Former coal workers are worried they might not receive their owed pension surplus before they die.
Melanie Ward, MP for Cowdenbeath and Kirkcaldy, has met with former coal workers in her constituency to support their push for pension surpluses to be returned to them.
At a meeting with members of the British Coal Staff Superannuation Scheme (BCSSS), Ms Ward heard directly from local pensioners who stressed the urgency of their campaign.
With more than 2,400 members dying in the last year, and some former coal workers now being more than 100 years old, many fear they will never see the money in their lifetime.
Their campaign comes after the Labour Government announced that it would return £1.5 billion to 112,000 members of the Mineworkers’ Pension Scheme (MPS) at the Autumn Budget, with more than 2,000 in Fife, and 824 in Cowdenbeath and Kirkcaldy alone.
This represents a 32 per cent increase in mineworkers’ pensions, or an average of £29 per week.
Ms Ward, who has already raised the issue in Parliament and written a joint letter to the Chief Secretary to the Treasury and the Minister for Industry requesting that BCSSS be considered for the same pension justice as their counterparts in the MPS, was deeply moved by the personal stories shared at the meeting.
Ms Ward said: "These pensioners dedicated their working lives to powering our country, and it is only right that they are recognised in the same way as other former coal staff.
“I am grateful to the BCSSS members who took the time to speak to me and underline the time-sensitive nature of their care.”
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