.
I know that the teaching unions are supporting this strike too.

As a teacher I'm in two minds about being in a union. I am in the NUT, and if any allegations or problems were to arise I'd want them on my side. But when they balloted for strike action I voted No. I don't want to strike over pensions and it's not the children in my class's fault that the government want to change our pensions. Only one teacher out of 25 of us went on strike and school was open as normal.

So I guess I'm having my cake and eating it - I want their support if necessary but I'm not willing to support them - doesn't sit easy with me.

Don't know if I'm brave enough to not be in the union though.

Guess I'll see if I get the day off on 30th November - I won't be supporting a strike again but if our caretaker, cleaners and dinner staff all strike then we can't open. Guess I'll just be working in my classroom all day but without the children.

Sounds to me like you have your head screwed on just right.
You want a modern union who will support you when you need it but dont want a bullying union.

Public sector pensions have to be downgraded and reflect the same the rest of us with personal pensions are suffering. Its just a changing of the whole global economic landscape, who cares what deal was struck a few years ago, most people I know even with final salary schemes are having to contribute more and more to maintain the same benefits.

 

[wildman]

Which of course proves nothing but that Peter Hitchens is a chap who likes to intellectually bully people from his ivory tower without actually going out there and doing something moral himself. Do as I say not as I do and all that.

As for the OP well 29% is about as legitimate as what got our current government in and they are starting wars on that remit not moaning about pensions.

NEGATIVE

election turnout for the current comedy duo act was actually closer to 65%

http://www.ukpolitical.info/Turnout45.htm

 

[wildman]

I not so sure, there is a fairness issue to consider. Is it right that the private sector worker subsidise the vastly better public sector pensions when they can barely fund their own and vastly reduced benefits?

As for the ballot, a low turnout is not indicative of opposition to the strike amongst Unison Members, it simply means a significant proportion are ambivalent about it, if they were oppposed they would have voted against.

I have no sympathy for the public sector as I think they have had it far to easy for far to long, but in fairness untill fairly recently public sector wages v private were poor, the only thing that really kept public sector jobs filled was the pension scheme which was no doubt the best of its kind. For some of the longer serving public sector workers it would be unfair for them to go through a massive re-neg on the deal, For the newer ones and fresh recruits they should be restructured as they have made little to no contribution compared to the old guard who in fairness likely deserve to get what they signed up for.

As for the ballot I guess those that didn't run up are willing to let the minority who did represent them. Personally Ithink it stinks that a country can be held to ransom by an extremely vocal minority, but I guess that's democracy in action for you ?

 

[Crimefighter]

Seems to me strikes these days are more about Unions justifying their existence than anything else. With a 29% turnout maybe they should be worried.

 

[MagicBoy]

Seems to me strikes these days are more about Unions justifying their existence than anything else. With a 29% turnout maybe they should be worried.

Ordinarily I'd agree. The Unison activists in our place were up for organising strikes due to austerity cuts and got no support. That isn't the case with stealing from our pensions to pay back the bankers debt.

 

[Bear]

Ordinarily I'd agree. The Unison activists in our place were up for organising strikes due to austerity cuts and got no support. That isn't the case with stealing from our pensions to pay back the bankers debt.

So what about the supermarket checkout worker on near on minimum wage? They cant afford their own pension but is supposed to pay their taxes so public sector workers can?

Besides a lot of the structural deficit is due to Labour employing more people into the public sector in areas of low employment, so the debt is in part caused by the public sector itself.

 

[LordSplodge]

I'm not in a Union but boy am I ****ed that my retire at 60 final salary pension has just gone out the window.

I mean there isn't much point in working for the Public Sector if I don't have that. We get paid less than our equivalent Private Sector workers and have been on a pay freeze for years, had job loses by the masses to pay to bailout some private sector bankers.

I'd down tools but public sector works don't work, amirite?

 

[Moley]

As for the ballot I guess those that didn't run up are willing to let the minority who did represent them. Personally Ithink it stinks that a country can be held to ransom by an extremely vocal minority, but I guess that's democracy in action for you ?

That's a complete fallacy and no reasonable person would draw that conclusion from the poor turnout.

 

[scorza]

Peter Hitchens just owned a Teacher in the Newsnight Audience on the morality of striking over the improved pension offer....

Not really, he made a complete ass of himself on the subject of pensions; repeating the discredited mantra that public sector pensions are unaffordable.

 

[Destination]

Because that's not what we agreed to. The LGPS scheme I'm in was restructured about 5 years ago and is on a sound financial footing. There is no need to increase employee contributions.

Agreed to under a labour govt who lie and lied and deceived us.
Everyone i going to be crunched in this mess, you won't escape it, striking might help if you go out long enough and forego your pay.

 

[Dolph]

I'm not in a Union but boy am I ****ed that my retire at 60 final salary pension has just gone out the window.

I mean there isn't much point in working for the Public Sector if I don't have that. We get paid less than our equivalent Private Sector workers and have been on a pay freeze for years, had job loses by the masses to pay to bailout some private sector bankers.

I'd down tools but public sector works don't work, amirite?

I'd be somewhat annoyed too. Then I'd look at the new deal, realise it's still fantastic (and unfair to the people funding it) and bite quickly at the new deal before it gets worse...

But then, I'm a rational individual able to evaluate all the options.

 

[Dolph]

Not really, he made a complete ass of himself on the subject of pensions; repeating the discredited mantra that public sector pensions are unaffordable.

It hasn't been discredited, even Lord Hutton has pointed out that the unions who claim to have discredited it can't actually read...

Furthermore, unaffordable is a subjective metric. In theory, the public sector can afford anything through forcibly removing money from individuals and the private sector, and through borrowing. In practice though, such behaviour creates massive unfairness and is therefore practically unaffordable if you are someone who believes in fairness.