We’ve got to keep the pressure up now
25.05.11 - Barbara Bates
When I started this ‘hands off our pensions’ petition back in February, I didn’t imagine for a minute I’d end up delivering 10,000 signatures right to the door of Number 10 itself.
I started our petition because I didn’t know how I would manage if I had to carry on working until 66. Along the way, thousands of us have signed up to campaign, written to our MPs, and even been down to Parliament to meet them. And last week, along with Yvonne, who’s going to have to wait an extra year for her pension, and Rachel Reeves, Labour’s Shadow Pensions Minister, I took the petition to Downing Street on behalf of all of us.
And finally, it seems that together we are starting to make an impact. Like many of you, I read in the newspapers over the weekend that the government might have realised that they’ve got it wrong on the state pension age. There are rumours that they are looking at alternatives to their current unfair plans.
Now they’ve started to listen, we have to keep the pressure up. That’s why we want as many people as possible to email the Pensions Minister, Steve Webb, and the Chancellor, George Osborne:
http://www.unionstogether.org.uk/emailsteveandgeorge
We’ve all played our part in this campaign, and so far we’ve made a real impact. Over 150 of our MPs have signed up to support us, the Labour Party has campaigned side by side with us, and now we have a real chance to get the government to backtrack on this policy.
That’s why we need to focus our energy on Steve Webb and George Osborne now. We need to make sure Steve Webb is prepared to fight for our pensions within Government, and we have to ensure that George Osborne, who has the final say on the money, understands why their current plans are wrong.
Email Steve and George now:
http://www.unionstogether.org.uk/emailsteveandgeorge
We have a real chance to win this fight now. Together, the pressure we’ve been putting on is working and we can’t stop now. We need to make sure they know we’re not going to give up on campaigning for our pensions!
Thanks
Barbara
