More public worker strikes 'inevitable' over extra pension contributions

Telegraph (UK) ^ | 9:29PM BST 28 Jul 2011 | By Andrew Porter, Political Editor

[DeaconBenjamin]

David Cameron was warned that talks to resolve the issue were in jeopardy and strikes in the autumn were inevitable.

The Daily Telegraph disclosed the extra pension contributions workers in the NHS, education and Civil Service would have to pay from next April. The Treasury confirmed the figures, adding there was no alternative to the plan.

Danny Alexander, the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, said his plans meant 750,000 workers earning less than £15,000 would pay no extra. But unions expressed anger that anyone earning more than that faced increases.

Those earning £50,000 will have to pay £768 a year extra, those on a salary of more than £100,000 faced bills of £3,400 more a year.

Dave Prentis, the general secretary of Unison, accused ministers of “crude and naive tactics” more akin to a “playground game” than serious negotiations. He said: “It is totally unhelpful to the progress of these talks to release their bargaining position as though it is set in stone.”

David Cameron is facing renewed industrial action in November. A month ago, around one million teachers and other public sector workers walked out.

Mark Serwotka, the general secretary of the Public and Commercial Services union, said unions would “stay united” while building for industrial action.

Dr Hamish Meldrum, chairman of the British Medical Association council, said the Coalition was not acting to make the NHS pensions sustainable, but to impose a “tax on public sector workers”. He said: “The NHS scheme is already affordable, yet the Government is asking doctors to pay hundreds of thousands of pounds more for a worse deal on retirement.”

Teaching unions were united in their opposition, warning the consequences could be “disastrous”. Under the plans, a teacher earning £25,700 will pay an extra £10 a month for their pension in 2012-13.

[kingu]

Danny Alexander, the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, said his plans meant 750,000 workers earning less than £15,000 would pay no extra. But unions expressed anger that anyone earning more than that faced increases.

Seems like a very simple solution is begging to be utilized here... Make everyone in government earn less than 15,000 pounds, and everyone's happy.

Or pretend that you're doing income taxes -- Everyone under 15,000 gets a free ride, those who earn up to 75,000 have to pay a quarter of their salary (even those who make 15,001 pounds), and everyone who earns more than 75,000 pounds has to turn over half their salary back to the government. Which means if you're earning that horrid 75,001 pounds, you just got a massive paycut, but the guy who's earning 74,500 is laughing at you.

Seriously, END PUBLIC EMPLOYEE PENSIONS. Period. They can have the exact same benefits as any member of the public gets along with paying exactly the same amount the public pays into the system. No more 'more equal' animals in the farm. And if that garners strikes, which it will, of course, fire them and hire the public who's been looking for jobs and will gratefully accept the same deal that they'd get anywhere else.

[roadcat]

Seems like a very simple solution is begging to be utilized here... Make everyone in government earn less than 15,000 pounds, and everyone's happy.

The obvious solution. And that used to be the case, for most, in the past. Public service was just that, you work there for the good of the public. But enter the unions and greed ran rampant. So the unions need to be dispensed with, before capping all salaries.