Congratulations are due to the TUC for the publication this week of a new report, “Exploding the Public Sector Pensions Myths”. (available at www.tuc.org.uk/extras/publicsectorpensions.pdf) This provides excellent information on all the aspects which the Tory and Liberal democrat politicians are using to attack public sector pensions, and to create the illusion of the feather bedded public sector pensioner. If the private sector won’t provide decent pensions for its workforce, the argument runs , then why should the tax payer or council tax payer provide a decent pension for those in the public sector? If you need to go into their arguments in detail pick up any edition , any day of the Daily Mail. These attacks are creating a climate in which a future government will rob public sector workers.
The TUC report goes into the fundamental elements on which these myths are based and shows that they are not do they continually misrepresent basics such as the amount that the average public sector pensioner will receive, many of the so called facts on which they base their arguments are quite simply wrong.
In great detail they consider the notions that are now pedalled as political orthodoxy and demolish them in turn- the arguments on the costs of the schemes, the legality of challenging accrued rights, the distinct lack of efficiency in many of the alternative schemes that are being put forward.
The arguments are easily understood, not only by pensions anoraks, but by anyone with an interest in their own future. The only reservation that can be put forward is that the analysis is all very well, but providing information on the TUC website is unlikely in itself to make a major dent in the force of public opinion.
From Unison we have been promised, at National Delegate Conference and at Local Government a “major campaign”. Major campaigns mean press adverts and lobbying at government and political level. But, presumably it also means persuading our members that the pensions that they will rely on need to be defended and that there are things that they need to do. That means branches distributing materials that inform our members about their rights and how they can defend them.
It means the website needs to feature the same materials. It means having speakers equipped to take regional and branch meetings. It means identifying those MPs and councillors who are taking the lead in these attacks and finding ways of placing pressure on them. As the one thing elected members are most worried about is remaining elected members, it means persuading our members to actively intervene in those constituencies.
The onslaught on pensions has been going on for a considerable time, and is gathering momentum.
If Unison is going to respond it needs to do so now. So where and when is the major campaign?