Staff to be asked if they would take industrial action on pensions.

摘要

Healthcare unions furious at government proposals to increase pension contributions will ask nurses and midwives whether they would be prepared to take industrial action.Last week the Department of Health (DH) released proposals to increase NHS pension contributions in England and Wales from April 2012-13 (see box).Talks between unions and the government on replacing the NHS final salary pension scheme with a career average scheme and raising the retirement age are ongoing.The consultation announced last week only relates to the first year of proposed contribution increases. However the DH states the increase could result in contributions rising by an average of 3.2 per cent by 2014/15, even though it is still negotiating with unions over increases between 2013 and 2015.