04 November 2005
No agreement emerged from the first meeting aimed at resolving the dispute between employers, unions and the government over the Local Government Pension Scheme.
Protection of the terms and conditions of existing members of the scheme proved the sticking point in talks when employers and unions met the Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott on November 2.
Unions had hoped that last month's agreement with Trade and Industry Secretary Alan Johnson – in which existing members of civil service, education and NHS staff pension schemes will continue to be able to retire at 60 – would be replicated in the LGPS.
But Heather Wakefield, Unison's national officer for local government, told Public Finance that the talks have made little progress, as employers and unions remain at odds over the future of the 'rule of 85', which is specific to the local government scheme.
This enables members to retire on full benefits between the age of 60 and 65, as long as their years in service plus their age add up to 85.
Wakefield said: 'What we have to do is to try to get an overall package that doesn't mean that the rule of 85 is removed before anything else. Because if that happens, then we're into industrial action.'
She added: 'We've not moved significantly further forward, but we haven't moved backward, and we are going to continue to talk over the next two weeks with a view to finding an agreement.'
PFnov2005
