Wednesday, December 4, 2002
British lawmakers opt for free domestic partner pension benefits
A story published today by the Guardian reports that British ministers and Parliament members have added to their contributory pensions new benefits that they will get free - while public workers, including firefighters, will have to pay for the same benefits out of their salaries.
The benefits will make a huge difference to unmarried ministers and MPs in long term relationships or with same sex partners.
The changes were seen as an enlightened policy to extend survivors' rights beyond spouses and children when passed by parliament in July, but the fact that they will be given free has only become apparent now.
Private letters sent to Robin Cook, the leader of the house reveal that the trustees of the parliamentary pension scheme are proposing that MPs and ministers should get the benefits free by redistributing surplus cash in their pension pot. The Treasury is understood to have given its approval.
However, the change is against government policy, which says members of existing public sector pensions schemes must pay for these benefits out of their own pockets.
The revelations - which follow the leaking of the letters in the wake of a BBC Panorama program last week - have provoked fury among unions.
Alan Maloney, head of pensions for the Public and Civil Servants Union, said: "We knew nothing about this. It looks like we have been misled by the government, who told us that MPs would have to pay extra contributions for these benefits."
The furor has been heightened by the huge pay differential between workers who have to meet the extra contributions, and MPs and ministers.
