Lobby your MP to fight the pensions CPI switch

UNISON is urging members to fight the Government's plan to revalue state benefits and public sector pensions by CPI rather than RPI (CPI generally being 0.7% per annum less) by printing off and sending to your MP a template letter http://www.unison.org.uk/pensions/pages_view.asp?did=12156

In the June 2010 Budget the Chancellor announced that the Government will “switch to a system where we up-rate public service pensions in line with consumer prices rather than retail prices” - see http://unisonactive.blogspot.com/2010/06/indexation-stealth-attack-on-public.html for background.

It would therefore seem that the Government’s intention is for public sector pensions in payment to increase in line with CPI increases instead of RPI from April 2011 based on the September 2010 figure. This means pensions cuts for all public sector pensions indefinitely

Deferred pensions will also increase in line with CPI increases rather than RPI increases..

Clearly UNISON does not welcome this development as CPI increases historically average around 0.8% less than RPI increases and hence we will look to take every opportunity to try to reverse this.

In the context though of a Public Sector Pensions Commission, chaired by John Hutton, having been established to review public sector pension liabilities we are clearly facing a very big challenge simply to keep public sector pensions in a state close to their current form and are hence campaigning vigorously to protect good quality public sector pension schemes.

TELL THE POLITICIANS WHAT YOU THINK OF THIS ATTEMPT TO ROB US
.EMAIL YOUR MP TODAY
MODEL LETTER http://www.unison.org.uk/acrobat/Template%20MP%20support%20letter%20for%20EDM%201032%20(Switch%20to%20CPI).pdf  

EMAIL ADDRESSES FOR MPS http://www.theyworkforyou.com/ 

Jane Carolan