Royal STRIKE: Shock as the Queen’s palace guards to WALK OUT over row

GMB union members, including Her Majesty's palace Beefeaters, have balloted to strike against their employer, the Historic Royal Palaces (HRP) - with an overwhelming majority of 91 percent. 

Beefeaters, also known as Yeoman Warders, are ceremonial guardians for the Tower of London. The Queen's palace staff will strike outside the gates of the Tower of London and Hampton Court

Palace on 8 January 2019. Staff and employers of HRP are outraged after chiefs decided to close employees' final salary pensions, despite being promised they would not see changes regarding

pensions at the time of privatisation, according to GMB union.

HRP staff will now lose their pension from November 30.This prompted the GMB union to call for a vote to protest, which saw 91 percent of royal palace staff ballot for strike action.A total

of 88 percent of royal palace staff took part in the vote.Michael Ainsley, GMB Regional Organiser said: "HRP are jumping on a bandwagon which is seeing employers engaging in a race to the

bottom, ending good final salary schemes and replacing them with risky cheaper defined contribution schemes.

"All the while the UK government stands idly by at a time when they're telling the population to save for their retirement and our elderly can’t afford to pay for social care. "GMB members

still at this late stage are willing to talk to HRP but the silence from HRP is deafening."Speaking about the new pension scheme, Mick Ainsley, GMB Regional Officer said the change would

mean a "pay cut for the rest of their lives" for palace staff.He said: “Pensions really matter to our members and in the day-to-day contacts we have with them across HRP, the importance to

them of continuing to be able to build the pension they were promised when they were transferred to HRP from the civil service is emphasised to us over and over again. 

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"They see their defined benefit pension entitlement as a critical element of the employment package, and quite rightly put a great value on it.“HRP’s decision to close the scheme came as a

great surprise. Difficulties or the ability to afford the pension had never been muted before and members just see this attack on their standard of living for the rest of their lives. "HRP

are just jumping on the band wagon as they see other companies ending good defined benefit schemes, preferring instead to let the tax payer pick up the shortfall in the years to come."

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