A reformist UK would look to reform public sector pensions, the party's deputy leader Richard Tice has said.
At an event in the City of London, Tice told business bosses that the party also wants to lead a period of economic growth similar to the so-called Big Bang of the 1980s that occurred under Thatcher's government.
Reform has been on a charm offensive with business leaders in recent weeks, as the party seeks to establish economic credibility after scrapping a series of election promises to implement sweeping tax cuts.
Speaking at Bloomberg's headquarters in central London, Tice said: “We have to get back to asking really serious questions about the way we run pensions in this country.”
Liability for public sector defined benefit schemes is “growing between £30bn and £50bn a year”, Mr Tice said.
“I don't think it's unreasonable to sit down with the unions and say 'look, for new employees we can do this differently.'
“The private sector did this 25 years ago. But if we're not even prepared to have that discussion then we're just not going to make the progress we need because that increasing liability… is completely unsustainable.”
Unions have reportedly warned that the move to defined contribution systems, seen as less generous, could cost billions.
Tice also laid out his party's goals of growing the economy and insisted that regulatory reform was needed to achieve it.
He said: “Here we are… 39 years after the Big Bang. My argument is that now is the time for the big reform.
“We have to step back and say, 'How are you doing? What can we do better?' and, in a sense, we have a little time.
“We're in the early stages of an election cycle, so we can ask really broad questions with a blank sheet of paper, almost like a sort of boardroom brainstorming session.”
The reform MP also suggested politicians should question the Bank of England more frequently, including the make-up of its monetary policy committee and whether it should be given a “mandate” for growth.
