Link to this page: http://www.socialistparty.org.uk/issue/594/8177
From The Socialist newspaper, 23 September 2009
Battle over pensions means strike threat at Corus
Around 200 delegates from the four main steel unions: Community, Unite, SIMA and GMB gathered at TUC Congress house last week to decide a response to the announcement by Corus to close the British Steel pension scheme to new entrants.
A steelworker
Corus, which is owned by TATA Steel, originally announced its intention of attacking the final salary scheme last January but buried it behind the loss of 3,500 jobs.
Delegates debated for a couple of hours before voting unanimously for a resolution proposed by representatives from Teesside: "The Steel Committee delegates utterly condemn Corus for its disgraceful and unnecessary attack on our pension scheme. We call upon all our constituent unions to take any action necessary to stop this, including a national ballot for industrial action up to and including strike action."
In August the company began what it considers to be a consultation process. This amounted to letters being sent to all employees asking for their response to the proposed closure.
They received over 1,500 replies; all but 14 of those were opposed to the scheme being closed to new entrants.
The company simply ignored this and announced that on 21 September the scheme would close to new employees who would be offered a defined contribution scheme.
This is a clear example of yet another company using the recession as an excuse to attack the terms and conditions of its employees. The scheme at this moment is 100% funded and is reviewed every three years so that knee jerk reactions to short term difficulties are not made. The next review will be in March 2011 when the recession is predicted to be over.
Closure of the scheme to new joiners is the beginning of the end for the final salary pension for steelworkers. Very soon after purchasing Tetley Tea, TATA closed the pension scheme there, saying it was not a viable option.
The steel unions must now show the company that they mean business and have the resolve for a fight. Members must be fully informed and the message that enough is enough must be made clear to workers who have seen in the last 12 months cuts in overtime, shift payments, jobs and the illegal non-payment of bonus.
TATA Steel proudly boast that in 100 years they have never had a blast furnace operation shut down due to industrial action. This is now under severe threat unless the company backs away from attacking the workforce.
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In The Socialist 23 September 2009:
Prepare political challenge to cuts agenda
Education
Higher education - cuts cuts cuts!
Universities in crisis - Join Socialist Students
Defend education - stop the £2 billion cuts in spending
TUC
TUC congress: Anger on the fringes, inaction at the top
War and occupation
Afghanistan: An unwinnable war
Postal workers strike
Postal workers strike as national ballot continues
Vestas
Vestas workers determined to continue fight for jobs
Youth fight for jobs
Youth unemployment hits record level
Future Jobs Fund - massaging the figures
Socialist Party news and analysis
Campaign for a Salford workers' MP
International socialist news
Socialist Party MEP denounces "campaign of fear" on Lisbon Treaty
Workers' fightback grows in Italy
Socialist Party workplace news
Engineering construction: Stewards' forum recommends bosses' offer Workers should reject!
Portsmouth shipbuilders vote for strike
Bosses ask JCB workers for sacrifice
Battle over pensions means strike threat at Corus
Liverpool bin workers score victory
Socialist Party reviews
Listening to Grasshoppers by Arundhati Roy
The Dirty Thirty - Heroes of the Miners' Strike
The Anti-Flag album 'The People or the Gun'
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