Union
members would be prepared to take strike action to protect their retirement
income, according to a new survey by skilled and professional workers union
Amicus.
The
survey said fears for the safety of occupational pension schemes were creating
new mood of militancy in UK workplaces.
The
survey shows that 90 per cent of union representatives and their colleagues
would strike if their employer attempted to change their pension scheme or
reduce their contributions just to save money.
In
all, 99 per cent of employees polled believe final salary schemes are the only
way to guarantee an adequate retirement income, with 83 per cent believing that
employers are targeting these schemes as their main vehicle for cost cutting.
Ninety
seven per cent thought the new generation of working people will have inferior
pension income and may have to work longer or take out expensive and risky
private pension schemes.
Speaking
at the union’s annual conference in Blackpool, Amicus general secretary Roger
Lyons said: "In this era of low inflation and mass redundancies, pensions
have replaced pay as the main area of industrial conflict.
“We
will not stand by and watch employers steal our members’ retirement income nor
force future generations into poverty in old age. Amicus will give full support
to any members who wish to make a stand against the great pensions
robbery."
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