More unions join strike against pension changes

The Unite and GMB trade unions have voted to join the action, which as many as 28 unions could take part in.

Three-quarters of the 31% of Unite members who voted agreed to join the strike day, which is being co-ordinated by the Trades Union Congress.

Unite, which represents workers in the NHS, local government and the civil service, said that ‘millions’ of public sector workers would take part.

In the GMB ballot, announced yesterday, 80% voted in favour of the action, on a turnout of 33%.

Other unions across the public sector including the largest, Unison, have already voted for action that could be ‘unprecedented for a generation or more’.

Unite general secretary Len McCluskey called on the government to rethink its reform plans, which include increasing contributions, raising the retirement age and changing the defined benefit from final salary to career average.

Public sector workers were telling the government that ‘enough is enough’, McCluskey said.

‘They have endured wages cuts, rising living costs and horrific job losses, as this government forces the less well off in this country to pay for the sins of the elite. They are not prepared to stomach this attack on their pensions, too.’

The GMB, which also has members in local government, the health service and the civil service, said that the vote was a ‘resounding’ approval for strike action.

Brian Strutton, GMB’s national secretary for public services, called on the government to ‘pull back’ from a ‘confrontation’.

Unite and the GMB follow the civil servants’ votes earlier this week. The FDA union for senior civil servants voted to back action, as did Prospect, which represents professional and specialist civil servants.

Responding to the ballots, Cabinet Office minister Francis Maude, one of the ministers leading the government’s pension negotiations, said that the government had proposed a ‘more generous settlement’ earlier this month. .

The new offer includes a more generous accrual rate and protection for workers close to retirement.

Calling this ‘a very big move’, Maude said: ‘It is now time for the unions to respond in a responsible manner. The new deal is conditional on agreement being reached in scheme-by-scheme talks with the unions.

‘I urge the trade unions to devote their energy to reaching agreement and not to unnecessary and damaging strike action, which is often on the basis of low turnout.’