As 60,000 plus MoD civil servants prepare to protest tomorrow to defend their pensions, jobs and terms and conditions, they have been dealt another savage blow in today's autumn statement by Chancellor, George Osborne.The Chancellor has announced that the public service pay freeze will be replaced by a 1% increase in the two years following the pay freeze. If inflation remains at the current rate of 5.6%, in reality this means that MoD civil servants will face a real terms pay cut in the region of 20-25%.
This is even before the proposed increase in pension contributions that will mean we will work longer, but get less pension. Contrast that with the friends of this government - the casino bankers that caused the global economic problems. Do they face similar financial pressures? NO!
The Robin Hood tax that our union has supported and would have put a transactional tax on each banking transaction will not be supported by this government. Today, George Osborne said such a tax would be, "a tax on people's (bankers) pensions." The hypocrisy is staggering. There were many, many more statements within the Autumn statement that will penalise working people.
