NIPSA Rejects Pension Scheme Agreement
NIPSA Rejects Pension Scheme Agreement
19/12/2011
NIPSA, has expressed its continued opposition to the UK Government's offer on civil service and public service pensions which a number of trade unions in Britain appear to have endorsed.
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NIPSA, Northern Ireland’s largest public sector trade union has expressed its continued opposition to the UK Government’s offer on civil service and public service pensions which a number of trade unions in Britain appear to have endorsed.
NIPSA General Secretary, Brian Campfield commenting on developments in Britain stated:-
“NIPSA firmly rejects what is on offer as capable of providing for a fair solution to the dispute. Even though the government effectively put a gun to their head it is extremely disappointing that some of the trade unions in Britain have indicated their acceptance of the government’s proposals for the UK Pension Schemes thus leaving public sector workers in Northern Ireland faced with a similar deal because the Northern Ireland pension schemes normally mirror their GB counterparts.
The NIPSA approach is that all the unions should have built on the magnificent show of strength and solidarity of 30th November when millions of public sector workers took strike action in protest at the government’s unfair policy of making public sector workers pay for the financial and economic crisis.
We do however welcome the removal of the Local Government Pension Scheme from the government’s plans as we had argued from the beginning that as a funded scheme the Local Government Pension Scheme contributions could not be used to meet the deficit in government funding.
The unions’ have had a gun put to their heads that if they didn’t signal agreement by 3.00 pm today, one day before Parliament rises for the Christmas break, they would be excluded from any further negotiations.
This follows on from the government’s unilateral decision to change the indexation mechanism for uprating public service pensions.
NIPSA will cooperate with colleagues in the PCS union to oppose unilateral and unagreed changes to the pension schemes for civil servants.”
ENDS
Information: the public service pension schemes in Northern Ireland are separate schemes to the Great Britain schemes but with similar provisions based on parity arrangements. It is a matter for the Northern Ireland pension schemes.
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