Unite, the UK's biggest trade union,
has today announced an overwhelming vote for industrial action
atSiemensover plans to close its final
salary pension scheme.
Unite members voted over 80% in support of industrial action
resulting from a consultative ballot. The union is now preparing to
ballot its members for industrial action.
The company is proposing to close existing final salary schemes
and replace them with a defined benefit money purchase scheme from
January 2008. The proposal will affect 6000 staff. Even by Siemens'
own figures, a 48 year old employee will lose over £57,000 in
pension income over retirement, with potentially an even greater
loss for woman members, said Unite.
Unite National Officer, Peter Skyte, said, "We are now preparing
to ballot our members for industrial action, as Siemens is a highly
profitable company that can well afford to continue the final
salary pension arrangements. The company has refused to consider
any of the proposals we have put forward to address pension funding
issues in more than 12 months of talks."
Sites potentially affected include Tyneside, Sheffield, Poole
(Dorset), Hove, Hayes, Preston, Southampton, Norwich, Avonmouth,
Belfast and Scotland.
In May this year, Siemens
announced 9,000 redundencies.