Hand off our pensions - tell us your story
31.03.11 - Helen
Last night, the House of Lords debated the Pensions Bill – the law that the government are trying to pass, which will mean thousands of people will have to work up to two years longer before they get their state pension.
They discussed and voted on amendments that would have reduced the impact of the Bill, and meant nobody had to work more than a year longer. The debate was fierce, and the vote was on a knife-edge. In the end, the government managed to defeat those amendments by just 12 votes.
After Easter, the Pensions Bill will move to the House of Commons, and we will have another chance to try and fight this unfair change, that will see so many people missing out on up to two years' of pensions they’ve worked hard for.
To help us win that argument in Parliament, we are making a campaign video that tells the stories of those affected by these proposed pension delays. If you are affected, you can help us now by sending us a photograph of yourself for our video:
http://www.unionstogether.org.uk/tellusyourstory
Our campaign has gone from strength to strength – over 10,000 people have now signed our petition, and almost 2,000 have written to their Members of Parliament to protest against this change. This pressure helped us come so close to winning in the House of Lords last night.
By keeping the pressure up, we can make sure the government have to listen when the Bill comes to the Commons. Our video will help make sure they know just how worried people are about missing out on their pensions and having to work longer.
If you are affected, you can also help us with the video by calling our special answerphone on 020 3318 1659 and leaving us a voice message about how you feel about having to wait longer for your pension. We’ll use those messages in our video, along with the photos.
With technology as it is, it only takes a few minutes to upload a photo of yourself, or leave us a voice message. Your personal touch is just what we need to help convince Members of Parliament that these pension-age changes are unfair and should be stopped.
http://www.unionstogether.org.uk/tellusyourstory
Thanks for your support. Together, we can fight this.
Helen
