Pensions press pays special attention to regulator strikers

Our ongoing strike in The Pensions Regulator has gained widespread coverage in the pensions press, placing pressure on the employer to pay up.

Over 400 PCS members at The Pensions Regulator started their latest round of strike action last week, in a long-running dispute that will enter its fortieth day today (16).

They will take action again on 17, 18, 24, 25, 26, 30 and 31, plus February 1, after being offered a 3% pay rise while other civil service employers are paying 4.5%.  

And several media publications which cover the pensions industry have recently reported on the strike.

As well as explaining why are our members are so angry, The Financial Times’ sister publication, FT Adviser, highlighted how the ongoing strike action is creating a backlog of work and systemic disruption to TPR’s ability to deliver on their statutory duties.

It quoted two of our members, with one saying: “The simplest way I can put this is that we have a choice to make - either send a message now and hope for change or give up and leave TPR."

Another leading publication in the pensions world, Pensions Age, reported on the comments of PCS general secretary, Mark Serwotka, who said that TPR aims to “build people’s confidence in pensions” but queried: "How can it build confidence in the wider world when it’s lost the confidence of its own workforce?”

Financial Planning Today noted that PCS membership at the TPR has risen by 163% since the dispute started in September and noted that the strikers include staff of all kinds, at different grades, including lawyers, project managers, actuaries, enforcement officers, some senior managers, admin staff, facilities and tech support.

Others outlets in the financial advice and pensions space, Professional Pensions (paywall) and Professional Adviser (paywall), also reported on the strike.

As all of these publications noted, PCS has had numerous meetings with TPR management and is actively looking for a resolution to the dispute. We do not believe that negotiations are exhausted.

How to show your support
  • Visit the picket lines on strike days outside Telecom House, 125-135 Preston Road, Brighton BN1 6AF.    
  • Send messages of support to editor@pcs.org.uk     
  • You can also support our striking members by making an online donation to our strike fund. 
  • Not yet a PCS member? Join online today.