Reality is that nothing needs to be done to our pensions (From The Bolton News)

Reality is that nothing needs to be done to our pensions

IAMconfused by Andrew Davidson’s claim that the trade unions have been silent regarding an alternative to the Government raiding public sector pensions (Your Letters, Wednesday November 16). If he had been reading your paper’s comments section, he would have seen numerous letters from trade unionists dispelling the myths about our pensions.

The reality is that nothing needs to be done to our pension schemes. In 2007 the then Labour Government made changes to public sector pensions that made them both sustainable and affordable. The National Audit Office described those changes as “likely to reduce costs to taxpayers of the pension schemes by £67 billion over 50 years”.

The myths that are being peddled by the Government are being used as cover for a £3 billion raid on our pensions schemes. This money will be found by making workers like me pay more, work longer and get less in retirement. And here is the fix: not one penny of the extra contributions is going into our actual pension pots. Instead, the extra money is going straight to the treasury to help pay off the bankers’ deficit. In some cases, this special tax for public sector workers will cost more than £50 per month.

And as for Andrew Davidson’s assertion that the economy is in good hands, please don’t make me laugh. Overall unemployment is currently at a 17-year high of 2.62 million and the rate youth unemployment is currently at 21.9 per cent.

Meanwhile, inflation and the cost of living is increasing every month and economic growth is nonexistent.

But people should know that there is an alternative. The Government should be creating jobs, because more workers paying tax means that the deficit can be paid-off quicker. There is currently a £120 billion tax gap of evaded, avoided and uncollected tax; the government should close that tax gap rather than cutting staff in Revenues and Customs.

Implementing a Robin Hood Tax on major financial transactions would make over £20 billion per year. These are just some of the numerous alternatives that the government refuses to consider because it wants those that can least afford it to pay for the economic crisis caused by the bankers, casino capitalists and super rich.

By going on strike on November 30 with more than three million colleagues in the public sector, I will be demanding that the Government rethinks its cynical raid on my pension and its disastrous economic policy in favour of a more decent and better society.

Joan Pritchard Jones Adult Services Convenor Unison