On 24 July the Mirror revealed that Royal Mail is planning drastic cuts to postal workers' pension rights. In the same week, London Transport workers voted 15-1 to strike against plans to cut back pensions for those retiring due to ill-health.
Royal Mail plans to close its final salary scheme, cap future rises in pensionable pay at inflation, cut lump sum payments for length of service and raise the normal retirement age - from 60 to 62 next year and 65 from 2010.
Some postal workers could see their pension halved. Young workers will be hit hardest. A 30 year old with ten years' service can currently expect to retire on £15,260 a year - slashed to £8,764 if the proposals are allowed to go through.
This is a dramatic attack on a large group of workers: a major move in the bosses' offensive against our pension rights.
Meanwhile, London Transport is seeking to limit access to pensions for ill-health (see here for more) and RMT members (mainly London Underground workers) have voted 3,141 (93.7%) to 212 (6.3%) for strike action.
These fresh attacks make unity between different public sector unions over pay etc even more vital. The rest of the labour movement should rally to the CWU and the RMT's struggles. However, it would be in a better position to do so if most of the other unions had not collapsed in the battle over their own members' pension rights, accepting that new workers will have to work until 65 to receive a full pension (see here).
The right for all workers to retire on a living pension, at 60 at the latest, should be our demand.