On 17 June UNISON’s local government service group conference held a fiercely contested policy debate on the 2014 LGPS proposals and voted decisively for a branch based member consultation prior to the service group executive (SGE) agreeing a recommendation on acceptance or rejection in an all member ballot on the new pension scheme. The nationwide consultation was duly held and on 19 July the local government SGE, after an extensive debate, voted overwhelmingly to recommend a YES vote in the ballot.
Under UNISON Rule D 3.5.1 the SGE determines service group policy and therefore the policy of the union in local government is to recommend a YES vote in the forthcoming ballot.
The small and unprincipled minority who refuse to accept the legitimacy of service group conference and SGE policy decisions ahead of the membership ballot are showing contempt for collectivism and union democracy. Substitute strike ballot for pensions ballot and this point becomes very obvious.
