I'M A public sector worker and I'm fully in support of the Unison campaign to retain current pension rights for the members. A few things need to be straightened out. Firstly Unison is not asking for improved or enhanced pensions, just to keep the existin

I'M A public sector worker and I'm fully in support of the Unison campaign to retain current pension rights for the members.A few things need to be straightened out. Firstly Unison is not asking for improved or enhanced pensions, just to keep the existing pension that was agreed many years ago. Secondly pension payments are deferred salary payments and any cut in pension rights is a cut in pay. Thirdly the average pension for a woman worker in the public sector is about £30 per week and for a man about £70, hardly a princely or unaffordable sum. Fourthly public sector workers earn, on average, well below earnings in the private sector. Fifthly, and especially for Ken Lacey, please don't try to hijack this important campaign with another bleat about council tax, not everyone is a pensioner and no one is suggesting that pensioners should pay extra to support public sector workers.We live in a country with one of the best economies in the world. We can afford to replace nuclear weapons and conduct foreign wars. British oil companies and banks are making billions of pounds profit each year. Wealthy people avoid millions of pounds worth of taxes each year. Can it really be true that we cannot afford to pay some of the country's least well paid and best servants a reasonable pension in line with existing agreements?ANDY BALLARD - Association of Teachers and Lecturers, Somerset branch secretary, Jubilee Road, Weston