In welcoming the comprehensive and wide-ranging analysis of the Commission, EEF the manufacturers organisation also urged an end to any further prevarication on the issue and for the final recommendations to be used as a basis for firm proposals.
Commenting on the report, EEF Director General, Martin Temple, said :-
"This comprehensive analysis has highlighted the urgency for policymakers and politicians of all persuasions to set aside party politics and engage in a constructive debate on the future of private and state pension policy. Government, employers and individuals will now have to make some tough choices and, whilst there are no easy answers, the time has come to draw a line on the endless analysis of the problem and for words to be translated into firm proposals."
As part of its contribution to the consultation EEF and Aon Consulting have commissioned a major pensions survey of over 500 companies throughout UK manufacturing. This is the third survey EEF has conducted with Aon stretching back to 1998 and, as well as analysing trends in the provision of company pensions and current arragements, it will also contain analysis of employers' views on issues such as compulsion and age discrimination given the need to implement forthcoming EU legislation. The survey will be published in late November/early December.
ENDS