doned defence of the Rule of 85 for future LGPS scheme members in line with the "framework agreement" applied to the rest of the public sector schemes.
As Jon Rogers, a London regional representative and United Left supporter on UNISON's national executive put it: "We need to face up to the fact that these tactics have failed to deliver and are failing to deliver. If we go back into dispute on this (and I think we must) then single days of strike action are not going to be what it takes to will.
Rekindling the spirit of 28 March will be no easy task with the past six months sapping the morale and confidence of many members who played an enthusiastic part in the original strike and were ready for further action in defence of such a basic gain under the LGPS.
In my own workplace bitter cynicism is now widespread, with many believing that the national leadership • threw away the best chance for victory by not pressing home the advantage in the run-up to the local council elections. Some who are still Labour voters opposed the cancellation of strikes, which they rightly saw as designed to spare New Labour's blushes.
So where to now? The national officials would far rather that we focused on the assorted proposals for a revamped pension scheme that would take effect from 2008 than dwell on what we look set to lose. All the Government's options for the future rely on savings gained by axing the Rule of 85.
Meanwhile, the employers are also seeking to impose a cap on their contributions to the LGPS at 13 per cent, compared to the current average across councils of 14.5 per cent. In short, local government workers and other LGPS members would have to foot the bill for the new look scheme through a real wage cut that could exceed two per cent.
Against this background it is vital that the United Left and other militants in UNISON put forward a strategy to reverse the tide. In a situation where the law will demand a further ballot and there is frankly no mood for unofficial action, the crucial first step will be the convening of a special local government conference with the aim of relaunching strike action (see model motion: box left).
The union's rulebook dictates that branches with a membership equalling at least a quarter of the service group's total membership -some 200,000 people - must support the call for such a conference.
The language of the model motion may seem stilted but there can be no doubt that officials at UNISON HQ will be looking for any pretext to avoid such a conference as the overriding aim remains the paving of a smooth path to a Gordon Brown's succession as Labour leader.