BLAIR’S NEW Labour government is once again preparing to attack
public-sector workers’ pensions. When they did this earlier this year
millions of workers threatened to take strike action to defend their
pension rights.
Ken Smith
The threat of such mass action showed that the government could
retreat overnight, despite its insistence that we are "all living
too long" and that decent pensions could no longer be afforded.
Mass, united action by trade unionists, pensioners and others will be
needed once again to force the government into another retreat.
After heavy hints that the state pension age could be increased from
65 to 67 or even 69, and suggestions that ‘feather-bedded’ public-sector
workers were getting too good a deal on their pensions, local government
workers and firefighters have been told by their employers that from
next April major changes will be implemented to their pensions.
The government’s new proposals in local government and the fire
service are even worse than the ones made last year, which led to
overwhelming support in ballots for strike action. Other parts of the
public sector – teachers, civil servants and health workers – are yet to
hear details of changes to their schemes. But, judging by the proposals
in local government, it is undoubtedly going to see a similar attack on
their conditions.
Local government workers are first in the firing line because the
government wants to set the amount of central government funding they
give to local councils for next year by this November.
The need to maintain maximum unity of as much of the public sector as
possible in this fight is preferable to each sector having to fight
alone. And, once it becomes clear to other public-sector unions what is
in store, all efforts should be made to co-ordinate strike action across
the public sector.
It looks likely that the local government unions will be forced to
move into action first, before the other public-sector unions get all
the details of proposed changes to their schemes.
Even if this does occur, the government must not be allowed to play
divide and rule tactics between the different unions.
Joint campaigns
Other public sector-unions must make it clear in the negotiations in
the Public Sector Forum that they will not accept any detriment to their
pension schemes and are prepared to take action, alongside other unions
where possible, to defend the pension rights of their members and those
of other public-sector workers.
That means that they need to go now to their members and build up the
type of campaign that worked last time round.
This means having cross-union rallies in cities and towns all over
Britain. It means that pressure is applied to the TUC to demand that it
organises a national pensions demo before Christmas, in line with its
conference decision in September.
Unions should also demand that the government gives a commitment that
it will not increase the retirement age for public-sector workers from
60 to 65. They should demand that changes to pension schemes should not
be at the expense of existing or future members either.
If the government refuses to do this, then this will be a legitimate
reason for all the unions to begin strike ballots. The Public Sector
Forum, through which all the unions are working, should be the vehicle
to co-ordinate this action and, as was also agreed at the TUC, no union
should settle whilst other unions are still negotiating.
"An injury to one is an injury to all" must be the battle
cry. The union leaders have made many fine speeches about defending
pension schemes. They must be held to their promise.
Belgium
Workers fight pension attacks
A GENERAL strike shut down Belgium last Friday (7 October). The first
general strike in more than a decade stopped transport and shut schools,
government services and shops. Called by the social democratic trade
union federation (ABVV/FGTB), the strike reflected widespread anger over
the federal government’s attack on pension rights.
The bosses and their political representatives, like in most other EU
countries, say the number of active workers supporting a growing retired
population is too few and this will exhaust the social security funds.
The coalition government proposes a whole range of measures. In the
main, they want to stop schemes whereby workers retire early on full
benefits.
However, the social security budget had a surplus in 18 of the past
25 years. In the same period, the national authorities’ share of social
security income was reduced from 35% in 1980 to just 11% this year.
During the past five years the government plundered social security
by handing over five billion euros of social security dues to the bosses
in the hope they would create jobs which never came. Nevertheless,
social security remained financially balanced.
The expenses for pensions have actually decreased over the past 25
years from 5.4% to 5.2% of GDP. Total social expenses only increased
during the same period from 16.2% to 16.7% of GDP despite more expensive
health care and a dramatic increase in unemployment.
LSP/MAS, the Belgian section of the CWI, fully participated in the
strikes aiming to build up a network of trade union militants to
continue the fightback. LSP/MAS also advocated that workers break their
union links with the social democrats and Christian democrats and build
a new workers’ party independent of the ruling class.
For full report see www.socialistworld.net
