Majority of financial workers willing to strike over pension

Four out of five financial workers are willing to take industrial action to protect their long-term pension security, research revealed today.

More than three-quarters of employees are also concerned about potential changes to pension schemes.

The survey found that 75.9% believe pensions should be an election issue and a subject for politicians to address as they prepare to canvass for votes next year.

More than half of those polled are also very worried about the pay rate against inflation.

Despite this, a fifth of those quizzed do not know if their pension scheme is defined benefit or defined contribution.

Amicus, the trade union which represents 10,000 workers in the financial sector, surveyed 2,000 of its members online across Ireland.

"Pensions are recognised by many of our members as an important issue, so much so that they feel it should not be ignored on the campaign trail next year," said Jerry Shanahan, of Amicus.

"Even stronger is the message to employers that many would be prepared to undergo industrial action to protect their interests.

"This is something we have managed to avoid with many employers in the financial sector, but with a fifth of our members unsure of the particulars of their pension scheme, there is still much to be done in terms of educating workers on the options available to them to secure their financial future against ever-increasing rates of inflation."