Ulster Unionist John McCallister has welcomed the outcome of today’s motion on public sector pensions where the Ulster Unionist Party’s amendment was supported by the DUP and Alliance Party.
The South Down MLA commented:
‘Todays motion was important in that it gave the Assembly the opportunity to debate the important topic of public sector pensions. During the debate, the Ulster Unionist Party recognised the fundamental changes to public sector pensions. We also paid tribute to the public sector workers such as teachers, doctors and nurses for the vital role they play in Northern Ireland’s education and health systems as well as their contribution to our economy as a whole. However, we also expressed disappointment that strike action was deemed necessary by the trade unions.’
“Unfortunately Sinn Fein and the SDLP seem to be out of touch with the economic reality which we currently find ourselves in. Public sector pension reform needs to be looked at in the context of a world-wide recession and the economic woes of Ireland, Portugal and Greece are testament to that. The current public sector pension provisions are simply not sustainable and an equitable balance needs to be found between employee and taxpayer contributions to pensions.’
“The most important thing now is for the trade unions and the UK Government to continue in their negotiations and find a solution to ensure no more costly strike action occurs.’
