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Pensions walkout forces 30 schools to shut for the day
Strikers blame ‘black hole’
on Town Hall contributions ‘holidays’
ANGRY public sector workers in Camden joined a national strike
on Tuesday, closing half the borough’s schools, writes
Tom Foot. They claim the Town Hall is to blame for “a black
hole” in their pensions fund.
Nine unions took industrial action over plans to make local
government employees work an extra five years before they can
claim their full pension.
In all, 2,500 workers went on strike, closing 30 of Camden’s
58 schools. Seven out of eight secondary schools closed –
with public sector workers at La Sainte Union in Highgate Road
resisting union calls. Most of the Westminster Kingsway College
sites shut.
Twenty-one of 25 play centres and all the major libraries and
council-run leisure centres also shut. Housing benefits or planning
departments closed for the day. David Eggmore, branch secretary
of Town Hall union Unison, said: “The great majority of
our members were on strike. We had good support from the other
unions. If there is no settlement then there’s no doubt
we will take increased strike action.”
Members of Camden Unison branch say the council took a “holiday”
from contributions in the late 1980s, leaving a hole in pension
coffers.
Union members believe changes to the scheme – which will
mean some workers losing up to a quarter of their pension if
they retire at 60 as planned – are a covert effort to plug
the gap.
Hugo Pierre, publicity officer of Camden Unison, said: “During
the 1980s and early 1990s, Camden had about seven years where
they didn’t pay anything into the pension fund. We paid
six per cent of our earnings and they were supposed to match
it. But they didn’t pay because of Tory government legislation.
“Instead of ring-fencing the pension fund they used it
to offset their costs.”
Kevin Courtney, branch secretary of the higher education union
AUT, said classrooms were divided, with council-employed support
staff – including teachers’ assistants – being
forced to work until 65 while teachers can retire at 60.
He said: “There are as many support staff working in schools
as teachers. If they strike, schools will close.”
Labour’s Frank Dobson, MP for Holborn and St Pancras, said:
“The present scheme provides a welcome degree of security
to people providing public services in a time of change and
uncertainty. That security has to some extent compensated for
levels of pay in the public service and its existence has been
seen as part of the pay bargain.”
A council press official said: “We did take a funding holiday
in the 1980s. We are currently running at 73 per cent of our
pension fund, which is about on a par with other boroughs in
London. Our strategy is to have the pension fund up to 100 per
cent in 16 years’ time. The good news is that all liabilities
will be met and that all pensioners will get their pensions.” |
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