Government to review second miners pension scheme

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The UK government is set to review a second miners’ pension scheme that left former pit managers without payment. The decision comes after the Chancellor used last month’s budget to end a 30-year pension arrangement that generated hundreds of millions of pounds each year from the Mine Workers Pension Scheme. The £1.5bn Rachel Reeves will be paid to former miners and their families starting on Friday. The British Coal Staff Superannuation Scheme (BCSSS) is being reviewed after former pit managers raised concerns about they were being excluded from the new payment.

Last week, trustees of the scheme requested ministers pay back £2.3bn investment reserve to members of the BCSSS. The department has now confirmed it will “review any proposals set out by the Trustees of the British Coal Staff Superannuation Scheme”. The UK government took over both the MPS and BCSSS when British Coal was privatised in 1994 after striking an agreement with the Trustees of the scheme.

According to Dave Cradduck, a former mineworker at Haig Pit in Cumbria, it was unjust as the government took £4.8bn from the MPS fund and £3.2bn from the BCSSS. Cradduck stated those involved in the BCSSS were owed money as well. But at the time, the Department for Energy spokesperson gave no indication of any future changes and stated the two schemes must be considered separately. The recent reversal of the MPS arrangement will see about 112,000 former miners’ pensions increased by a third.

Energy Secretary Ed Miliband’s said that the recent decision marking an end to decades-long injustice that has left thousands with an inadequate pension despite their undeniable deserve. The announcement gives affected families and former miners hope they may receive the acknowledgement they should have had for years

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