Pensions Robbery

Public sector workers are facing a pensions tax as the government tells them to pay more for less.

Hundreds of thousands of workers are facing a doubling of their pension contributions which will go straight into the coffers of the Treasury to pay off the debts caused by greedy bankers.

The government is proposing that, from next year, the pension contributions of civil servants, teachers, university lecturers, and others will increase by an average of 3%.

But this is a con. The civil service pension schemes were renegotiated in 2005 and are sustainable, in fact the costs are falling.

So the extra contributions from workers themselves are not necessary and will go straight to the Treasury, not the pension schemes, where the government is obsessed with reducing the deficit rather than investing for jobs and growth.

And while reckless fat cat bankers who caused the recession walk away with big bonuses, public sector workers will have to pay many thousands of pounds more for pensions which will be smaller because of a change in the way they are calculated.

That’s why unions are considering joint action against these plans.

There is an alternative

• Every year £120 billion of tax is avoided, evaded,or uncollected
• Instead of cutting jobs the Revenue and Customs should employ more tax compliance officers – each one collects £658,000 annually
• The government should invest in job creation in socially useful areas like housing to create economic growth
• Read the union’s financial proposals
• More on our tax justice campaign 

Lib Dem leaders rebel over coastguard cuts

The president of the Liberal Democrats and two former party leaders have called on the coalition government to step back from plans to close ten coastguard stations.

 

Tim Farron, who became president of the party last month, has joined Charles Kennedy and Menzies Campbell – the two previous leaders of the Lib Dems – in signing a PCS-backed parliamentary motion opposing the plans.

The stations earmarked for closure are at Clyde, Forth, Yarmouth, Thames, Portland, Brixham, Milford Haven and Holyhead.

They would be joined by Shetland or Stornoway, and Liverpool or Belfast.

The Early Day Motion – a type of parliamentary petition – refers to fears about safety and the economic impact of losing 220 jobs from coastal communities.

So far 84 MPs have signed – including four Conservatives and 13 Liberal Democrats who would usually support the coalition.

More than 1,000 people have written to their MPs in support of the coastguards.

MPs targeted by campaign over forests

PCS and other unions will be holding a drop-in briefing for politicians - and urge everyone who supports saving the forests to write to their MP asking them to attend and to sign a parliamentary motion about the issue.

More than 494,000 people have already signed a petition on the 38 degrees campaigning website against the sell-off.

Last week senior Scottish politicians joined a protest in Edinburgh after it was announced that 150 jobs are under threat at the commission HQ in the city - and 300 more in England.

So far 47 MPs from five different parties have signed an early day motion – a type of parliamentary petition - expressing “alarm” at the plans.

The motion says environmental and public health initiatives will be put in jeopardy by the sell-off and adds there is evidence that rights of way have been lost under private ownership of former Forestry Commission land.

The briefings for MPs will be in room W1 at the House of Commons, between 10.30am and noon on Wednesday 16 February.

www.pcs.org.uk

Councils defeat government over school buildings cuts

The government has been defeated in the High Court over the way it scrapped part of England's school building programme.

The education secretary's decision to axe Buildings Schools for the Future (BSF) projects in six local authority areas was ruled unlawful as he failed to consult on it.

What does this show: its show the government can be defeated and the government is willing to break the law.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-12429152

First minister vows support in RAF Leuchars campaign

The Scottish government will "stand shoulder-to-shoulder" with campaigners fighting to save two RAF bases, First Minister Alex Salmond has promised.

Mr Salmond attacked the UK government's "completely unacceptable" plan to delay a decision on the closure of the Leuchars and Lossiemouth bases.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-12432348

There is an alternative to Defence Cuts

PCS is fighting to defend jobs in defence and defence industries when the ConDEm coalition is destroying livelihoods that will undermine defence capability and communities.

Each year defence contributes on average £35bn to the economy, maintains over 300,000 direct jobs and through exports adds a further £5bn to the economy. 

Often located in remote areas of the UK any loss of employment will have devastating effects on the local communities where defence is a major employer. The threatened closure of two air bases – RAF Kinloss and RAF Lossiemouth – would devastate the local economy. Between them, RAF Kinloss and Lossiemouth contribute £158 million a year to the Moray economy and collectively support the equivalent of 5,710 full-time jobs within the region. Interestingly, Richard Murphy of the Tax Justice Network has revealed that 92 per cent of the cost of cutting public sector jobs when we have less than full employment is paid by the state, making it counter-productive economically.

MoD Civil Servants offer value for money in the jobs they do: repairing helicopters, jets, tanks and other equipment, making sure equipment is stored, administrated and looked after, transporting equipment and other supplies to where they are needed, administrating back office functions in support of the front line, cooking and cleaning on military bases to name just few vital roles.

The removal of large numbers of such roles means that equipment doesn't get repaired, stored or distributed as quickly as it should, contracts are not policed for value for money to the tax payer, organisational flexibility is destroyed and work overload becomes the norm.

Imagine the chaos and tragedies emerging from such a situation; it is unimaginable that the SDSR cuts will not impact on the front line.

The government appears incapable of listening to common sense or even the population that elected it. It is critical that alternatives to the SDSR and CSR cuts are put forward now and the ConDem coalition brought to account.

PCS is proposing that there is an alternative:

• There is no need for cuts to public services or further privatisations
• Creating jobs will boost the economy and cut the deficit. Cutting jobs will damage the economy and increase the deficit
• We should invest in areas such as housing, renewable energy and public transport
• The UK debt is lower than other major economies
• There is a £120 billion tax gap of evaded, avoided and uncollected tax
• The UK holds £850 billion in banking assets from the bailout – this is more than the national debt
• Civilianize Military jobs that could be done more cost effectively by civil servants
• End the use of consultants

Military police investigate £6bn privatisation deal

Military police have been called in to examine allegations of improper conduct during bidding for the £6bn privatisation of the search and rescue helicopter service.

http://blogs.ft.com/westminster/2011/01/exclusive-military-police-investigate-6bn-privatisation-deal/