Nuclear industry trade unions to discuss £660m broken pension promises

Trade unions representing 16,000 nuclear industry workers across the UK are to meet on 9 January to consider strike action regarding £660m broken promises on pensions.

Monday’s meeting will comprise of GMB, Unite, Prospect and Aslef nuclear industry unions to discuss their members’ unfulfilled pensions. Senior nuclear trade union representatives will assemble in London to discuss what action is required to protect nuclear workers’ pensions.

In addition, the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) has initiated a statutory consultation process over the government’s proposed cuts to defined benefit pension benefits across the NDA from 9 January to Friday 10 March 2017.

The government expects final salary pension schemes in place across the NDA estate to be reformed by April 2018.

Sixteen thousand workers will be affected by the “broken promises” from 19 sites in Anglesey, Ayrshire, Caithness, Cumbria, Dorset, Dumfriesshire, Essex, Gloucestershire, Gwynedd, Kent, Oxfordshire, Somerset and Suffolk.

Unite national officer for energy Kevin Coyne said: “We are urging all our members working for the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) to resist this proposed Treasury-led ‘raid’ on their pensions – if it is allowed to go-ahead thousands of workers will see their retirement incomes slashed by thousands of pounds.

“It is blatantly clear that the NDA is the stalking horse for the government is which hell-bent in saving £660 million over the period of decommissioning. This assault on our members’ pensions is made all the more sour by the fact that the scheme is not in deficit. The NDA is the monkey to the government’s organ grinder in this sordid and unnecessary sleight of hand.

“Our members have already made big sacrifices since the last pension changes were imposed in 2008 – and enough is enough. Our members will be prepared to take determined industrial action to defend their hard-earned retirement incomes.”

GMB national secretary for the Nuclear Sector Justin Bowden added: “There is no justification for this attack on the pensions of these nuclear workers and their communities. These pension funds are in a sound state and underwent considerable reform 10 years ago.

"This is a point blank betrayal of the promises made by Margaret Thatcher to nuclear communities when the electricity industry was privatised in the 1990's and the public sector-like pension being proposed would make it by far the worst across the public sector."

ASLEF union north-west district organiser Colin Smith, concluded: "ASLEF will not stand by and be told that the pensions that we have secured through fair and equitable negotiations will be downgraded by a dogmatic approach via the government decision to carry out their ideology in attacking the Final Salary Pension scheme of our members."

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