Towards the end of June, as I am writing this column, the newly elected majority Harper Conservative government forced the postal workers back to work. There were many reasons why the legislation they passed was odious – lower wage settlement, even lower wages for young workers, and bargaining undermined.

Also included in this regressive legislation, were provisions which ultimately will affect the income of seniors. New workers who will be paid less also won’t be part of the defined pension benefits plan. Another union lost a similar battle vis a vis new workers and pensions recently. Defined pension benefits mean a guaranteed income at retirement. These retirement benefits are generally between one half to two thirds the salary and are usually liveable pensions.

At the same time, both the provincial and federal conservative governments are opposed to increase investment in the Canada Pension Plan (CPP). This means we have an income disaster waiting to happen for seniors. CPP is a well managed and defined pension plan for all working Canadians. Everyone contributes no matter where they work and their contribution is continuous over their working lives.

When it was set up 40 years ago it provided an adequate income for seniors and contributed to the overall drop in poverty in Canada in the 1980s, particularly among seniors. However, because there has not been inflation adjustment, the adequacy of the plan has been eroded. My story will demonstrate this.

I have worked all my life from the time I was 21 as a social worker. That is more than 40 years. I have held responsible positions of leadership in a number of organizations. Because I worked for a number of employers, I was not part of any sustained pension plan either with government or privately. Some of my employers had plans to which I did contribute. These were time limited and therefore not substantial. The only plan to which I contributed regularly for those 40 plus years was CPP. For most of my working life I contributed the maximum amount. It’s true I was out of the workforce for a few years, like most women who leave the workforce to raise children, though in my case it was to go to university. I started collecting CPP when I was 63. Collecting before age 65 means a decreased monthly payment. People unable to continue working until age 65 who are on AISH or social assistance are required to apply for their CPP after age 60.

Both the Harper and Stelmach Conservatives support an undefined voluntary contribution plan, which really means investment brokers and bankers make money and are protected (as we have seen in the recent bank meltdowns) but workers aren’t.

That said, the CPP and OAS I am now collecting amounts to the great sum of $1334.02/month or $16,008.24/year. If this were my only income, it would not be sufficient. Of course, I could apply for Guaranteed Income Supplement and/or Alberta Seniors Benefits and this would raise my income by about $100/month. $1450/month is the income for many seniors, many of whom like me have worked all their lives and made substantial contributions to their communities. Both the Harper and Stelmach Conservatives support an undefined voluntary contribution plan, which really means investment brokers and bankers make money and are protected (as we have seen in the recent bank meltdowns) but workers aren’t. Workers aren’t protected because the plans are dependent on the market. Recent economic difficulties make the market unreliable for average and low income individuals who can only invest small amounts, if at all, of their wages.

Wouldn’t it be better public policy to strengthen CPP so that individuals like myself who work all their lives in various jobs – which is true for most workers now – would have a well managed transferable continuous public pension plan? The Canadian Labour Congress has put forward a plan which would double CPP over seven years with only a .4 percent/year increase in CPP payments. This is very affordable and would offer employees the most retirement income protection.

These is so much resistance to this very sensible idea, it almost makes me think the Harper and Stelmach Conservatives think driving seniors into poverty is a good idea.

Sherry lives in McCauley and is a block carrier for the paper.