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Responding to the announcement yesterday (Monday) that the final stages of auto-enrolment into pensions will be postponed for a year, TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said:

'Making staff in small businesses wait even longer before they get the right to an employer contribution to their pension is a grave disappointment.

'It is further confirmation that this government sees small business staff as second class workplace citizens, not deserving of the same rights as staff in bigger firms. The need for a retirement income does not depend on the size of your employer.

'This government attack on private sector pension rights should end any claim that ministers are interested in fairness across public and private sectors. Unions have always argued we need to level up private sector provision but the government is now cutting it back.'

NOTES TO EDITORS:

- All TUC press releases can be found at www.tuc.org.uk

Contacts:

Media enquiries:
Liz Chinchen T: 020 7467 1248 M: 07778 158175 E: media@tuc.org.uk
Rob Holdsworth T: 020 7467 1372 M: 07717 531150 E: rholdsworth@tuc.org.uk
Elly Gibson T: 020 7467 1337 M: 07900 910624 E: egibson@tuc.org.uk