Council workers represented by the Unite union have voted to accept proposed reforms to the Local Government Pension Scheme.
The union announced this afternoon that 84% of its local government members who took part in the ballot voted in favour of the proposals.
Unite represents some 80,000 council workers in the UK. It joined other public sector unions in a one-day strike against the pensions changes last November. Following this action, scheme-specific talks began, with the outcome subject to a ballot of members. In May, ministers, councils and trade unions agreed the deal to be put to members.
Peter Allenson, Unite’s national officers, hailed the result as a ‘positive step forward’.
He said: ‘Our members took strike action and, as a result they got a better deal. However, the strike action was followed by constructive negotiations which we are pleased ended in an agreement acceptable to our members.’
Under the deal, the average contribution of 6.5% of salary will stay although some higher-earning local government employees might pay more, with their lower-earning counterparts paying less.
The scheme will shift from a final salary basis to one based on career-average earnings and members’ pension age will be linked to the state pension age.
Outsourced council employees will also be able to remain in the LGPS on first and subsequent transfers.
