Public sector unions strike over pensions

At its annual conference this week, the PCS civil service union agreed to ballot members over a national strike over job cuts and in protest at government proposals for public sector pension reform. Public sector workers are facing the prospect of their pension contributions rising by 3% of pay and teaching and lecturing unions are also planning ballots over action. Other unions may also consider balloting with the prospect of a nationwide public sector strike. [Read more at > Guardian newspaper site (EN)->http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2011/may/18/public-sector-unions-ballot-pensions-cuts

Following the national strike by civil servants, teachers and college lecturers, the PCS civil service union is calling for unity across the various public sector pension schemes. There are different schemes for the civil service, teachers, health service, local government and other public sector workers. However, they are all facing similar changes – higher retirement ages, higher employee contributions and a change to the level of protection against inflation. The government is so far unwilling to move on these fundamental points. The TUC trade union confederation is involved in the talks

Public services union Fagforbundet has warned that a dispute over pensions could end in strike action unless the Spekter employer organisation delivers a solution in upcoming mediation. The dispute covers workers in the culture sector, including orchestras, theatres and opera. A temporary pension arrangement involving defined contributions was agreed in 2016 in response to the final challenges facing the sector. The union now wants to negotiate a long-term solution that delivers a hybrid and gender-neutral pension scheme but Spekter has not come up with a proposal and has effectively abandoned