Two new publications: Pensions are Important & A Brief History of Pensions
Ottawa (14 March 2007) – In an effort to help build the knowledge base and skill level of union activists around critical issues in the field of pensions, the National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) is producing a series of Pensions Backgrounders.
The first two documents of the series – Pensions Are Important and A Brief History of Pensions in Canada – are being released today.
Pensions Are Important examines the reasons why workplace pensions are increasingly a critical issue for working people. It underlines the fact that pensions are the deferred wages of workers and points out that a pension plan is one of, if not, the biggest asset that workers acquire in their lives. The paper stresses the need for union activists to become much more knowledgeable about pensions – not just on the technical aspects of their pension plan but on the broader perspective around joint control and influence over the investment policies of our pension plans.
A Brief History of Pensions chronicles the development of both private pensions and the public pension system in Canada from the first workplace pension plan in 1874 to the 1998 changes made to the Canada Pension Plan (CPP) to ensure sustainability well into the 21st century. It describes the important role of unions and collective bargaining in the growth of workplace pensions and our universal public pension system.
“These backgrounders are designed to appeal to our activists who are looking for educational material to build their knowledge base and skill level in the field of pensions," notes NUPGE National President James Clancy.
“Our plan is to release two backgrounders every couple of months. We believe they will be a valuable tool to create greater awareness and knowledge amongst our membership of the profound effects of their pension funds,” Clancy says.
“The National Union is committed to place a stronger emphasis on membership education related to pensions," adds NUPGE National Secretary-Treasurer Larry Brown.
“It’s important for our leadership and activists to become better informed, not just on the technical aspects of their pension plan, but on the broader perspective that the National Union has around joint control and the investment policies of our pension plans. These series of Pensions Backgrounders reflect the broader agenda that the National Union has with respect to pensions."
Within the next month the National Union will be releasing the fourth edition of its Pensions Manual. The manual is a comprehensive guide about pensions and retirement from a union perspective. It will contain 17 chapters on a variety of pension topics.
A section of the National Union website entitled NUPGE and Pensions contains many of the union's pension publications as well as news stories on pension issues from across Canada and around the world. The National Union also produces a regular Pensions E-Bulletin containing the top pensions news stories from its website. For those who are interested in subscribing to our Pensions E-Bulletin please e-mail national@nupge.ca. NUPGE
More information:
• Pensions are Important
• A Brief History of Pensions in Canada
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