27.04.12
MoD staff join pensions strike
Civilian workers from the Ministry of Defence (MoD) and staff from other government departments will join the national strike next month, Unite has announced. On May 10, 25,000 members of the union will walk out on a day of industrial action.
The announcement follows a 94% vote against the Government’s proposed pension reforms, which the union argues would force staff to work longer for less. The Government maintains that reform is necessary to deal with an ageing population.
Unite general secretary Len McCluskey said: “The emphatic rejection of the proposals by our MoD and Government department members makes clear that ministers need to return to the negotiating table for genuine and meaningful talks.
“Unite members in the MoD and the NHS will be joining with other public sector employees in protest against the fact that the Government has continually ridden roughshod over public sector workers.
“The public sector workforce is being systemically targeted by the right-wing coalition to be the whipping boys for the grotesque failings of the financial elite that have brought this country to its knees economically. The dogmatic menu served up by George Osborne for the public sector is highly unpalatable - pay freezes set against a backdrop of high inflation, paying more for pensions and large-scale downgrading of staff, with regional pay looming.
“Our members have quite rightly concluded that they have had enough and they will be making a strong showing on May 10 to show their disgust at the way they have been treated.”
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