GMB Public Services Ballot Starts
Friday 28th October 2011
GMB BALLOTS FOR OFFICIAL INDUSTRIAL
ACTION OVER PENSION CUTS FOR MEMBERS IN PUBLIC SERVICES OPEN MONDAY
31 OCTOBER 2011
Ballots open on 31 October and close
16 November. The first strike day will be on November 30th if
members vote for action
The ballots are made up of one covering the
local government pension scheme, one covering the NHS pension
scheme and one covering the Civil Service pension scheme. Northern
Ireland and Scotland are counted separately for the NHS and local
government.
The independent Electoral Reform Services
(ERS) will start sending ballot papers for official industrial
action over pension cuts to GMB members in public services from
Monday 31st October. The ballots close at noon on 16th November and
the result will be announced later the same day.
If GMB members vote for strike action the
first day of official action will be Wednesday 30th November. Other
unions balloting for official industrial action on pensions include
Unison, Unite, Nasuwt, FDA, Prospect, CSP, NAPO, EIS, Ucatt, AEP,
SCP, etc. Four unions the ATL, NUT, UCU and PCS already have
authority to take further industrial action.
The ballots cover a range of GMB members
employed as follows: local councils, schools and contractors
and other bodies whose staff have access to any of the LGPS
scheme; staff in the NHS; civilian staff in Prisons and MOD and
other industrial civil servants and staff in Further and Higher
Education. The ballots cover members in public services in all
jurisdictions in the UK.
In materials sent with the ballot paper GMB
members are advised that the government is attacking public sector
pensions. Members are being asked whether they object to paying
more to subsidise employers. They are also asked if they oppose
having to work longer to get their pension. They are being asked
whether they think it’s wrong to have the pension they have
expected cut without their consent. They are told that if their
answer to these questions is ‘yes’ then they should vote yes for
industrial action
Brian Strutton, GMB National Secretary
said, “We have been in negotiations with government for
several months about the future of public sector pensions and
progress has been painfully slow. While those negotiations are
still on-going government has started implementing its plans which
would mean public service workers paying around 50% more for a
worse pension that they have to work longer to get. That is why we
have had to move now to ballot for industrial action and our
members tell us we are right to do so because they simply cannot
afford what the government is demanding. No-one wants to see public
services disrupted so I urge government to quickly come forward
with better proposals that give us an opportunity to negotiate a
settlement that is fair to public sector workers and taxpayers
alike.”
End
Contact: Brian Strutton, GMB
National Secretary on 07860 606137 or 0208 947 3131 or Rehana Azam,
GMB National Officer on 07841 181656 or Sharon Holder on 07713
508725 or Naomi Cooke, GMB National Pensions Officer on 07739
919633 or GMB Press Office: Rose Conroy on 07974 251823 or Steve
Pryle on 07921 289880.