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LMC leaders to vote on industrial action over GP pensions

By Alisdair Stirling

LMC representatives will urge the GPC to resist changes to GP pensions 'by all possible means', including considering industrial action and mass resignation, at their annual conference in London next month.



A motion from Cornwall and Isles of Scilly LMC, which has been selected for wider debate as part of an agenda committee motion, flags up industrial action and resignation as two possible responses to the Hutton review proposals, which could see GP pension contributions double and the retirement age rise to 68.

The motion to be debated warns that any loss of existing benefits will lead to a 'rush to retirement of senior GPs' and insists that the current scheme is fair for members and affordable for the taxpayer.

The motion calls for the conference to direct 'the GPC to resist by all possible means, including the option of industrial action and resignation' any attempt to renegotiate the NHS pension scheme for GPs and 'insists that the Government honour in full all the accrued rights of current NHS pension scheme'.

Representatives will also debate a motion from Cleveland LMC that says: 'Conference believes that GPs who have provided NHS services to NHS patients following procurement exercises must have their income considered as pensionable within the NHS scheme.'

In all, 17 motions on the pensions changes are included in the conference agenda, reflecting widespread anger among GPs over Lord Hutton's review. The Government accepted Lord Hutton's findings in full and will set out proposals to reform public sector pensions in the autumn.

Click here to read the full list of motions to be voted on by the LMCs Conference in June

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