Westminster debate on public sector pensions welcomed by UCU

Lleu Williams from UCU Wales said: "We are pleased that MPs will debate public sector pensions a week after tens of thousands of people in Wales took industrial action to show how angry they are with the proposed changes to their pensions.

"The action last week, alongside the debate on public sector pensions, is testament to the strength of feeling on these issues which will make public sector workers work longer, pay more and receive an inferior pension. We hope today's debate sends a clear message from the people of Wales to Westminster that we will not go quietly into the night over these proposed changes."

Notes

The full SNP/Plaid Cymru motion:

"That this House recognises and appreciates the valuable work done by public sector workers and believes that they should receive pensions which are affordable, sustainable and fair; believes that the changes announced since June 2010 by the UK Government are primarily for the purposes of deficit reduction rather than a move to secure the long-term sustainability of public sector pensions, notes that these changes are unfair on public sector workers who will have to work longer, pay more and receive less in their pension when they retire; further notes the findings of the National Audit Office that the 2007-08 pensions re-negotiation changes will generate an estimated savings of 14 per cent by 2059-60 and the conclusions of the House of Commons Committee of Public Accounts' Thirty-eighth Report of this session on the impact of the 2007-08 changes to public sector pensions (HC 833) that the cost of public service pensions has reduced substantially because of these changes and agrees with criticism in both reports of the failure to develop a long-term strategy for the role of pensions in recruitment and retention to the public sector; condemns the Government's threat to cut devolved administrations budgets if they do not implement the Government's immediate levy on pensions contributions and calls on the Government to reverse its unfair changes to public sector pensions."