Statement from Francis Maude on PCS ballot
Statement from Minister for the Cabinet Office, Francis Maude, on the result of the PCS ballot.
Statement from Minister for the Cabinet Office, Francis Maude, on the result of the PCS ballot.
The Minister for the Cabinet Office, Francis Maude, said:
What today’s ballot result shows is that among PCS members there is extremely limited support for the kind of strike action their leaders want. There was a very low turnout for this ballot and less than 20% of their members are supporting this unnecessary industrial action.
“This is not surprising given that talks with the TUC about public sector pensions are continuing; there is no justification for any civil servant going on strikes while discussions are continuing.
“There is cross party consensus that public sector pensions need to be made fairer and more sustainable. That is what former Minister John Hutton’s report recommended and that is what we are trying to achieve.
“Public sector pensions will remain among the very best, providing a guaranteed pension level for all employees. Today very few private sector employers still offer guaranteed pension levels.
“But people today are living much longer. So Lord Hutton recommended that people should work for longer before drawing their pension.
“And we’re asking employees to pay more towards the cost of their pension. This makes for a fairer balance between what employees pay and what other taxpayers have to pay.
“We continue to hope that industrial action will not take place, but in the unfortunate event that it does we can assure the public now that all services have highly developed and rigorous contingency plans.