The Case Against Taking Strike Action
Laurence Robertson M.P.
Laurence Robertson M.P.
I can well understand the fears people have about the deficit reduction programme and what it means for them. Likewise, I understand the concerns felt about changes to pension arrangements. But both are necessary.
The deficit reduction programme is necessary because the last government borrowed £1 out of every £4 it spent. As a result, the national debt will double to well over a trillion pounds and debt interest will increase to a massive £63 billion a year – money which could otherwise be spent on doctors, nurses, teachers and police officers.
In terms of pensions, because very few changes have been made to the schemes over the decades we are now reaching a difficult situation where the country’s pension liability amounts to around another trillion pounds. The problem is that, happily, we are all living longer. Just after the war, age expectation was about 66 whereas now it’s about 79 – an increase of 20%. At the same time, we are starting work later and, often, retiring earlier. The figures just don’t add up any more.
That’s why the government is proposing changes. For my part, I believe that any accrued rights should be honoured. But I do believe that we are all going to have to both work longer and pay more into our pensions. Otherwise the schemes will go bankrupt and that’s no good to anyone.
With regard to the proposed strikes over this issue, I agree – for once – with Labour leader Ed Milliband, who recently stated that, at least while negotiations are going on, there should be no strikes. More generally, though, I don’t believe in striking anyway. It loses money for workers who can ill afford to lose out, it causes disruption to children, pensioners and the people most in need and it rarely achieves much anyway.
I disagree with Ed Milliband though, when it comes to assessing the economy generally. The party he belongs to took this country’s economy from being a strong, balanced one to an economy with a deficit similar to those experienced by Spain, Portugal, Italy, Ireland and Greece, and we’ve all seen the trouble they are in.
I would therefore urge workers, and union leaders, to state their cases calmly, logically and with an eye to the next generation of tax payers. If they do that, they might be surprised by who they find on their side. If they strike, they will win few friends but make plenty enemies.
The deficit reduction programme is necessary because the last government borrowed £1 out of every £4 it spent. As a result, the national debt will double to well over a trillion pounds and debt interest will increase to a massive £63 billion a year – money which could otherwise be spent on doctors, nurses, teachers and police officers.
In terms of pensions, because very few changes have been made to the schemes over the decades we are now reaching a difficult situation where the country’s pension liability amounts to around another trillion pounds. The problem is that, happily, we are all living longer. Just after the war, age expectation was about 66 whereas now it’s about 79 – an increase of 20%. At the same time, we are starting work later and, often, retiring earlier. The figures just don’t add up any more.
That’s why the government is proposing changes. For my part, I believe that any accrued rights should be honoured. But I do believe that we are all going to have to both work longer and pay more into our pensions. Otherwise the schemes will go bankrupt and that’s no good to anyone.
With regard to the proposed strikes over this issue, I agree – for once – with Labour leader Ed Milliband, who recently stated that, at least while negotiations are going on, there should be no strikes. More generally, though, I don’t believe in striking anyway. It loses money for workers who can ill afford to lose out, it causes disruption to children, pensioners and the people most in need and it rarely achieves much anyway.
I disagree with Ed Milliband though, when it comes to assessing the economy generally. The party he belongs to took this country’s economy from being a strong, balanced one to an economy with a deficit similar to those experienced by Spain, Portugal, Italy, Ireland and Greece, and we’ve all seen the trouble they are in.
I would therefore urge workers, and union leaders, to state their cases calmly, logically and with an eye to the next generation of tax payers. If they do that, they might be surprised by who they find on their side. If they strike, they will win few friends but make plenty enemies.
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Laurence Robertson MP – Comment on
The Autumn Statement
“The crisis being faced by the Eurozone countries is enormous and we are bound to be affected by it. The Chancellor’s Autumn Statement is designed to try to help ensure that we come out of the next year or two better than we otherwise would have done.
“The Chancellor is planning to help grow the economy and, at the same time, keep interest rates down. He is also sticking to his budget deficit reduction plan. It is absolutely essential that he does this, or else we could end up like Italy or Greece, which are countries facing massive problems.
“There is no doubt that the next year or two are going to be difficult, but the medium-term projections for the UK economy are reasonably good. That is far better than can be expected of some of our neighbours. That is because the government is determined to tackle the problems we face rather than sweeping them under the carpet.
“The budget deficit inherited by this government from the previous government was huge. It had to be tackled. This has meant taking difficult decisions, but, in the medium term, these will prove to be the right ones.”
“The crisis being faced by the Eurozone countries is enormous and we are bound to be affected by it. The Chancellor’s Autumn Statement is designed to try to help ensure that we come out of the next year or two better than we otherwise would have done.
“The Chancellor is planning to help grow the economy and, at the same time, keep interest rates down. He is also sticking to his budget deficit reduction plan. It is absolutely essential that he does this, or else we could end up like Italy or Greece, which are countries facing massive problems.
“There is no doubt that the next year or two are going to be difficult, but the medium-term projections for the UK economy are reasonably good. That is far better than can be expected of some of our neighbours. That is because the government is determined to tackle the problems we face rather than sweeping them under the carpet.
“The budget deficit inherited by this government from the previous government was huge. It had to be tackled. This has meant taking difficult decisions, but, in the medium term, these will prove to be the right ones.”