Royal Mail and Post Office managers vote against cuts to pensions
About 7,000 Royal Mail and Post Office managers have voted overwhelmingly against large cuts to their pensions in consultative ballots, Unite, the country's largest union, announced today (Monday 19 August).
In a separate consultative ballot, more than 6,000 Royal Mail managers voted by a margin of 71 per cent against the government's privatisation plans for the Royal Mail – the legislation is on the statute book, but ministers have yet to start the sell-off process, due this autumn.
Unite will present the pension results to the managements of both companies before the consultation period ends on 25 August – and today urged the company to listen to the views of its members.
The Royal Mail managers voted by 78 per cent to reject the pension proposals which could see the annual pensions cut by £3,788 for a manager retiring at 65 after 35 years service; from £23,099 to £19,311.
About 800 Post Office managers voted by 89 per cent to reject pension proposals which could mean an employee on £15,000-a-year seeing their pension reduced by £544; from £9,143 to £8,599.
Unite officer for Royal Mail managers Brian Scott said:
“Our members have made it clear that the proposals put forward by the Post Office and Royal Mail to make changes to their pension arrangements are unacceptable.
“Our members have paid for their pensions during their working lives and it's immoral that their retirement income should be reduced in this arbitrary fashion. The respective managements should withdraw the proposals as they currently stand.
“We will be making both the Post Office and Royal Mail well aware of our members' views on this and will do so before the end of the consultation on 25 August.
“Unite has a long standing policy of opposition to the privatisation of Royal Mail, which is backed up by the public who don't want a national institution sold off to companies more interested in profits than providing a joined-up national service.”
