IoD: Coalition must not buckle in the face of Strikes

Dated: 29 June 2011

In a statement on the public sector strikes, Miles Templeman, Director General of the Institute of Directors, said:

“Immediate public sector pension reform is absolutely necessary if the UK is to have sustainable public finances in both the short and long run. In an age of rapidly rising longevity, public sector pensions are unaffordable in their current form. The private sector has been through the painful process of scaling back final salary pensions schemes. Now the public sector must follow. This is not a race to the bottom, as public sector unions claim – it is a race to reality. 

He added:

“Any backtracking on pension reform would bring into question the Coalition’s wider commitment to getting the deficit down. That would be a disaster and would tell opponents of the Coalition’s spending plans that there is mileage in turning up the pressure with strike action. I urge ministers to show the leadership they have demonstrated so far and stick to Plan A.”

ENDS

Contact Points

Edwin Morgan
Media Relations Manager
Institute of Directors, 116 Pall Mall, London SW1Y 5ED
Tel: +44 (0)20 7451 3392
Mob: +44 (0)7814 386 243
Email: edwin.morgan@iod.com
Website: www.iod.com/policy

Notes to editors

  • The IoD (Institute of Directors) was founded in 1903 and obtained a Royal Charter in 1906. The IoD is a non-party political organisation with upwards of 45,000 members in the United Kingdom and overseas. Membership includes directors from right across the business spectrum – from media to manufacturing, e-business to the public and voluntary sectors. Members include CEOs of large corporations as well as entrepreneurial directors of start-up companies.
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