Members of BECTU and the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) have voted by more than 90% in favour of strike action to defend their pensions. Management have been attempting to push the retirement age from 60 to 65, increase the contributions to pensions from 4% to 7%, pensions increments to be limited to 2.5% or the Consumer Price Index, and scrap the final salary pension element. The announcement of strike dates on 5 and 6 October forced management to table a slightly improved offer. Unfortunately, BECTU and Unite have accepted this revised attack on pensions, but NUJ have rejected it. BBC director general Mark Thompson who last year was paid £834,000 has written to workers urging people to cross the picket lines – activists on the ground across all the unions in the BBC should ensure Thompson does not get his way.
At a time when the government continues to implement savage cuts on working people on the one hand it is still in the process of giving away billions of euro worth of our natural gas to private interests. Two onshore gas fields are next to being a gift. One in Clare and one in the North West. The closing date for the licence applications is 11 June.
Labour elects Ed Miliband as new leader