Leicester District
National Education Union
Home Events Contact Documents

'Fair Pensions Assure Britain's Future'

5th December 2005

Big Ears

Fair Pensions Assure Britain's Future



Letter from Mark Sewotka (General Secretary, PCS Union) from 28th November's Guardian

Digby Jones claims that the government has mortgaged Britain's future by reaching an agreement with unions over some public sector pensions (Interview, November 25.) Agreeing to honour contractual pension obligations to teachers, civil servants and health workers might more accurately be seen as protecting the country's future: the same protection should be extended to local government workers and firefighters.

I wonder if Digby Jones is more concerned about the lesson this pensions settlement sends out to private sector workers, who are quite rightly worried about their pensions and future prospects. Public sector workers were not given any favours because of their unions' supposed relationships with the government - most of the unions involved are not affiliated to the Labour party. Public sector workers used collective strength to defend themselves. Private sector workers should (as they already are in some cases) join unions, get organised and do the same - they can count on our support.

 

Related articles

The next round of pensions robbery (12th November 2012)
Report From the 2012 NUT National Conference (18th April 2012)
Pensions fight continues as unions prepare for more action (20th February 2012)
Government threatens to impose pensions settlement (9th January 2012)
Stop The Pensions Robbery (25th November 2011)
Speeches from the Rally (6th July 2011)
Pictures from the Strike Rally in Victoria Park, 30th June (6th July 2011)
"This is not the situation I thought I would be in..." (17th June 2011)
Let's make 30th June a huge show of strength (17th June 2011)
NUT, ATL & NAHT to ballot for national strike against pension changes (6th May 2011)
Pensions Loss Calculator (4th April 2011)
Let's Fight To Defend Our Pensions (4th April 2011)
Pensions Robbery (28th March 2011)
Pension Robbery (2nd February 2011)
Leicestershire Against The Cuts (2nd February 2011)
NUT National Executive Meeting, 11th November (4th December 2010)
Paying more, waiting longer and getting less (2nd November 2010)
The case for teachers' pensions (18th September 2010)
Pensions - Calculate Your Entitlement (3rd July 2006)
Pensions Meeting Challenges Government Propaganda (6th February 2006)
The Next Generation (5th December 2005)
Pensions - Will They Raise the Retirement Age? (3rd October 2005)
Pensions Action on Hold (9th May 2005)
Government Says, 'We'll Negotiate' (14th March 2005)
Vote For Action To Save Your Pension (21st February 2005)
Five teachers and an education minister (21st February 2005)
Hands Off Our Pensions (6th December 2004)
Hands off Our Pensions (1st November 2004)
Pension Changes: Retirement At 65? (8th September 2003)
Part Time Teachers and Pensions (6th November 2000)

Recent