PENSIONS UPDATE ...
Apologies to all (must be getting too old for this!) but Captain Mike Post sent this on 25th of last month and I thiought I'd already posted it! Doh!
Anyway, here it is now:-
Discretionary Increase Blessing Hearing
I was away when the news was published that the Discretionary Increase High Court “Blessing” hearing is to be held on 1 to 1.5 days between 28 and 30 October 2019. I know that there has been a lot of interaction between the lawyers representing our APS Representative Beneficiary, Mark Fielder, the lawyers representing the APS Trustee and the lawyers representing BA. Since a firm date has now been set for the hearing, it is to be devoutly hoped that the hearing will simply be to dot the ‘i’s and cross the ‘t’s and that the injustice which was first started over nine years ago in 2010 by the then Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne, will finally be at least partially remedied. Sadly, well over 6000 of our colleagues will have passed away without receiving the full pensions that they were promised in 1984 when BA was being prepared for privatisation.
Unfortunately there is still a battle royal going on over the RPI with the establishment cynically taking in with the RPI and paying out with the CPI. This battle is very well described by the noted economic commentator, Ann Pettifor, in an article in the Independent on 19 August 2019. The difference between the batting average of an RPI cricketer and a CPI cricketer is particularly intriguing.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/cpi-rpi-wages-pensions-average-person-lords-economic-affairs-a8498316.html
ABAP AGM
May I remind you that the ABAP AGM is to be held at 11 am on Thursday, 24 October 2019 in the theatre at the Magna Carta School, Thorpe Road, Egham, Surrey TW18 3HJ. Entrance is for ABAP members only but non-members may join at the door.
The meeting will be chaired by ABAP’s Chairman, Mark Fielder, who has performed the onerous task of APS Representative Beneficiary for us all and who has the full support of Mike’s List.
May I encourage NAPS and other BA pension holders to join ABAP. Without ABAP’s financial and moral support it is doubtful whether our campaign to restore RPI increases to APS pensions could have even got off the ground, let alone receive the result we are anticipating.
Regards to All