Photo opportunity and press release

What: Unite joins forces with National Pensioners Convention at its annual gathering. 

Where and when: Wednesday 28 June at 4.45pm outside The Imperial Hotel, Blackpool, FY1 2HB

Tory plans to increase pension age slammed amid poor life expectancy

Unite and the NPC have joined forces to demand the Tories rule out an attack on the State Pension.

Workers and pension campaigners will be in Blackpool on Wednesday (28 June) to expose Rishi Sunak’s not-so-secret plan to attack the state pension after the next general election. 

Blackpool has the lowest healthy life expectancy in the UK – 55.3 years for women and 53.7 years for men (link). The average healthy life expectancy for men in England is 63.1 years, for women it is 63.8 years.

In Blackpool’s Bloomfield ward, the average life expectancy of men is just 67 years and three months.

These stark figures illustrate why campaigners are determined to defeat the Government’s plans to introduce 68 as the State Pension Age for millions of workers aged 44 to 52.

The government had plans to bring forward the State Pension age rise to 68, potentially as soon as 2037. Fearing a massive defeat at the next General Election the Tories announced a delay to its decision on raising the State Pension age until after the election.

Unite general secretary, Sharon Graham said: “I’m in no doubt that Rishi Sunak and co are hell bent on raising the state pension age if they win the next general election.

“That’s why we intend to expose the Prime Minister’s cruel plan to make people work until they drop. In a country as wealthy as ours we can afford to retire with dignity. It’s time to fight for that right.”

According to the UN, the UK is now 29 in overall world nation rankings for life expectancy – while in the 1950s the UK was 7th in this table.

Jan Shortt, NPC General Secretary said:“ The stark reality is UK life expectancy is stalling while other nations overtake us. This is a staggering government failure.  It makes a nonsense of any attempt to push back the retirement age further – in fact the NPC, wants it to be lowered to 65 again for both men and women.

“Increasing the retirement age helps no one, especially those already out of the workforce.  A raft of studies show their retirement years will be spent in ill health – if they ever make pension age.”

ENDS

Contact: Ciaran Naidoo 07768 931 315 

  

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