Unison's general secretary, Dave Prentis (pictured on the right), tells Community Care why the union is encouraging social care staff to take part in the national pensions strike on 30 November.
"Social care staff, already buckling under the strain of the government's cuts, have been pushed to the brink by ministers' public sector pensions proposals," writes Prentis.
"These workers did not take the decision to strike lightly; social care staff go to work day in, day out, to make their communities better, safer places in which to live and work, but they have been left with little choice.
"Government ministers' plans to make them work longer and pay more, all for less in their retirement, are not only unnecessary, they are also unworkable and unfair. Only four years ago, unions negotiated new schemes to make them affordable and sustainable for the long term. This means the cost of public sector pensions, as a proportion of GDP, will fall. The local government scheme has billions more coming in than has to be paid out in pensions every year. We believe every penny raised will go to the Treasury, so this is really just another way of making public sector workers pay for the bankers' recession.
"Our members already feel like they are paying a heavy price - a pay freeze when inflation is rising, and hundreds of thousands face losing their job when opportunities to find work are thin on the ground.
"Just recently, a report by the Equality and Human Rights Commission called for major change to boost home care for the elderly. The report highlights how much good practice is out there, and what a difference good quality home care can make. But it also highlights serious underfunding, which is driving down workforce conditions and service quality to worrying levels. Workers on already low wages have seen their wages sink further by practices that include not paying travel time between appointments.
"We still have no pensions deal that we can put to a single social worker. We have always said that we are ready and willing to negotiate any time, any place. Progress before the eve of Unison's ballot result was glacial but, with pressure building, ministers announced a new pension's framework. Sector negotiations have taken place and we remain committed to try and turn these proposals into a realistic offer that can be put to social care staff.
"We want pensions that are secure and sustainable and give people dignity in their retirement. The door is open, it's time to talk."
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