Opposition Day — Public Sector Pensions — 8 Dec 2011 at 15:54

The majority of MPs voted in favour of making public sector pensions less generous.

The motion rejected by the majority of MPs in this vote was:

• That this House
• recognises and appreciates the valuable work done by public sector workers;
• believes that they should receive pensions which are affordable, sustainable and fair;
• further believes that the changes announced since June 2010 by the Government are primarily for the purposes of deficit reduction rather than a move to secure the long-term sustainability of public sector pensions;
• notes that these changes are unfair on public sector workers who will have to work longer, pay more and receive less in their pension when they retire;
• further notes the findings of the National Audit Office that the 2007-08 pensions re-negotiation changes will generate estimated savings of 14 per cent. by 2059-60 and the conclusions of the House of Commons Committee of Public Accounts’ Thirty-eighth Report of this Session on the Impact of the 2007-08 changes to public sector pensions (HC 833), that the cost of public service pensions has reduced substantially because of these changes;
• agrees with criticism in both reports of the failure to develop a long-term strategy for the role of pensions in recruitment and retention to the public sector;
• condemns the Government’s threat to cut devolved administrations’ budgets if they do not implement the Government’s immediate levy on pensions contributions; and
• calls on the Government to reverse its unfair changes to public sector pensions.

Debate in Parliament | Source |