Pensions Calculator

24 October 2011

There is now a handy LGPS pensions calculator on the UNISON website which shows how much more you will pay, how much longer you will work and how much pension you will lose under the current proposals.

Please go to:

www.unison.org.uk/pensions/yourpension.asp

Please encourage your colleagues to visit this site as well.

Public service pensions - why should you care?

4 October 2011

Pensions have been hitting the headlines recently.  The government is insisting that public service pensions need to be cut as they cost too much and the country can't afford them.  If you don't work in public services, you might wonder why you should care.

It all sounds simples doesn't it?  We can't afford to pay for these pensions so public service workers like street sweepers, school dinner staff and healthcare assistants need to accept that and work longer, pay more and get less.

But that isn't the whole picture.

The government is forcing people to pay 50% more in pension contributions.  This means that many workers won't be able to stay in their pension schemes.  And this extra money isn't being used to improve pension schemes for the future, it's going straight to the Treasury to pay for the bankers' crisis.

Is it fair

It is the bankers who caused the global financial crisis, so how is it fair to make low paid public service workers pay or it?

Bankers get bonuses while the rest of us get worse pensions.  We believe that the financial sector should shoulder more of the costs of the recovery.

And what's happened to the pensions of people in private companies isn't fair either.

But you don't fix that by dragging everyone down to the lowest common level.  We need to improve the bad schemes, rather than making existing ones worse.  That's the fair way to do it.

Everyone - whether they work in the public or private sector - deserves a decent pension when they retire.  Surely it's better for people to pay part of their wages into their pension scheme while they are working so they don't need to claim benefits when they stop - benefits that will end up being paid for by taxpayers.

Are our pensions too high?

The average pension for local government workers is around £4000 a year and it's £7000 a year for NHS workers - an most women get even less.

And let's not forget that our members pay a significant part of their salary into their pension schemes.

Schemes that were renegotiated with government five years ago to make them affordable and fair to public service workers and taxpayers alike.

What sort of society do we want?

We believe that the UK needs quality local services like education, health, and care to be provided by well trained, motivated staff.  To keep the best staff doing these vital jobs, we need to offer a fair pension.  If you believe in quality public services, you shouldn't settle for less.

Support our campaign at www.unison.org.uk/million and leave a message of support for public service workers who are being asked to pay more, work longer and get less.

To find out more about public sector pensions go to www.unison.org.uk/pensions/protectour.asp

Your pension is under attack join UNISON and defend it

3 October 2011

Do you want to pay more for your pension while getting less and working longer?

Do you think it's fair that the government plans to take nearly £4 billion out of your pension schemes to pay for the crisis caused by fat-cat bankers?

No? Then join UNISON and help us fight for a fair deal on public sector pensions.  UNISON believes that the government is making an unfair attack on the pensions of hard-working people - and that includes you.

That's why we've launched our Protect our Pensions campaign.  But we need as many public sector workers as possible to join us.  The more members we have, the stronger our voice.  Join today be part of a union that's fighting for your future.

Why you need to join the fight

Pay more

The government is planning to increase your pension contributions by at least 50%. Why? To make up for the £3.8 billion it plans to take out of your pension schemes to help pay off the money used to bail out the banks.

Get less

Not only will you pay more - the amount you get for your pension each month will be cut by 15%.  This is because  pensions will no longer go up in line with the true cost of living - the Retail Price Index.  Instead the Government will use the Conusmer Price Index to measure pension increases.

This change will take £84 billion out of our pensions over the next 15 years

Work longer

The government wants you to work until you're 68, instead of 65, before you can claim your hard earned pension.

www.unison.org.uk/protectourpensio

Vote Yes to Protect your Pension

3 October 2011

VOTE YES TO PROTECT YOUR PENSION

Look out for your ballot paper asking you to vote for industrial action to protect your pension - your retirement is at stake.

We are asking you to vote YES because proposed changes to your pension scheme simply aren't fair.

Vote YES - you can't afford to do anything else.

For more information go to unison.org.uk/pensions/protectour.asp

Ballot Helpline 0845 355 0845 (17-31 October)

Change of personal details..

15 June 2009

Just a reminder to let you know that you must inform the Branch Office of any changes to your personal details. For instance:- name, address, employer or workplace address. Similarly, even if you move but still have the same employer you should let the Branch Office know in order that we can advise your payroll departments of this change so that your UNISON subscriptions continue to be deducted from your salary.