Will Union Leaders Sell Out?

Hands up if you still want union money after shafting them?

Rumours are already rife that a deal is coming with some if not all public sector unions in relation to the current pension dispute, but I suspect that there will be some very bitter pills for union members to swallow.

As anticipated, the Tories and Libs have dealt with all the different groupings individually, which is fair enough as the different pension schemes vary widely. There appears to be an attempt to buy off members looking to retire in the next ten years by giving them a level of protection. There will also be a move to bring in average rather than final salary schemes which in reality was never the main sticking point. The crunch will come with the additional contributions and this is where I am very concerned about what is being agreed.

I wait to see how/if there will be any changes to these huge increases, but the rumours are that members will be stopped from opting out of their pension. The problem comes if some members simply cannot afford the increase. Do they lose their home to pay their pension? Plaid has been the only party in Wales not only to give its 100% support to the public sector workers in their dispute, but has consistently made the point that the consequences of the original proposals would be the collapse of these schemes rather than the support of them, as many would pull out or not join due to affordability. So there appears to have been recognition of this issue, but will there also be a reduction in the increase?

All in all, I do not expect another UK wide strike as many of the union leaders appear to want a deal in the New year. However, I sincerely hope that these leaders do not concede too much, as they may find a lot more members leaving than have joined in recent weeks. Of course, it would have helped if the leader of the UK Opposition and his MPs had supported the strikers, instead of sitting on the fence. Did you know for instance that all but 4 Labour Welsh MPs crossed the Westminster picket line on strike day? I bet that they don't put that in their next community leaflet and I know who you all are, by the way.