Unison has accused the government of "scaremongering" and "peddling myths" about the state of public sector pensions.
General secretary Dave Prentis stated that deputy prime minister Nick Clegg had been warning about the threat to the UK economy of reducing pension rewards, but was now getting workers to pay for a recession instigated by bankers.
"There are no unreformed, gold-plated pension pots. The average pension in local government is just £4,000 a year dropping to £2,600 for women," he commented.
Mr Prentis, who represents the largest public sector union in Britain with more than 1.3 million members, indicated that provisions had already gone through reform, making them sustainable and affordable.
He called it "grossly misleading" to pick a one moment in time then applying that snapshot to a 20 to 30-year pension cycle and urged the government to analyse why costs have risen.
Figures that may not be representative of the situation in the long-term are being used to stimulate a clamour for cuts, the union leader stated, arguing that a knee-jerk reaction would be senseless.
By Ross George
