Energy conference delegates agree to defend pensions across the sector

The energy supply industry sector must provide all possible support to Prospect branches and members in nuclear decommissioning in their campaign to maintain current pension provisions, conference agreed.

The motion’s mover, Leisha Krandoo (UK Power Networks), drew attention to the government consultation exercise on plans to change their entitlement, which was launched earlier in 2017.

“We all depend on statutory pension protection to some degree, whether that is provisions in the Pensions Act to protect the pension that we have already built up or the protections granted on privatisation under the Electricity Acts,” she said.

“If implemented, these changes have worrying implications for all staff employed in the electricity industry sector,” she added.

Neil Griffiths (Magnox Nuclear) congratulated Prospect’s pensions officer Neil Walsh for his work on protecting the pensions of members in nuclear decommissioning.

While on this occasion only the pensions of members in this group of employees had been affected, people across the industry were aware that “what was protected by law can very easily be overturned by governments these days”, he said.

He hoped that the government’s small majority and the broader Brexit agenda would make changes less likely to happen.

Jonathan Barker (UK Power Networks) drew attention to a more subtle attack on pensions through redefining “pensionable pay”, as seemed to be happening in National Grid and EDF Energy. “We should be worried about that as well,” he added.

He said the motion was looking to broadly maintain pension provision across the industry.

Photographer: Stefano Cagnoni