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Negotiations on the LGPS begin in earnest

Friday, 27 January 2012 13:40 |

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The latest Protect our Pensions Newsletter (Number 12) is available here

Further information is also available here at the LGPS website

Taxpayers Alliance gets it wrong on pensions

Wednesday, 25 January 2012 00:00 |

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Commenting on the TaxPayers' Alliance report released today, which wrongly calculates that £1 in every £5 in council tax goes towards local government pensions, Heather Wakefield, UNISON's head of local government, said:

This simply isn't true. Actually, the local government pension scheme costs the taxpayer just 5p in every £1 paid in council tax.

Councils get only 25% of their revenue from council tax, 75% comes from other sources, including business rates and local government grants.

If the schemes were closed down, or people were priced out, they would be pushed onto means-tested benefits in their retirement. When dinner ladies, social workers and care staff retire, on average they will get just £4,000 a year, dropping to just £2,600 for women.

The TPA should concentrate on getting their facts straight, rather than attacking sustainable and affordable schemes."

LGPS Principles and Timetable

Thursday, 05 January 2012 16:22 |

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The latest Protect our Pensions newsletter (Issue 10) is available here, along with a pdf version of the associated PowerPoint presentation for those who do not have Powerpoint and the original for those who do

Protect Our Pensions Newsletter No 10
Accompanying PowerPoint presentation
Pdf version of presentation

UNISON decides to proceed with negotiations over the Local Government Pension Scheme for England and Wales

Monday, 16 January 2012 15:51 |

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10 January saw each of the Service Groups covered by the LGPS meeting to take a decision over whether UNISON should proceed with negotiations over the LGPS on the basis of the principles and timetable agreed with the Local Government Association (LGA) on 21 December 2011. Those Service Groups are Local Government, Higher Education, Water, Energy and Transport (WET), Community and Police and Justice.

Dave Prentis highlighted the fact that UNISON remains in dispute with the Coalition over its attacks on our pensions and that the ballot is still 'live'. We will not have to re-ballot at the end of negotiations if they fail. Any decision on final proposals in either the NHS or LGPS will be a decision for members, through an all-member ballot. If proposals are rejected, members will be asked whether they want to take further industrial action. He also made it clear that there will be lay member involvement in future negotiations

You can read more in the latest "Protect our Pensions" Newsletter (No 11) which you can download here

Joint agreement on principles and timetable for discussions on the future of the LGPS

Thursday, 22 December 2011 11:50 |

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Attached you will find the agreement reached with the Local Government Association (LGA) over principles and a timetable for negotiation over contributions and the scheme design of the LGPS in England and Wales from 2014. The government accepted that the LGPS – as a funded scheme with a high proportion of low earners – was different to the other 'pay as you go' schemes and has therefore given the go-ahead for a longer period of negotiation, over the short and long-term issues. The government has also agreed to suspend the formal consultation on short-term savings while negotiations take place from January 2012.

You can download and read more in the latest Protect Our Pensions Newsletter (.pdf) here