Strike 脅し as shock U-turn on public 部門年金s

Last updated at 12:44 25 June 2006

Union bosses have 警告するd 大臣s would 直面する a "very 強健な" 返答 if they 試みる／企てるd to go 支援する on a 取引，協定 on public 部門年金s.

A 漏れるd letter 示唆するd the 政府 is 準備するing for a 対決 with unions over 計画（する）s to make civil servants 支払う／賃金 more に向かって their 退職 income.

The letter, from 閣僚 Office 大臣 Hilary Armstrong, 始める，決めるs out 計画（する）s to 要求する civil servants to 支払う／賃金 thousands of 続けざまに猛撃するs extra from their own pockets 毎年 to help plug a ￡700 billion 穴を開ける which would さもなければ have to be filled by the taxpayer.

It comes ahead of a 会合 on Tuesday at which unions believe 政府公式の／役人s may （米）棚上げする／（英）提議する提案s for 未来年金手はず／準備.

'深く，強烈に人気がない'

In the letter, 得るd by the Sunday Times, Ms Armstrong 認める that her 推薦s would be "深く，強烈に人気がない" with Whitehall unions, and 勧めるd fellow-大臣s to steel themselves for the 可能性 of strikes.

She 予報するd that unions would 告発する／非難する the 政府 of 取り消すing on a 取引，協定 thrashed out by former Work and 年金s 長官 Alan Johnson at last year's Public Services 会議 (PSF).

Under the 議論の的になる PSF 手はず／準備, it was agreed that new entrants to the civil service would retire at 65, like 労働者s in the 私的な部門.

But Mr Johnson was 広範囲にわたって criticised for leaving expensive 年金準備／条項s for 存在するing civil servants 不変の, with 退職 at 60 on two-thirds of final salary. In the letter, Ms Armstrong 提案するd asking 570,000 公式の／役人s to 分裂（する） the cost of any 未来増加するs in their 年金 50/50 with 雇用者s, with 雇用者s' 出資／貢献s 限られた／立憲的な to 20 per cent of pensionable 支払う／賃金. 現在／一般に, the 普通の／平均（する）雇用者出資／貢献 is 19.4 per cent of 支払う／賃金.

によれば the Sunday Times' 計算／見積りs, a civil servant on an 年次の salary of ￡50,000 could 結局 be asked to 支払う／賃金 an 付加￡2,000 to ￡3,000 a year に向かって their 年金.

示す Ser wotka, the general 長官 of the Public and 商業の Services Union (PCS), said any 試みる／企てる to go 支援する on last year's 協定 would be met with a "very 強健な" 返答.

Unions are 予定 to 会合，会う with 公式の／役人s from the 閣僚 Office on Tuesday and believe a 政府提案 may be （米）棚上げする／（英）提議するd then.

Mr Serwotka said: "Any moves to 列／漕ぐ／騒動支援する from what we have agreed would - as Hilary Armstrong recognises - be met with a very 強健な返答 from ourselves.

"What the 政府 has got to remember is that the 普通の／平均（する） civil service 年金 is ￡4,800 a year.

"So what we are talking about is people who are on low 支払う／賃金, with low 年金s, who are 効果的に going to be asked to take a 支払う／賃金削減（する） if they are going to be asked to 与える／捧げる more."

Armstrong's letter, 時代遅れの June 22, was sent to 副総理大臣 John Prescott and copied to 総理大臣 Tony Blair and the 残り／休憩（する） of the 閣僚.

In it, she wrote: "To 確実にする that the civil service 年金準備／条項 continues to be 維持できる financially and 政治上, I am recommending that we 捜し出す協定 with the civil service 貿易（する） unions to move to 手はず／準備 where we 株 between 雇用者 and 従業員s the 影響 of the 未来 cost 増加するs and also cap the costs to 雇用者s at a 最大限 of 20 per cent of pensionable 支払う／賃金.

"I have no 疑問 that this 手段 will be 深く，強烈に人気がない with the civil service 貿易（する） unions - 特に in relation to 存在するing staff - and I 捜し出す確定／確認 that we will all be 用意が出来ている, if necessary, to stand 会社／堅い on the need for such an 協定 even though there is a 危険 of 産業の活動／戦闘."

The 提案s for new entrants go only "part of the way" に向かって解決するing the 財政上の危機原因（となる）d 大部分は by longer life 見込み, wrote Ms Armstrong. Civil servants 現在／一般に支払う／賃金年金出資／貢献s at a 直す／買収する，八百長をするd 率, rather than a 率 which 変化させるs in relation to the cost of 供給するing their 結局の利益s, as most 私的な部門労働者s do.

Ms Armstrong said it was now t ime to 直面する the 問題／発行する of whether it was "reasonable" for this 協定 to continue. "Our 見解（をとる） is, that to stand any chance of 達成するing a 国家の合意 on public service 準備／条項, civil servants must be seen to be 直面するing the realities of 年金準備／条項 by 株ing at least some of the 危険s with the 雇用者," she wrote.

"Our 提案 on cost-株ing is not going to be popular with the civil service unions, 特に in relation to 存在するing staff where we can 推定する／予想する the unions to take the line that we are 取り消すing on both the PSF 協定.

"失敗 to stand 会社／堅い carries many 危険s."

A 閣僚 Office 広報担当者 said: "We don't comment on 漏れるs, but any 提案s on civil service 年金s would of course be discussed in the usual way through the civil service unions and the Public Service 会議."