Money
Pensions
Gordon: we're dying for our pensions
The Pensions Action Group have held an all-night vigil outside Downing Street, as campaigners once again highlighted the continuing plight of 125,000 workers stripped of their company pensions
Widows of those who have died without receiving pensions joined workers who have become ill through stress and exhaustion, some of whom are now confined to wheelchairs.
A simultaneous protest was staged by former ASW steel workers outside the Welsh Assembly in Cardiff.
The PAG is still awaiting a compensation package recommended by the Parliamentary Ombudsman and the courts, although campaigners say they fear another potential fudge by the Government.
The 125,000 workers affected by the pensions crisis are plagued by worries over their financial future, which they had been led to believe was secure and protected by law.
Five years of campaigning has taken its toll, with a number of PAG members dying or falling ill. Many are still working in tough manual jobs well past their expected retirement age, having received no pension despite decades of regular contributions.
Secretary of State Peter Hain MP and Pensions Minister Mike O’Brien have both said that the victims deserve better than the meagre offerings of the Financial Assistance Scheme (FAS). However, in July the Government used obscure Parliamentary procedures to sink an all-party lifeboat fund proposal, which would have immediately provided Pension Protection Fund (PPF) levels of compensation.
Pensions campaigner Andrew Parr told Saga: "We are angry and tired, but we will not give up our campaign until we achieve full compensation for all those who have lost their pensions, including all those workers from the small number of solvent company schemes.
"We must have complete compensation with a proper level of indexation, inflation-proofing, spouse benefits, early retirement options and recognition of scheme retirement age.
"Gordon Brown must restore public confidence in pension savings and make amends for the damage he has caused to these people's lives and our democratic process."
