Some pension schemes could be unified

There’s no need to unify the 19 different government pension schemes, according to the national pensions adviser for the union Unite.

Peter Smith visited the Island for an open meeting of members, ahead of a review of public service pensions, due to be debated in Tynwald in December.

He says negotiation is the key:

"There obviously may be some rationale in unifying some of the schemes, but not all of them by any means.

"Teachers and health service people do different jobs from each other, as do the firemen and the police.

"It's recognised in the UK that there are separate and diverse schemes for different public sector workers, with their own rules and their own benefit structures."