The GMB General Union has attacked the Government over its failure to provide a level playing field on pensions as part of the two tier workforce code.
The GMB passed an emergency motion demanding that the Government protect the pensions of workers who transfer from the public sector to the private sector via TUPE or PFI.
The motion calls upon the Government to allow transferred out employees to be able to remain members of the local government pension scheme rather than being forced to join inferior schemes offered by private sector employers.
“Until the Government changes the two tier workforce code to allow all employees to remain in their existing pension scheme then public sector workers will feel that Labour’s promise to end the two tier workforce in our public services is a hollow one,” said Brian Strutton, GMB Public Services National Secretary.
“Despite the Prime Minister personally promising ‘no less favourable’ terms for employees whose jobs are privatised, the fact is that the terms and conditions for these workers are much worse – particularly their pensions – than of those who remain in the local government scheme,” he said.
The GMB also announced that it is launching a ‘name and shame’ campaign highlighting private sector employers whose pensions schemes fail to match the benefits of the local government scheme.
