Tuesday's round-up

[randompostman]

Defending pension rights

Royal Mail pensions was the subject of a lively debate at conference this morning, as delegates hammered out their strategy for defending members' rights and benefits.

Introducing the subject, London divisional rep Mark Palfrey moved a resolution setting out key objectives for the union going forward.

Members of the Royal Mail Pension Plan (RMPP) should be able to join the CARE scheme and the union must be enabled to play a key role in pensions issues through a new joint national forum, he argued.

But Bristol Amal Branch secretary Dave Wilshire disagreed, using the phrase: "Smoke and mirrors" to describe the motion which, he claimed, did not deal adequately with the matter.

Setting up the proposed forum could, he warned, compromise the union's abillity to organise industrial action over pensions.

Deputy general secretary Dave Ward intervened in the debate to say that, in his opinion, "this proposition deals with the reality of today's situation.

"We can't keep on fighting yesterday's battles," he insisted and urged delegates to back the motion, which was passed overwelmingly.

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So our pensions are yesterday`s battle then?