HRP staff to strike over pension dispute

GMB members working for the Historic Royal Palaces (HRP) have voted to strike over the loss of their pension, starting 8 January 2019.

HRP staff, including Beefeaters and Jewel House Wardens, voted overwhelming in favour to support strike action, with a result of 91 per cent after a turnout of 88 per cent.

The strike will be the first time in 55 years that HRP have taken industrial action, after HRP decided to close its final salary pension scheme from 1 April 2019 after closing it to new members in 2002.

However, the GMB says that staff were promised a continuation of their pensions when their benefits were transferred from the civil service to HRP.

Furthermore, the GMP claim that the pension scheme will be replaced with an inferior pension, despite HRP failing to provide any evidence other than they want to use members pension contributions for other projects.

Commenting, GMB regional organiser Michael Ainsley said: "HRP are jumping on a bandwagon which is seeing employers engaging in a race to the bottom, ending good final salary schemes and replacing them with risky cheaper defined contribution schemes.

"All the while the UK government stands idly by at a time when they're telling the population to save for their retirement and our elderly can’t afford to pay for social care.

"GMB members still at this late stage are willing to talk to HRP but the silence from HRP is deafening."

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