RPI to CPI Early Day Motion 1032

JamesU

teacher_retired wrote: »

I thought we had moved on because the statutory order had been made. Does anyone know if an annulment is feasible? Would welcome any advice don't know much about that side of things.

See the last sentence of the letter suggested for sending to MPs where "pray against" means annulment of the statutory order.

OPs still have time to write to their MP if they want to.

JamesU


From Ripoff as posted in thread above:

This includes voting against the Social Security Benefits (Uprating) Order which applies the change to State second pensions and "pray against" the Pensions (Increase) Order applying the change to public service pensions by signing an EDM which will be tabled shortly.

Very Important.
I think we should all use this material and write now

The letter is in a Word document in the link here:
www.cspa.co.uk


Letter to MP:

Dear ((Name of MP)) ((Date))

RPI to CPI: Indexation of State Pensions and Public Service Pensions
Rally and Lobby of Parliament – 1 March 2011

I am writing to you as one of your constituents.

There will be a pensioners’ Lobby of Parliament on Tuesday 1 March 2011 to oppose the Government’s decision to change the inflation link for pensions from the RPI to the CPI.

This change, which will significantly affect pensioners’ income, will apply from April 2011 to State second pensions, public service pensions and some private occupational pensions and from April 2012 to the State basic pension as well.

Since 2000, the RPI has been higher than the CPI by over 0.8 per cent a year on average. If we assume RPI at 3 per cent and CPI at 2.2 per cent, a worker with a £10,000 pension will receive over £36,000 less over the course of a 25-year retirement. This is a huge loss of purchasing power.

I believe that I was promised an RPI index linked pension and I am very upset that the Government’s proposed change will alter my accrued rights.

The Lobby is being organised by the Public Service Pensioners’ Council (PSPC), Civil Service Pensioners’ Alliance (CSPA), Occupational Pensioners’ Alliance (OPA), National Pensioners’ Council (NPC) and Age UK and will include a meeting from 1.15pm to 2.15pm in Committee Room 6, which all MPs are invited to attend.

Although I cannot attend the Lobby on this occasion, I would be grateful if you would agree to:

· attend the meeting in Committee Room 6 on Tuesday 1 March;
· If you receive this by 17 February speak and vote against the Social Security Benefits (Uprating) Order which will be debated that day and applies the change to State second pensions; and
· “pray against” the Pensions (Increase) Order applying the change to public service pensions by signing an EDM which will be tabled shortly.

Yours sincerely,

((NAME))
((ADDRESS))

viridens

Like other posters, I am concerned that there is a woeful lack of proper coordinated trade union action on this matter. I have (until now) kept up retired membership of my my union, ATL, but find that they are certainly doing too little too late, and for example know nothing about EDM 1032.

Clearly, participants here are savvy, but I am concerned that the RPI/CPI message has still not filtered through to many PS pensioners. I ran into two former colleagues today. Neither were aware that they would be affected. Having heard that accrued rights would be protected, they assumed that changes would apply to new retirees only. These are not stupid people, just too trusting.

I hope that as well as union campaigns 'pensioner pester power' can be properly harnessed. I have already had several letters pubished in the local press to vent my speen and publicise the EDM & March 1 event. I have also written several letters to my MP and plan to attend all his local surgeries. Perhaps you can do the same.

viridens

Here is a link to the number10.gov website petition guide.. Petitions can be posted here and will be considered when 500 signatures are reached. (As a newish poster, the site prevents me from posting links directly. Please remove the space from position 2 in the link below.)

h ttp://petitions.number10.gov.uk/steps

Quote from the site: "When a serious petition closes, usually provided there are 500 signatures or more, officials at Downing Street will ensure you get a response to the issues you raise. Depending on the nature of the petition, this may be from the Prime Minister, or he may ask one of his Ministers or officials to respond."

The only difficulty would seem to be publicising the petition once posted, to ensure sufficient response. My apathetic trade union have not seen fit to reply on this matter...

Perhaps we could collaborate here to discuss suitable wording for a petition (based on the EDM?) and how best to publicise its existence. What do you think?

JohnB47

viridens wrote: »

Here is a link to the number10.gov website petition guide.. Petitions can be posted here and will be considered when 500 signatures are reached. (As a newish poster, the site prevents me from posting links directly. Please remove the space from position 2 in the link below.)

h ttp://petitions.number10.gov.uk/steps

Quote from the site: "When a serious petition closes, usually provided there are 500 signatures or more, officials at Downing Street will ensure you get a response to the issues you raise. Depending on the nature of the petition, this may be from the Prime Minister, or he may ask one of his Ministers or officials to respond."

The only difficulty would seem to be publicising the petition once posted, to ensure sufficient response. My apathetic trade union have not seen fit to reply on this matter...

Perhaps we could collaborate here to discuss suitable wording for a petition (based on the EDM?) and how best to publicise its existence. What do you think?

An excellent idea. Here is your link in full:

http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/steps

teacher_retired

viridens wrote: »

Like other posters, I am concerned that there is a woeful lack of proper coordinated trade union action on this matter. I have (until now) kept up retired membership of my my union, ATL, but find that they are certainly doing too little too late, and for example know nothing about EDM 1032.

Clearly, participants here are savvy, but I am concerned that the RPI/CPI message has still not filtered through to many PS pensioners. I ran into two former colleagues today. Neither were aware that they would be affected. Having heard that accrued rights would be protected, they assumed that changes would apply to new retirees only. These are not stupid people, just too trusting.

I hope that as well as union campaigns 'pensioner pester power' can be properly harnessed. I have already had several letters pubished in the local press to vent my speen and publicise the EDM & March 1 event. I have also written several letters to my MP and plan to attend all his local surgeries. Perhaps you can do the same.

A good idea. Don't give up on your union membership work is quietly going on by all unions into the legality of this change for existing accrued pensions. As has been explained in previous posts the change has to be brought about before a legal challenge can be mounted. I do know much work is going on.
I suspect March 26th will be the major kick off for overt union actions.
I am also mindful of the comment made by Andrea p34 that we were wandering off topic. Do people feel we may need to change thread as actions begin or is current thread re EDM1032 still main relevance. I am afraid I have no real experience of how this site operates and would welcome advice.

JamesU

viridens wrote: »

Perhaps we could collaborate here to discuss suitable wording for a petition (based on the EDM?) and how best to publicise its existence. What do you think?

TeacherRetired, assume EDM1032 is still main relevance at the moment, as it is still pending.

Viridens, I think setting up a petition is a good idea but feel it should be set up and discussed on a seperate new thread. Otherwise there is a risk of confusion between any new petition and the current EDM1032.

The EDM1032 has support from MPs, unions, publicity and the pending actions in London. A lot of effort has been put into this and it includes the request to "pray against" the switch from RPI to CPI in the Parliamentary EDM1032 motion in order to annul the statutory order for switching from RPI to CPI.

If an additional petition to raise public awareness is started on this thread, it will most likely confuse OPs and others reading the thread and could be counterproductive. So maybe start a new thread for a petition, what do OPs think?.

Importantly, I would also like to know when the EDM1032 is likely to be discussed in Parliament and how much time remains to further canvass MPs. Does anybody know?

RipOff, are you around and do you have any idea on EDM timing? Or are you away for half-term?

JamesU

Ripoff_2

All, I will try and find out where we now stand with the EDM. What ever happens it keeps the subject at the forefront of MPs minds and intrays. The fight moves on to get this change repealed before next years order. Any letter or email to your MP complaining about this change and also indicating to them how much this actually effects you is paramount as it let's them see the real affect of this change. For example I have just had my water rates for 2011 and it has gone up by 4.2% which makes the 3.1% CPI look far too low just on this one bill.

Jamesu, regarding the petition, work on the wording is in progress but I agree with you that a new thread would be needed for that and reference it from this one. This thread has very useful information in it which would be lost if the two got confused. Let's keep this thread to the EDM and start a new one for the petition please.

Ripoff

viridens

New thread started as requested Here:

h ttp://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.php?p=41495030#post41495030

(Please remove the space in position 2. -I am still unable to post hyperlinks.)

I Hope to see you and your positive contributions there.

chris_m

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/41495030#Comment_41495030

Link completed for you.

viridens

It Seems that my spiffing plan for a Number10 petition is on hold for at least for the moment -see (short-lived?) new thread for details.

In the meantime, I note that there are other petitions out there, but like much else that is going on (including support for EDM 1032) there is a lack of coordination.

I have just now received a reply to a further query to my union asking why they had still not mentioned or publicised EDM 1032:

Please accept my apologies for the late reply, but I have been very busy and I was not in the office on Friday 18 February.

The outcome of the vote to approve the draft Social Security Benefits Up-rating Order 2011 and the draft Guaranteed Minimum Pensions Increase Order 2011 last week was was approved by 247 votes to 19. The pensions increase order was agreed to without a vote. Despite this happening, the Lobby on 1 March will still go ahead – MPs will still have the opportunity to ‘pray against’ the Order by signing an Early Day Motion (EDM). The details of the EDM will be available on the Lobby day for lobbyists to ask their MPs to sign the EDM.

T H E - P E N S I O N S - I N C R E A S E - O R D E R - W A S - A G R E E D - T O - W I T H O U T - A - V O T E !

Ain't democracy great?

-And I note the jolly "Despite this happening, the Lobby on 1 March will still go ahead" Is the implication that this is only because it is now maybe just too late to call it off?