Today’s young workers are being told to work until they drop

Commenting on the plans to be announced later today (Thursday) by the Chancellor to raise the state pension age further, TUC General Secretary Frances O’Grady said:

“There has been no new evidence to show that people are living any longer since the last time the Chancellor increased the state pension age, yet today’s young workers are being told they must work until they drop.

“There are already massive inequalities in the state pension, with a woman in Corby expected to receive £67,000 less than someone in East Dorset due to widening gap in life expectancy. This pension divide will get worse as a result of today’s announcement.

“However many decades they work hard and contribute, tomorrow’s 69 year-olds will find themselves being sent for the future version of ATOS assessments if they  can no longer work. Barely half of all men are able to work beyond the current state pension age. Rising it further will simply prolong an agonising limbo between their last job and their state pension.

“This has nothing to do with dealing with unexpected extra pension costs but is part of a long term attack on the welfare state and the dismantling of our national insurance system.”

Recent TUC research – available at www.tuc.org.uk/statepensiondivide - found a £67,000 state pension divide due to a widening gap in life expectancies and a rising state pension age. This divide will increase as a result of today’s announcement, says the TUC.

Further TUC research published last year found that disability and poor health are preventing nearly half a million people approaching retirement from working, a figure that will increase as the state pension age rises.