Local Government Pension Scheme Democracy

This is a short article I wrote for our regional Local Government conference newsletter "London Calling"

Good news at long last about trade member representation on the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS). Following vigorous campaigning by UNISON and many branch pension activists there has been a change in guidance issued by the Government. This has resulted in many Councils finally allowing trade unions to nominate representatives to sit on pension investment panels and committee as full members with voting rights.

There is still a lot to do. Most schemes only allow 1 or 2 trade union reps on - while UNISON argues that there should be 50% ot the total. This is the law for private funded pension schemes. So why are we in the LGPS still being treated as 2nd class? There is plenty of evidence that having members on investment funds improves performance and will help safeguard our pensions. If anyone in London is interested in finding out more about being a LGPS rep then please speak to me

UNISON London Regional Local Government Committee

The joy, the joy....having done something awful in a previous life I must now atone for my sins by being a delegate to this committee.

While I think it is important this committee has some representatives who actually reflect the wider membership of the union and recognise that they live in the here and now, it should really be subject to some sort of a preservation order.

Some delegates (excluding myself obviously) actually made some well founded and even articulate arguments (which I may or may not have agreed with). But most of the contributions were from a past golden age in the Labour movement when Trotskyite ranting and postulating actually meant something (not a lot even then).

As someone who loves political history, I revelled in the passionate tales told of duplicitous full time trade union officials, a sell out elected national leadership and numerous accounts of very, very "angry" and very, very "disgusted" members. All of whom want nothing more than strike, after strike, after strike.

Wake up comrades.

In particular I will treasure the contribution by one I know well, who addressed the meeting on a motion regarding the Labour Party. He confidently assured the audience that there was no-one present who thinks that the Labour Party will win the next general election. Hello? Comrade grayee of course made clear his views that the Party can indeed win, even if it is going to be difficult. It is fair to say that most present did not of course concur. But if we had to rely on their votes – Deus, adiuva nos.