As a former elected trustee of the scheme, I am not so re-assured. The rules http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/mypension/en/45th_deed.pdf, in different places, say this:
1) "Index" means (a) in relation to Career Average Benefits 2006, New Benefits and Old Benefits, the Government index of retail prices for all items, or such other published index of prices which the Trustees and the BBC may agree will be the Index instead, following a change in the compilation of the Government index;

2) the trustees and the BBC cannot change the rules as they affect pensioners unless "the actuary certifies that the alteration or modification does not substantially prejudice the interests of such person."

So, the trustees and the BBC can indeed adopt a different measure to uprate pensions, in certain circumstances and if the scheme actuary agrees such a move does not substantially prejudice the pensioners' interests. That seems like a big obstacle to overcome. But suppose you are the DG, you find finances are tight, and you proclaim to the world that the only thing standing between death and disaster is a cut in the cost of running the scheme to save the BBC money. As DG you argue that otherwise the BBC will become insolvent and the scheme will become insolvent too, and will have to fall back on the pension protection scheme to pay the pensions. At that point, do you as trustees and actuary call his bluff, or give in and re-write the rules to allow much smaller pension increases, perhaps in line with CPI?

Hello John,

all those are fair points, but I am just cautioning against believing that a change from RPI is impossible, because the rules say so. The rules do not, in fact, say so, and it is not impossible, albeit likely only in extreme circumstances. As a current member of staff who has been mugged in public by the current senior executives forcing us to move from our current pension scheme sections to a new and abysmal "career average" section, I would not put it past them to argue anything at all in the future if they thought they could get away with it. May I advise you to keep an eye on a High Court hearing on, I think, January 16th? The NUJ and the Musicians Union are challenging the lawfullness of the BBC's recent changes to the scheme. It should be an interesting hearing, to say the least.