Pensions

We need united action for decent pensions

By a PCS member Research published by J P Morgan Fleming in May 2004 revealed that nearly two-thirds of the UK's top pension funds have closed their final salary pension schemes to new members. According to the TUC these closures have already saved employers £4 billion in contributions. In one of the most recent developments, RMT members working for Network Rail have voted to strike over the closure of their final salary pension scheme to new staff. Quite obviously, once a company has succeeded in dividing workers in this way there is every temptation on greedy bosses to attack the relatively...

Pensions fight needs working-class politics

The AWL offers some ideas for trade unionists on the 19 June TUC pensions demonstration (assembling from 11am at the Embankment, London). Download pdf here . THE UK's pension fund bosses control about £600 billion. Meanwhile the basic state pension has been progressively run down so that today, at £79.60 per week, it is only 15% of average earnings. On present trends it will be down to 10% of average earnings by 2020. The New Labour government's latest effort to patch up the scandal, Pension Credit, sets a floor income of £105.45 for pensions, about 20% of average earnings. Even the end-of...

Strategy needed to convince

By a rail worker A ballot of 7,000 Network Rail workers by the RMT union has gone in favour of industrial action. The result was 58% in favour (2,947) and 42% against (2,246). However, the RMT was forced to admit that only a very narrow majority of the signalling workers - they key section involved - voted for action. After the ballot result, Network Rail and the press immediately went on the offensive about the prospect of "massive disruption", etc. Having been adamant, and rightly so, that the result was a mandate for the action, the union has started talks with the employers and it must be...

Pay up for pensions - TUC march and rally

London, Saturday 19 June Assemble from 12 noon Temple tube, Embankment March 1pm Rally 2pm Trafalgar Square The TUC has called a national "Pay up for Pensions" demonstration in London on Saturday 19 June and it looks set to be well-attended. The demonstration is being supported by the National Pensioners' Convention. The TUC demands are in line with most trade unions' policies, but the key task will be making our unions fight on those policies after 19 June. A big turnout on 19 June will put us in a better position to organise rank and file pressure. Every trade unionist should be organising...

Network Rail ballot: vote "yes"!

By a an RMT member The RMT has called a ballot for industrial action of its 7,000 members at Network Rail. These workers include signalling, maintenance and station staff. The ballot over the closure of the final salary pension scheme, pay, and travel facilities, will run from 27 April to 17 May. It raises the prospect of the first national rail stoppage in a decade. Signal staff will be the cutting edge in this dispute, and it is important to get the right strategy for this action from the start. During the last signalworkers' dispute the RMT did not ballot supervisory staff and they were...

National dispute over rail pay?

By a RMT member Talks have broken down between the railworkers' Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union and employers Network Rail over pay, pensions and travel facilities. The RMT executive will meet soon to discuss a national ballot of the union's 7,000 Network Rail members, who include signalling, maintenance and station staff. "The company has imposed a pension scheme for new entrants that is no better than a glorified savings plan subject to the whims of the market," said RMT general secretary Bob Crow. "Their pay offer of 3% is the lowest in the rail industry, and they have refused to...

RMT tells Network Rail: 'Hands off jobs and pensions!'

Network Rail is waging a concerted attack on its workforce. The Government expects our gratitude for getting Network Rail to end contracting-out and bring infrastructure maintenance in-house. Even some union leaders have repeated the spin that this is some form of renationalisation. But the truth is that it falls well short of a genuine return to public ownership, and in no sense means that Network Rail is a 'good employer'. Below are excerpts from a leaflet from RMT's South Wales & West Regional Council, giving details of the attacks, and proposing a fight against them. NR Chairman Ian...

Network Rail: Hands off Jobs and Pensions!

Network Rail is waging a three-pronged attack on its workforce: - ending final-salary pensions for new employees; - making redundancies amongst its own staff and seeking further redundancies when it takes over infrastructure work; - victimising RMT rep Martin Wicks. The Government expects our gratitude for getting Network Rail to end contracting-out and bring infrastructure maintenance in-house. Even some union leaders have repeated the spin that this is some form of renationalisation. But the truth is that it falls well short of a genuine return to public ownership, and in no sense means that...

Draft trade-union motion on pensions

The following text is being used for motions to union conference by AWL members in the PCS. It may prove useful in other unions too. This Conference notes: a) the attempt by the Government in some parts of the Public Sector to raised the pension retirement age from 60 to 65; b) that the basic State Pension is losing real value and is projected to continue to do so for the coming years; c) that women in particular have been disproportionately prevented from gaining a full state pension by the application of rigid contribution rules (which discriminate against those working part time and those...

Privacy, poverty and putrefaction

By Michaela Collins Just before Xmas I passed a television camera crew going up my street. I felt a little frisson of interest and went on about my business. Next day I was a little more excited when the pictures aired on the lunchtime news and the camera lingered on my window. Well, Andy Warhol, it was only 15 seconds, whatever! The news item was about an elderly couple who were found dead, one from hypothermia, after their gas had been cut off. I detail my reaction to the news because it highlights a certain ambivalence about privacy and publicity, and it is this ambivalence that is played...

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