I think the main problem for me personally in this whole scenario is the finality
with which this proposal has been presented. There is apparently no room for any kind of compromise and places the responsibility for 'saving' the company
firmly on the shoulders of the workforce. If this is an opening offer and there is room for negotiation in the result of a no vote - ie the company making some changes to fund some of the deficit and scaled down changes to
the pension scheme then it is duplicitous in the extreme to present it with a "take this offer or else" subtext.
The other problem seems to be a lack of information. I have no idea what managements' opening stance was on this issue and as such find it difficult to objectively rate the offer which has now been presented. I understand that every member being consulted every week on every issue is unworkable and unrealistic. However, understanding how the Union ended up changing their (my?) policy so drastically may help put the offer into context. The ethereal nature of the MoU makes it hard to place any faith in
it, especially for those of us who joined post PPP.
I'm no conspiracy theorist and have to believe that the union has our best
interests at heart but feel like I'm being blackmailed into voting for a solution
where the workers (both current and future) foot the bill.