The Socialist 13 April 2006

Don't let Blair wreck the NHS

Hands off Cardiff's schools

Iraq - condition critical

Bush eying regime change in Iran

How to fight fuel poverty

Huddersfield - the bandwagon is rolling!

"Standing up for working people"

Election campaigns boost sales of the socialist

Fighting fund target smashed - again!

May Day greetings

1926 General Strike - Workers taste power by Peter Taaffe

Mass struggle in France forces government retreat

Build for 1 May general strike in the USA

Italian opposition scrapes home but workers must stop the return of Berlusconi

Kazakhstan Riot police repelled by shanty town residents

Stop New Labour's old Tory policies

Rail pensions in crisis

Vote Len Hockey

Organise to defend jobs at Visteon

New deal in the offing in local government?

Previous issues, etc

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Local government pensions: New deal in the offing?

LOCAL GOVERNMENT workers have been fighting, and striking against, plans by their employers and the government to attack their pension plans. The workers want, for example, to defend their right to retire at the age of 60 if they have at least 25 years' service (the '85-year rule').

Bill Mullins

A recent letter to local councils from the Local Government Association (LGA), the council bosses, says: "Up to 50% of the savings accruing from the abolition of the Rule of 85, and consideration of the savings from the revised commutation arrangements [are] to be made available to fund scheme improvements, including protection of arrangements for existing staff, and creating a more equitable and affordable scheme."

This seems to indicate that a deal is in the air for the council workers' pensions scheme. If this is so then, as usual, the devil will be in the detail. As we go to press there is much speculation about its exact meaning.

The union leaders have made it clear that what they expect is that existing members of the pension scheme should have at least the same protection as other public-sector workers.

Next week's paper will carry a more detailed explanation of developments as they unfold but it is clear that the mass strike on 28 March, by a million council workers and others, shook the government once again and forced what seems like concessions from them.

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Don't let Blair wreck the NHS