On Tuesday, David Cameron stood up in the House of Commons, and asked his MPs what we got in return for Britain signing up to the Social Chapter – they obediently chorused “nothing”.

It’s worth taking a moment to remember what some of the rights are that Cameron and his MPs think are worthless. The words “the Social Chapter” don’t really make clear exactly what is at stake here.

The Social Chapter was a part of the Maastricht Treaty that the last Labour Government signed up to, after the Tories had ‘opted out’ for years. It gave workers in Britain new rights at work that they hadn’t had before.

There are dozens of rights and protections at work that we have gained from Britain signing up to the Social Chapter, but these are just three of them:

1. Equal rights for part-time workers. This, for example, means the right for part-time workers to join the pension scheme, and have comparable annual leave allowances. It’s worth pointing out that the vast majority of part-time workers are women.

2. The right to take (unpaid) parental leave. Before the Social Chapter, you could be legally sacked for needing to take time off work to care for sick children, or to deal with a family emergency. One man was sacked for taking time off work to be at the birth of his child.

3. The right to be consulted and informed about redundancies and restructures at work. At a time of high unemployment, with the public sector and so many companies and organisations shedding jobs, these protections are more important than ever.

Please join us in sending a message to Cameron that these rights are not worthless – they are ours, and we are going to defend them.

Send Cameron an email now.

David Cameron stood up in the House of Commons, and asked his MPs what we got in return for Britain signing up to the Social Chapter – they obediently chorused “nothing”.

The Social Chapter is an EU agreement to "promote improved working conditions and an improved standard of living for workers".

It’s because of the Social Chapter that workers in part-time jobs are entitled to the same rights at work as their full-time colleagues. It’s thanks to the Social Chapter that it’s illegal to sack a parent for needing to take a day off to care for a sick child. And it’s the Social Chapter that gives workers the right to be properly consulted and informed about redundancies and restructures.

But Cameron and his MPs think these rights are worth ‘nothing’.

Will you help send a message to David Cameron that our rights matter?

http://www.unionstogether.org.uk/notworthnothing

Every day that goes by, it becomes clearer that the rights we rely on are not safe in the hands of Cameron and this government.

They simply don’t understand what life is like for ordinary people who depend on legal protections to make sure they are not treated badly or unfairly at work.

Last week we launched our new campaign to defend each and every one of our rights at work – and that’s why we want you to take 2 minutes to send David Cameron an email to tell him that the Social Chapter didn’t give us ‘nothing’, it gave us our rights at work – and we’re going to fight for them.

http://www.unionstogether.org.uk/notworthnothing

Your rights at work are worth fighting for – together, let’s send Cameron a message.

Today, we are launching a new campaign to defend your rights at work - and I wanted to make sure you are one of the first people to know about it.

Yesterday, a group of Conservative MPs hosted a drinks party in Parliament to unveil a campaign with just one aim - to make it harder for trade unions to speak up for you when you need them.

Yet again, David Cameron’s Tories are proving they’re on the side of big business, and not on the side of ordinary working people.

Our rights at work have been fought for and won over more than a century – and now Cameron’s government is trying to unpick those rights one by one.

But we’re not going to let the Tories turn back the clock - today, we’re starting a campaign to defend each and every one of those rights, and to make sure we have a trade union to back us up when we need them.

http://www.unionstogether.org.uk/worthfightingfor

And we’re starting out with a petition to protect one of the most important rights - the right to go to work without our safety being put at risk, and our lives put in danger.

This month, David Cameron declared that "this coalition has a clear new year's resolution: to kill off the health and safety culture for good".

The Conservatives want to erode the rules that stop our employers cutting corners on something as fundamental as our safety at work.

Last year 171 people were killed at work, and thousands more were injured.

That’s why today, we’re launching a petition to demand that Cameron breaks this ‘new year’s resolution’ to undermine our right to be safe at work.

http://www.unionstogether.org.uk/worthfightingfor

This government are showing us that we can’t take even our most basic rights for granted.

Your rights at work are worth fighting for – join our campaign today.

Dozens of constituency Labour Parties have declared their support for millions of public sector workers in their campaign for fair pensions, and are backing the day of action tomorrow (November 30th). Across the country tomorrow, Labour Party activists will be out campaigning together with local union members, to oppose this government's unfair squeeze on our public servants, and to call for fair pensions for everybody.

(If your CLP does not appear, but you have voted to support the Fair Pensions statement, you can add your name here: http://www.unionstogether.org.uk/fairpension)

Everyone deserves a fair pension, and is entitled to security and dignity in retirement.

That’s why we’re backing public sector workers in their campaign against the government’s unfair triple attack on public sector pensions, and that’s why we’re backing the day of action on November 30th.

If the government get their way, ordinary working people struggling to balance the books after a pay freeze and with the cost of living rising, will have to pay more and work longer for a pension that’s worth less. That is not a fair deal.

We want everybody to be able to pay into a fair pension for their retirement. That’s why we want a fair deal on pensions for public sector workers, why we want to see government action to make pensions better and fairer in the private sector too, and why we oppose the government’s unfair changes to the state pension age.

We’re supporting fair pensions for everybody.

Aberavon CLP

Aberdeen South CLP

Amber Valley CLP

Ashfield CLP

Ashton-under-Lyne CLP

Bermondsey & Old Southwark CLP

Berwickshire, Roxburgh & Selkirk CLP

Bethnal Green & Bow CLP

Birmingham Ladywood CLP

Birmingham Northfield CLP

Bolsover CLP

Broxtowe CLP

Brecon & Radnorshire CLP

Brent Central CLP

Bristol East CLP

Bristol West CLP

Caerphilly CLP

Camberwell & Peckham CLP

Camborne and Redruth CLP

Cambridge CLP

Cardiff West CLP

Carshalton & Wallington CLP

Central Ayrshire CLP

Chatham & Aylesford CLP

Clacton CLP

Copeland CLP

Coventry South CLP

Cynon Valley CLP

Dagenham & Rainham CLP

Dartford CLP

Daventry CLP

Devizes CLP

Dundee West CLP

Edinburgh South CLP

Eltham CLP

Erewash CLP

Gloucester CLP

Gosport CLP

Hammersmith CLP

Harlow CLP

Hayes and Harlington CLP

Hexham CLP

High Peak CLP

Huntingdon CLP

Ilford North CLP

Ilford South CLP

Inverclyde CLP

Ipswich CLP

Isle of Wight CLP

Islington North CLP

Knowsley CLP

Lancaster and Fleetwood CLP

Leeds East CLP

Lewisham West and Penge CLP

Linlithgow and East Falkirk CLP

Maidenhead CLP

Maidstone and the Weald CLP

Makerfield CLP

Manchester Central CLP

Merthyr Tydfil CLP

Middlesbrough CLP

Mid-Norfolk CLP

Neath CLP

Newark CLP

North East Derbyshire CLP

North Somerset Constituency Labour Party CLP

North West Leicestershire CLP

Orpington CLP

Pendle CLP

Penistone & Stocksbridge CLP

Peterborough CLP

Pontypridd CLP

Poplar & Limehouse CLP

Rhondda CLP

Romford CLP

Rossendale and Darwen CLP

Saffron Walden CLP

Salford and Eccles CLP

Scunthorpe CLP

Sheffield Hallam CLP

Sheffield South East CLP

Sherwood CLP

Skipton & Ripon CLP

Slough CLP

Stalybridge and Hyde CLP

Stockton North CLP

Stoke-on-Trent South CLP

Stone CLP

Streatham CLP

Stretford & Urmston CLP

Stroud CLP

Thirsk and Malton CLP

Thornbury and Yate CLP

Tonbridge and Malling CLP

Tooting CLP

Torfaen CLP

Vale of Glamorgan CLP

Wallasey CLP

Warrington North Constituency Labour Party CLP

Washington and Sunderland West CLP

Welwyn Hatfield CLP

West Suffolk CLP

Wigan Constituency Labour Party CLP

Yeovil CLP

Last week, it was announced that unemployment has gone up again – with youth unemployment at a record high.

That day, we launched a new campaign – to tell the real stories behind the headlines, and try to make Osborne and Cameron realise how many people are suffering at a result of their failed economic gamble.

We were overwhelmed with the response. Hundreds of people got in touch to tell us about how they are being personally affected by this jobs crisis.

People like Lyn, whose husband’s job in the private sector is at risk because of this Government’s austerity drive. She said: “My husband designs electronic equipment bought by the NHS. His job is under threat because of cuts to the NHS.”

Next week, Chancellor George Osborne makes his Autumn Statement about the economic situation. We want to send him a message that it’s time to abandon his reckless gamble with the economy, and start taking action on jobs. Will you join us?

http://www.unionstogether.org.uk/jobscrisis-action

We’ve put some of your jobs crisis stories on a map, so you can see the effect that this Government’s economic policies are having on real people across the country.

People like Kenneth, who works in the construction industry, and wrote to tell us that this is the first time he’s been out of work. He said: “I’ve never seen so many in the industry laid off due to cancellation of major construction projects.”

And we heard from Eileen, a secondary school teacher, who worried about what the future will hold for her pupils if the government doesn’t act to help young people find jobs: “I grieve for the students leaving education/ training who will find themselves unemployed and without hope.”

To make matters worse, this week the Government announced a package of measures to make it easier to sack people. In the midst of an unemployment crisis, their response is to help employers put people out of work.

And although the extent of this jobs crisis has forced the government to announce their youth jobs subsidy this morning, their new scheme is worth just a fraction of the Future Jobs Fund they scrapped a year ago – and it won’t even come into force until the middle of next year. This token effort is too little, too late – and it’s looking increasingly likely that they’re going to squeeze family incomes to pay for it, by freezing payments like tax credits, which help low and middle income families make ends meet.

It’s time for Osborne and Cameron to realise that their austerity programme is just not working – it’s putting people out of work. The Tories like to talk tough about paying down the deficit, but by putting tens of thousands of people on the dole - claiming benefits instead of paying taxes - their sums simply don’t add up. They're making it harder to get the deficit down.

Join us today, and call on Osborne to stop his risky economic gamble, and start taking action to tackle this jobs crisis.

http://www.unionstogether.org.uk/jobscrisis-action

Thanks

Helen

PS. If you are affected by this jobs crisis, add your story here: http://www.unionstogether.org.uk/jobscrisis. Or if you know someone affected, why not forward them this email and ask them to share their story too.

I’ve just seen the latest unemployment figures, and I wanted to make sure you’ve seen them too.

Unemployment went up again this summer. And over 1 million young people are now out of work – a record high.

Today, we’re starting a new campaign to tell the real stories of this jobs crisis. If you have lost your job, or if you are worried about the future for you or your family, we want you to speak out. Together, we have to make Cameron and Osborne realise how many lives are being ruined by the jobs crisis they have caused with their reckless gamble with the economy. Will you help us?

http://www.unionstogether.org.uk/jobscrisis

I’ve got two young children, and this government’s austerity measures are hurting families like us. Food, heating and other bills just keep going up and up – making ends meet each month is hard enough, without worrying about our jobs as well.

Even more of us are worried about our young people – so many are coming out of school or college and can’t get a job. What sort of future will they have?

Cameron and Osborne are taking a reckless gamble with our economy, and with people’s lives – and the gamble’s not paying off. Their austerity measures are not only cutting the services we rely on, and the pensions that give us dignity in retirement - they’re also responsible for putting so many people out of work.

The Tories like to talk tough about paying down the deficit, but by putting tens of thousands of people on the dole - claiming benefits instead of paying taxes - their sums simply don’t add up. They're making it harder to get the deficit down, and are set to borrow billions more than they planned.

That’s why I’m asking you to share your stories today – so that together we can paint a picture of what this government’s economic gamble is doing to people across the country.

http://www.unionstogether.org.uk/jobscrisis

Cameron and Osborne have chosen this path – but it doesn’t have to be this way. Be part of our campaign to say no to austerity, and no to the jobs crisis.

Byron

The end-of-day adjournment debate in the Commons is normally a calm half hour in an empty Chamber, confined to the MP who raises their chosen topic and the Minister who responds.

The other day was different. More than two dozen 2010 Tories baying behind the MP Aidan Burley as he led an all-out attack on trade unions.

Not an attack on party funding or the freedom to strike or even employment rights, all of which are in the Tories’ firing line. But an attack on the most basic and benign feature of trade union work – the day-to-day support for staff at work by their colleagues who volunteer to act as union representatives.

There are around 200,000 people who are prepared to help their work colleagues by giving advice, formally representing them in grievance and disciplinary hearings and negotiating with managers. Many also have more specialist recognised roles improving workplace health and safety, training, equality and even environmental standards. This is often demanding and difficult work.

Most union reps in both public and private sectors rightly receive paid time off to carry out these duties. But many devote a large amount of their own time too. A recent government survey found reps in the public sector contribute up to 100,000 unpaid hours of their own time each week, and TUC data shows 1 in 6 union reps say less than a quarter of the time they spend on union duties is paid by their employer.

These are the unsung heroes of Britain’s volunteering tradition. The workplace wing of the Prime Minister’s Big Society. They support their work colleagues and they save millions for employers and the Exchequer because they reduce working days lost to injury and illness, reduce employment tribunal cases, improve take-up of training and improve productivity. The CBI know this and say “Union reps constitute a major resource … we believe that modern representatives have a lot to give to their fellow employees and to the organisations that employ them”.

The ignorance on display in this debate from Tory MPs was both woeful and wilful. Detailing the work of union learning reps, Burley asked “is not all that the job of the human resources department?” before asserting that government support for learning reps means “a huge amount of money is freed up …that unions can use on political campaigns”.

But union reps were not just misunderstood, they were grotesquely misrepresented by Burley: “In simple terms, the taxpayer is directly funding those organising strikes and chaos, and also indirectly funding the Labour Party”.

In opposition the Tories used other organisations as out-riders to create public rows, and they used extreme examples to define a general problem. Some are still using these tactics in government.

This attack was based on data from the Tax Payers’ Alliance, and the work of thousands of public sector union reps was condemned by the one case of a union rep paid by the NHS who ran a private health consultancy on the side.

The past master of these tactics in opposition was Eric Pickles. He’s the present master in Government too. He has described the work of the union rep as a “non-job”. And during the debate he slipped into the chamber, standing at the side of the Speaker’s chair.

Anti-Europe and anti-unions. These new Tory MPs are playing old ‘80s political tunes. There’s a common view that such throw-back politics on Europe may cause Cameron problems within the Conservative party but real change is unlikely this side of the Election.

The attack on unions is different.

Tory MPs are demanding an end to full-time union work in the public sector, an end to any employer costs for reps and an end to the modest funds supporting union learning and modernisation. Cameron can’t – yet – concede much on Europe but he can on unions. So Tory Ministers are set to consult on cutting back paid time off for union work and ending the role of full time union rep – legal rights that have been in place for nearly 40 years.

The Tories aim to throttle trade unions at their roots in the workplace. Unions rely on a sense of solidarity and service for volunteer reps to help their work colleagues, especially with the trends towards individual representation and smaller workplaces. No union can survive if all support and services for members must be provided by full time union paid officials.

At this time of intensifying insecurity on jobs, pensions, reorganisation and workplace protections employees and employers alike need more reps not fewer; and those reps need more support not less.

This atypical adjournment debate was a wake-up call – workplace reps need wider public recognition, not political condemnation.

Unfortunately, after all our hard work and months of campaigning, we weren’t able to win the vote in the Commons last night. Labour’s amendment to make the Bill fairer was defeated 291 votes to 244.

That means that, when the Bill becomes law, hundreds of thousands of women will have to wait up to 18 months longer for their pension. This is a small improvement on their original plan to make people wait up to 2 years longer, but it’s still massively unfair.

500,000 women should not have to pay such a punishing price towards this government’s austerity drive.

As Greg McClymont, the Labour Shadow Pensions Minister (who recently took over from Rachel Reeves) said in the debate yesterday:

“Why are these 500,000 women paying a disproportionate price? Why are they having disproportionately to carry the burden?

Our amendments, if accepted, would mean that not one of the half a million women affected by this Bill would have to wait more than an extra year for their state pension, and, importantly, that they would have at least nine years’ notice of the rise in their state pension age”

You can see how your MP voted in the debate in the list below.

I just want to say a massive thank you to all of our campaigners on the state pension age. We’ve run a hugely successful campaign, even though we weren’t able to defeat the government in Parliament yesterday.

Together, we forced David Cameron to back down on his original pensions plans (though not nearly enough), we created a real kick-back within the Coalition about the breaking of the Coalition Agreement, and we’ve helped send a message to politicians and the media that we won’t accept this government making women shoulder such an unfair burden of their cuts.

We at unions together will keep fighting against all this government’s unfair policies, and keep campaigning for fair pensions for all.

Want to know how the Pensions Bill affects you? The tables on this website show what your pension age will be (based on your birth date) after the government's small concessions: http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Nl1/Newsroom/SpendingReview/DG_192159

How did your MP vote?

AYES (MPs who voted FOR Labour's amendment to make the Bill fairer)

Abbott, Ms Diane

Abrahams, Debbie

Ainsworth, rh Mr Bob

Alexander, rh Mr Douglas

Alexander, Heidi

Ali, Rushanara

Anderson, Mr David

Ashworth, Jonathan

Austin, Ian

Bailey, Mr Adrian

Bain, Mr William

Balls, rh Ed

Banks, Gordon

Barron, rh Mr Kevin

Bayley, Hugh

Beckett, rh Margaret

Begg, Dame Anne

Bell, Sir Stuart

Benn, rh Hilary

Berger, Luciana

Betts, Mr Clive

Blenkinsop, Tom

Blomfield, Paul

Blunkett, rh Mr David

Bradshaw, rh Mr Ben

Brennan, Kevin

Brown, rh Mr Nicholas

Brown, Mr Russell

Bryant, Chris

Buck, Ms Karen

Burden, Richard

Campbell, Mr Alan

Campbell, Mr Gregory

Campbell, Mr Ronnie

Caton, Martin

Chapman, Mrs Jenny

Coaker, Vernon

Coffey, Ann

Connarty, Michael

Cooper, Rosie

Cooper, rh Yvette

Corbyn, Jeremy

Crausby, Mr David

Creagh, Mary

Creasy, Stella

Cruddas, Jon

Cryer, John

Cunningham, Alex

Cunningham, Mr Jim

Cunningham, Tony

Curran, Margaret

Dakin, Nic

Danczuk, Simon

Darling, rh Mr Alistair

David, Mr Wayne

Davidson, Mr Ian

Davies, Geraint

De Piero, Gloria

Dobbin, Jim

Docherty, Thomas

Dodds, rh Mr Nigel

Donohoe, Mr Brian H.

Doran, Mr Frank

Dowd, Jim

Doyle, Gemma

Dromey, Jack

Dugher, Michael

Durkan, Mark

Eagle, Ms Angela

Eagle, Maria

Edwards, Jonathan

Efford, Clive

Elliott, Julie

Ellman, Mrs Louise

Engel, Natascha

Esterson, Bill

Evans, Chris

Farrelly, Paul

Field, rh Mr Frank

Fitzpatrick, Jim

Flello, Robert

Flint, rh Caroline

Flynn, Paul

Fovargue, Yvonne

Francis, Dr Hywel

Gilmore, Sheila

Glass, Pat

Glindon, Mrs Mary

Godsiff, Mr Roger

Goggins, rh Paul

Goodman, Helen

Greatrex, Tom

Green, Kate

Greenwood, Lilian

Griffith, Nia

Gwynne, Andrew

Hain, rh Mr Peter

Hamilton, Mr David

Hamilton, Fabian

Hanson, rh Mr David

Harman, rh Ms Harriet

Harris, Mr Tom

Havard, Mr Dai

Healey, rh John

Hendrick, Mark

Hepburn, Mr Stephen

Heyes, David

Hillier, Meg

Hilling, Julie

Hodgson, Mrs Sharon

Hoey, Kate

Hood, Mr Jim

Hopkins, Kelvin

Hosie, Stewart

Howarth, rh Mr George

Hunt, Tristram

Irranca-Davies, Huw

Jackson, Glenda

James, Mrs Siân C.

Jamieson, Cathy

Jarvis, Dan

Johnson, Diana

Jones, Graham

Jones, Helen

Jones, Mr Kevan

Jones, Susan Elan

Jowell, rh Tessa

Joyce, Eric

Keeley, Barbara

Kendall, Liz

Khan, rh Sadiq

Lammy, rh Mr David

Lavery, Ian

Lazarowicz, Mark

Leslie, Chris

Lewis, Mr Ivan

Lloyd, Tony

Llwyd, rh Mr Elfyn

Long, Naomi

Love, Mr Andrew

Lucas, Caroline

Lucas, Ian

MacNeil, Mr Angus Brendan

MacShane, rh Mr Denis

Mactaggart, Fiona

Mahmood, Mr Khalid

Mann, John

Marsden, Mr Gordon

McCabe, Steve

McCann, Mr Michael

McCarthy, Kerry

McClymont, Gregg

McCrea, Dr William

McDonagh, Siobhain

McDonnell, John

McFadden, rh Mr Pat

McGovern, Alison

McGovern, Jim

McGuire, rh Mrs Anne

McKechin, Ann

McKenzie, Mr Iain

McKinnell, Catherine

Meacher, rh Mr Michael

Meale, Sir Alan

Mearns, Ian

Michael, rh Alun

Miliband, rh David

Miliband, rh Edward

Miller, Andrew

Morden, Jessica

Morrice, Graeme

(Livingston)

Morris, Grahame M.

(Easington)

Mudie, Mr George

Munn, Meg

Murphy, rh Mr Jim

Murphy, rh Paul

Murray, Ian

Nandy, Lisa

O'Donnell, Fiona

Onwurah, Chi

Osborne, Sandra

Paisley, Ian

Pearce, Teresa

Perkins, Toby

Pound, Stephen

Qureshi, Yasmin

Raynsford, rh Mr Nick

Reed, Mr Jamie

Reeves, Rachel

Reynolds, Jonathan

Riordan, Mrs Linda

Ritchie, Ms Margaret

Robertson, Angus

Robinson, Mr Geoffrey

Rotheram, Steve

Roy, Mr Frank

Roy, Lindsay

Ruane, Chris

Sarwar, Anas

Seabeck, Alison

Shannon, Jim

Sharma, Mr Virendra

Sheridan, Jim

Shuker, Gavin

Simpson, David

Skinner, Mr Dennis

Slaughter, Mr Andy

Smith, rh Mr Andrew

Smith, Angela

Smith, Nick

Smith, Owen

Spellar, rh Mr John

Straw, rh Mr Jack

Stringer, Graham

Stuart, Ms Gisela

Sutcliffe, Mr Gerry

Tami, Mark

Thomas, Mr Gareth

Thornberry, Emily

Timms, rh Stephen

Trickett, Jon

Turner, Karl

Twigg, Derek

Twigg, Stephen

Umunna, Mr Chuka

Vaz, Valerie

Walley, Joan

Watson, Mr Tom

Watts, Mr Dave

Weir, Mr Mike

Whiteford, Dr Eilidh

Whitehead, Dr Alan

Wicks, rh Malcolm

Williams, Hywel

Williamson, Chris

Wilson, Sammy

Winnick, Mr David

Winterton, rh Ms Rosie

Wishart, Pete

Wood, Mike

Woodcock, John

Woodward, rh Mr Shaun

Wright, David

Wright, Mr Iain

Tellers for the Ayes:

Lyn Brown and

Phil Wilson

NOES ((MPs who voted AGAINST Labour's amendment to make the Bill fairer)

Adams, Nigel

Afriyie, Adam

Amess, Mr David

Andrew, Stuart

Bacon, Mr Richard

Baker, Norman

Baker, Steve

Baldwin, Harriett

Barclay, Stephen

Bebb, Guto

Beith, rh Sir Alan

Bellingham, Mr Henry

Benyon, Richard

Beresford, Sir Paul

Berry, Jake

Bingham, Andrew

Binley, Mr Brian

Birtwistle, Gordon

Blackwood, Nicola

Blunt, Mr Crispin

Boles, Nick

Bone, Mr Peter

Bradley, Karen

Brake, rh Tom

Bray, Angie

Brazier, Mr Julian

Bridgen, Andrew

Brooke, Annette

Bruce, Fiona

Buckland, Mr Robert

Burley, Mr Aidan

Burns, Conor

Burrowes, Mr David

Burstow, Paul

Burt, Lorely

Byles, Dan

Cable, rh Vince

Cairns, Alun

Campbell, rh Sir Menzies

Carmichael, rh Mr Alistair

Carmichael, Neil

Carswell, Mr Douglas

Cash, Mr William

Chope, Mr Christopher

Clappison, Mr James

Clarke, rh Mr Kenneth

Coffey, Dr Thérèse

Collins, Damian

Colvile, Oliver

Cox, Mr Geoffrey

Crockart, Mike

Davey, Mr Edward

Davies, David T. C.

(Monmouth)

Davies, Glyn

Davies, Philip

Davis, rh Mr David

Dinenage, Caroline

Djanogly, Mr Jonathan

Dorrell, rh Mr Stephen

Dorries, Nadine

Doyle-Price, Jackie

Drax, Richard

Duddridge, James

Duncan Smith, rh Mr Iain

Dunne, Mr Philip

Ellis, Michael

Ellison, Jane

Ellwood, Mr Tobias

Elphicke, Charlie

Eustice, George

Evans, Graham

Evans, Jonathan

Evennett, Mr David

Fabricant, Michael

Fallon, Michael

Farron, Tim

Foster, rh Mr Don

Francois, rh Mr Mark

Freeman, George

Freer, Mike

Fullbrook, Lorraine

Fuller, Richard

Gale, Mr Roger

Garnier, Mark

George, Andrew

Gibb, Mr Nick

Gilbert, Stephen

Gillan, rh Mrs Cheryl

Glen, John

Goldsmith, Zac

Goodwill, Mr Robert

Gove, rh Michael

Graham, Richard

Grant, Mrs Helen

Gray, Mr James

Grayling, rh Chris

Green, Damian

Greening, Justine

Griffiths, Andrew

Gummer, Ben

Gyimah, Mr Sam

Halfon, Robert

Hames, Duncan

Hammond, rh Mr Philip

Hammond, Stephen

Hancock, Matthew

Hands, Greg

Harper, Mr Mark

Harrington, Richard

Harris, Rebecca

Hart, Simon

Haselhurst, rh Sir Alan

Hayes, Mr John

Heald, Oliver

Heath, Mr David

Heaton-Harris, Chris

Hemming, John

Henderson, Gordon

Herbert, rh Nick

Hinds, Damian

Hoban, Mr Mark

Hollingbery, George

Hollobone, Mr Philip

Holloway, Mr Adam

Hopkins, Kris

Horwood, Martin

Howell, John

Hughes, rh Simon

Huhne, rh Chris

Hunter, Mark

Huppert, Dr Julian

Jackson, Mr Stewart

James, Margot

Javid, Sajid

Jenkin, Mr Bernard

Johnson, Gareth

Jones, Andrew

Jones, Mr David

Jones, Mr Marcus

Kawczynski, Daniel

Kelly, Chris

Kirby, Simon

Knight, rh Mr Greg

Kwarteng, Kwasi

Laing, Mrs Eleanor

Lancaster, Mark

Latham, Pauline

Laws, rh Mr David

Leadsom, Andrea

Lee, Jessica

Leech, Mr John

Lefroy, Jeremy

Leigh, Mr Edward

Letwin, rh Mr Oliver

Lewis, Brandon

Liddell-Grainger, Mr Ian

Lilley, rh Mr Peter

Lloyd, Stephen

Lopresti, Jack

Lord, Jonathan

Loughton, Tim

Luff, Peter

Lumley, Karen

Main, Mrs Anne

Maynard, Paul

McCartney, Jason

McCartney, Karl

McIntosh, Miss Anne

McLoughlin, rh Mr Patrick

McPartland, Stephen

McVey, Esther

Mensch, Louise

Menzies, Mark

Mercer, Patrick

Metcalfe, Stephen

Miller, Maria

Mills, Nigel

Milton, Anne

Moore, rh Michael

Mordaunt, Penny

Morgan, Nicky

Morris, Anne Marie

Morris, James

Mosley, Stephen

Mowat, David

Mulholland, Greg

Munt, Tessa

Murray, Sheryll

Murrison, Dr Andrew

Neill, Robert

Newmark, Mr Brooks

Newton, Sarah

Norman, Jesse

Nuttall, Mr David

Ollerenshaw, Eric

Opperman, Guy

Ottaway, Richard

Paice, rh Mr James

Parish, Neil

Patel, Priti

Pawsey, Mark

Penning, Mike

Penrose, John

Percy, Andrew

Perry, Claire

Phillips, Stephen

Pickles, rh Mr Eric

Pincher, Christopher

Poulter, Dr Daniel

Prisk, Mr Mark

Pritchard, Mark

Raab, Mr Dominic

Randall, rh Mr John

Reckless, Mark

Redwood, rh Mr John

Rees-Mogg, Jacob

Reevell, Simon

Reid, Mr Alan

Rifkind, rh Sir Malcolm

Robathan, rh Mr Andrew

Robertson, Hugh

Robertson, Mr Laurence

Rogerson, Dan

Rosindell, Andrew

Rudd, Amber

Ruffley, Mr David

Russell, Bob

Rutley, David

Sanders, Mr Adrian

Sandys, Laura

Scott, Mr Lee

Selous, Andrew

Shapps, rh Grant

Sharma, Alok

Shelbrooke, Alec

Shepherd, Mr Richard

Simmonds, Mark

Simpson, Mr Keith

Skidmore, Chris

Smith, Miss Chloe

Smith, Henry

Soames, rh Nicholas

Soubry, Anna

Spelman, rh Mrs Caroline

Spencer, Mr Mark

Stanley, rh Sir John

Stevenson, John

Stewart, Bob

Stewart, Iain

Stewart, Rory

Streeter, Mr Gary

Stride, Mel

Stuart, Mr Graham

Stunell, Andrew

Sturdy, Julian

Swales, Ian

Swayne, rh Mr Desmond

Swinson, Jo

Swire, rh Mr Hugo

Syms, Mr Robert

Timpson, Mr Edward

Tomlinson, Justin

Turner, Mr Andrew

Tyrie, Mr Andrew

Uppal, Paul

Vara, Mr Shailesh

Vickers, Martin

Villiers, rh Mrs Theresa

Walker, Mr Charles

Walker, Mr Robin

Ward, Mr David

Watkinson, Angela

Weatherley, Mike

Webb, Steve

Wharton, James

Wheeler, Heather

White, Chris

Whittaker, Craig

Wiggin, Bill

Willetts, rh Mr David

Williams, Mr Mark

Williams, Roger

Williams, Stephen

Williamson, Gavin

Willott, Jenny

Wilson, Mr Rob

Wollaston, Dr Sarah

Wright, Jeremy

Wright, Simon

Young, rh Sir George

Zahawi, Nadhim

Tellers for the Noes:

Norman Lamb and

Stephen Crabb

Last week, after months of pressure from thousands of campaigners like you, David Cameron was finally forced to stop dragging his feet and come up with a last-minute change to his unfair plans on the state pension age.

Cameron’s eleventh-hour pensions plan is to cap the amount of time anyone has to wait for their state pension at 18 months.  We should be proud that the campaign we’ve been fighting together all year has forced the Government to back down even a little bit.

But this small concession is simply not good enough. Hundreds of thousands of people will still have to wait longer for their pension, and will lose out on thousands of pounds of pension income. And this plan still goes back on the promise Cameron made in the Coalition Agreement.

We have one last chance to change the Pensions Bill tomorrow, and make Cameron and his Ministers back down even more. Will you email your MP one more time?

http://www.unionstogether.org.uk/onelastchance

Tomorrow, the Pensions Bill will go back to the House of Commons again for the last time. Our MPs will have to choose between voting for Cameron’s plan, which will mean hundreds of thousands of women waiting 18 months longer for their pension, or voting for a fairer Labour amendment, which would mean nobody would have to wait more than a year, and which would also give everybody more notice of changes to their pension age. Labour's amendment would also make sure men and women are affected equally by the Bill.

That’s why we have to keep up the pressure now. I just spoke to Barbara Bates, aged 57, who launched our campaign back in February. She said: “the fact Cameron’s been forced to give us this concession shows how powerful our campaign has been. But this 18-month limit just isn’t good enough – I hope our MPs will listen to us and do the right thing tomorrow and either pass Labour’s amendment, or vote to stop the Bill.”

Even if you have emailed your MP before, please take 2 minutes now to send them another message to ask them to vote for the Labour amendment in the debate tomorrow.

http://www.unionstogether.org.uk/onelastchance

This is our last opportunity to make our voices heard before the Pensions Bill becomes law. Let’s make sure our MPs get the message.

Thanks

According to this article, recently published responses from industries and individuals to the DWP’s green paper on pension reforms suggest that the consensus is that people should be given 10 years notice before any pension age changes are implemented.

So where does that leave us, the ones who have been chosen to bear the brunt of the government’s decision to raise the pension age for women to 65 by 2018 and then for everyone to 66 by 2020? We aren’t being given the consideration of 15 or even 10 years notice - we are being given around 7 years to get used to the idea and the impracticalities of working an extra 2 years on top of the dates we were given as our retirement ages.

So we’re left with stark choices, those of us who are working can carry on as long as we are physically able and hope that our ageing bodies last until we finally can retire. If not, we can see our GPs and attempt to go onto sickness benefit which of course we all know is not so easy to do. We can give up jobs that we are unable to cope with and attempt to draw unemployment benefits, which of course we all know are not so accommodating these days. Or maybe we can try to save as much as we can in the hope that we will be able to finance ourselves for a few months or years and so have the relief of finishing work slightly before our retirement date, which means we are going without money we may need now to save it for a future that we might not even be privileged to live to see.

Those of us who aren’t working, maybe because we have been made redundant or have lost our jobs through no fault of our own may not have anything to spare to save towards the time before official retirement, we may be struggling to keep a roof over our heads and food in the cupboards. Those of us who have given up regular jobs to care for husbands, parents or other relatives may not have anything to spare to save towards the time before official retirement either, and carers may not have caring responsibilities right up until their own retirement which may mean carers payments being stopped, where would people such as these then find employment?

Women, and men of my age have not been prepared for the way this government has turned on us, a lot of us never had the opportunity to put money away for our retirements, we were never advised to do so, some of us took time out to raise families, some of us worked part time. Some of us came from families that needed everything that the household earned between them just to pay their way and have a few luxuries such as a week at the seaside or a small car. How many of us ever dreamed the day would come when we were asked not once but twice to accept that we would have to work on, far longer than our slightly older siblings were expected to?

Suddenly, people of my age group are being made to feel like a huge burden. There are too many of us, we’re going to live too long, if we are given our pensions we are going to be depriving younger people of their chances. And those younger people are encouraged to attack what they refer to as “Boomers” as though we’re trying to take the crusts from their mouths. Well excuse me for living, I have done my bit! I have worked hard and I have paid what I’ve been asked for. I’ve been a carer and had my allowance stopped without mercy within weeks of being widowed, I have been denied widows pension because a previous government decided it would no longer be paid and I’ve been asked, and cheerfully accepted, to work an extra 4 years for the pension that I have contributed to all my adult life and I think that’s enough bad luck caused through their date of birth for one person thanks very much!

So, come on Iain Duncan Smith and Steve Webb lets be seeing the transitional arrangements you promised us when you assured us that you understood how hard the raise in the state pension age will be for us, show us how much you really respect us for the hard work we’ve put into our lives, show us that a lifetime of working is worth more than a lifetime of bludging on benefits – we’re waiting!

Sign Barbara's letter to IDS.

I have created a petition on the Downing Street website, calling on the government to fulfil their promise in the Coalition Agreement not to increase the pension age for women before 2020.  Unions Together have been mounting an excellent campaign and there have been many other petitions but I think it is still useful for the government to know that we haven’t gone away and we are still angry.  We must continue to put pressure on them while we can. Click here to sign the petition: http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/864  

There is also a Facebook campaign group which can be found here: Protest against proposed accelerated rise of state pension age.

Read Joy's story here.

http://www.unionstogether.org.uk/page/-/Files/28-Jul-2011-LancGuardianAngryPensioners.JPG

http://www.nhsalert.org.uk/joinourfight

Just yesterday, when the scrutinising eyes of the media were firmly fixed on the Murdochs’ evidence to Parliament, the Government made an announcement that shows their true colours on the NHS – the privatisation of £1 billion of NHS services. Starting in April, whole swathes of the services our NHS provides will be opened up to the private sector – including wheelchair provision for children.

We’ve heard a lot over recent months about Cameron and Clegg’s ‘reform’ of the NHS. Health professionals, patients’ organisations and the public united in their campaign to slam the brakes on the reforms.

Cameron and Clegg claim to have watered down their plans, but their NHS Bill is still a deadly threat to our National Health Service – and yesterday’s announcement proves it.

If Cameron and Clegg get their way, it will mean:

• more privatisation and more companies making money from all parts of our health service
• worse patient care including cuts, hospital closures and longer waiting times
• more red tape making it harder for nurses, doctors and other health professionals to do their jobs
• millions of pounds wasted on new bureaucracy which should be spent on patients

After the Summer break, these plans will come back to MPs in the House of Commons. Will you join our fight to stop them?

http://www.nhsalert.org.uk/joinourfight

Before the General Election, Cameron promised to “protect the NHS”, to “give the NHS a real rise in funding” and to “stop NHS reorganisations”.

But he’s breaking every single one of these promises.

After just one year of his Tory-led government, one in ten people are now waiting over 18 weeks to get into hospital for the treatment they need. And he is making it easier for private patients to jump the queue.

We have to work together if we are going to protect our NHS from Cameron and Clegg’s plans to destroy it. Will you join our campaign?

http://www.nhsalert.org.uk/joinourfight

It's our National Health Service - join our fight to save it.

Back in February, when I heard that this government was going to make me wait almost two years longer for my State Pension, I got in touch with my union and asked them to take up the fight.

Since then, the petition we started has been signed by more than 12,000 people – and it was presented to the front door of 10 Downing Street itself. The Labour Party have fought hard for us in Parliament, and thousands of people across the country, many of whom have never got involved in a campaign like this before, have written letters, met their MPs, and even made sure that this story has got in their local paper. MPs from all Parties have spoken out to support our campaign.

It just shows what we can achieve when we work together.

But we still have a huge fight on our hands. A few weeks ago, when MPs from all parties spoke out in the House of Commons about how unfair these pension plans are, Iain Duncan Smith (the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions) promised to bring forward ‘transitional arrangements’ to help those hit hardest by this Government’s plans to increase the State Pension Age.

But where are the proposals for these ‘transitional arrangements’? I’ve written to Iain Duncan Smith to ask him, and I want you to sign the letter too.

http://www.unionstogether.org.uk/writetoIDS

Despite the Government’s promise to try to make their State Pension plans less unfair, every single Lib Dem and Tory MP on the Pensions Bill Committee voted against Labour’s amendments that would have made the Bill fairer.

It’s time for Iain Duncan Smith to tell us what ‘transitional arrangements' he’s got up his sleeve – so that we can find out whether they really will stop the unfairness in the Pensions Bill, or whether he’s going to try to fob us off with a free bus pass.

If he’s not going to abandon these unfair changes to our State Pension Age, then his ‘transitional arrangements’ had better be up to scratch.

Will you sign my letter too?

http://www.unionstogether.org.uk/writetoIDS

We’ve achieved so much more in this campaign than I ever thought we would, but we can’t let the Government off the hook now.

Thanks,

Barbara

Yesterday, despite all their promises that they would provide ‘transitional arrangements’ to minimise the impact on women unfairly affected by the changes to the State Pension Age included in the Pensions Bill, the Government voted down Labour amendments that would do just that.

Rachel Reeves, Shadow Pensions Minister, put forward amendments to the Committee that would stop the speeding up of the equalisation of women and men’s pension age, and that would increase the pension age to 66 at a slower pace than that suggested by the Government.

These changes, had they been accepted, would have meant women and men would be equally affected by the changes; they would have meant nobody would have to work more than a year longer; and they would give everybody more notice of changes to their pension age.

The Labour amendments would also save £20 billion on the status quo.

But that wasn’t good enough for the Government, who voted ‘NO’.

You can read what happened at the Committee here:

http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201011/cmpublic/pensions/110705/am/110705s01.htm

http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201011/cmpublic/pensions/110705/pm/110705s01.htm

The second link contains details of how the MPs voted.

Every single Liberal Democrat and Tory MP voted AGAINST the Labour amendments to the Bill, including Stephen Lloyd, the Lib Dem MP for Eastbourne who has signed petitions in Parliament supporting our campaign. All the Labour MPs, and the Plaid Cymru MP, voted FOR the amendments to stop these unfair pension changes.

The MPs who voted to keep these unfair state pension changes in the Bill are:

Baldwin, Harriett - Conservative

Bingham, Andrew - Conservative

Boles, Nick - Conservative

Jones, Marcus - Conservative

Lloyd, Stephen - Liberal Democrat

Metcalfe, Stephen - Conservative

Rudd, Amber - Conservative

Selous, Andrew - Conservative

Sharma, Alok - Conservative

Smith, Chloe - Conservative

Webb, Steve - Liberal Democrat

MPs will still have the chance to vote on these changes again when the Bill returns to the House of Commons – and we’ll keep fighting on this one. Unfortunately, those MPs on the Committee who voted against the amendments that would have stopped these changes have shown us their true colours.

We need to be clear that industrial action is the last resort for trade unions. Members have to pay the mortgage, fill the car with petrol, and feed their family. All of these tasks are becoming increasingly difficult in a time of recession. To take industrial action is to lose at least a day’s pay and also risk dismissal – taking action remains a sackable offence in UK law.

Yet the right to strike is a fundamental right. It allows workers to protest against the unreasonable actions of an employer. It is the sanction against those who do not value their employees. It gives dignity in employment. Even those who do not support today’s action must support the right of working people to take action.

A key function of the public sector has always been to improve wages and conditions in the private sector, by creating benchmark standards that the private sector must meet in order to retain able workers. The Coalition Government is perverting this logic by attempting to level down public sector pensions. For those workers in the private sector this should be a cause for concern - if the Government wins this dispute, then better pension provision in the private sector will become a distant hope.

If you wrote to and emailed your MP to ask them to vote against the Pensions Bill, and they voted 'Aye', you might want to think about writing them another letter to explain how disappointed you are. You could also write to your local newspaper to tell them what you think.

MPs voting AYE (this means they supported the Pensions Bill, and voted for the Bill to carry on in Parliament)

Adams, Nigel, Conservative Party

Afriyie, Adam, Conservative Party

Aldous, Peter, Conservative Party

Alexander, Danny, Liberal Democrats

Amess, David, Conservative Party

Andrew, Stuart, Conservative Party

Arbuthnot, James, Conservative Party

Bacon, Richard, Conservative Party

Baker, Norman, Liberal Democrats

Baker, Steve, Conservative Party

Baldry, Tony, Conservative Party

Baldwin, Harriett, Conservative Party

Barclay, Steve, Conservative Party

Barker, Gregory, Conservative Party

Baron, John, Conservative Party

Barwell, Gavin, Conservative Party

Bebb, Guto, Conservative Party

Beith, Alan, Liberal Democrats

Bellingham, Henry, Conservative Party

Benyon, Richard, Conservative Party

Beresford, SirPaul, Conservative Party

Bingham, Andrew, Conservative Party

Birtwistle, Gordon, Liberal Democrats

Blackman, Bob, Conservative Party

Blackwood, Nicola, Conservative Party

Blunt, Crispin, Conservative Party

Boles, Nick, Conservative Party

Bone, Peter, Conservative Party

Bottomley, Peter, Conservative Party

Bradley, Karen, Conservative Party

Brake, Tom, Liberal Democrats

Bray, Angie, Conservative Party

Brazier, Julian, Conservative Party

Bridgen, Andrew, Conservative Party

Brine, Steve, Conservative Party

Brokenshire, James, Conservative Party

Brooke, Annette, Liberal Democrats

Buckland, Robert, Conservative Party

Burley, Aidan, Conservative Party

Burns, Conor, Conservative Party

Burns, Simon, Conservative Party

Burrowes, David, Conservative Party

Burstow, Paul, Liberal Democrats

Burt, Alistair, Conservative Party

Burt, Lorely, Liberal Democrats

Byles, Dan, Conservative Party

Cairns, Alun, Conservative Party

Campbell, SirMenzies, Liberal Democrats

Carmichael, Alistair, Liberal Democrats

Carmichael, Neil, Conservative Party

Carswell, Douglas, Conservative Party

Cash, William, Conservative Party

Chishti, Rehman, Conservative Party

Clark, Greg, Conservative Party

Clarke, Kenneth, Conservative Party

Clifton-Brown, Geoffrey, Conservative Party

Coffey, Therese, Conservative Party

Collins, Damian, Conservative Party

Colvile, Oliver, Conservative Party

Cox, Geoffrey, Conservative Party

Crabb, Stephen, Conservative Party

Crockart, Mike, Liberal Democrats

Crouch, Tracey, Conservative Party

Davies, David, Conservative Party

Davies, Glyn, Conservative Party

Davies, Philip, Conservative Party

Davis, David, Conservative Party

deBois, Nick, Conservative Party

Dinenage, Caroline, Conservative Party

Djanogly, Jonathan, Conservative Party

Dorrell, Stephen, Conservative Party

Dorries, Nadine, Conservative Party

Doyle-Price, Jackie, Conservative Party

DuncanSmith, Iain, Conservative Party

Dunne, Philip, Conservative Party

Ellis, Michael, Conservative Party

Ellison, Jane, Conservative Party

Ellwood, Tobias, Conservative Party

Elphicke, Charlie, Conservative Party

Eustice, George, Conservative Party

Evans, Graham, Conservative Party

Evans, Jonathan, Conservative Party

Evennett, David, Conservative Party

Fabricant, Michael, Conservative Party

Fallon, Michael, Conservative Party

Featherstone, Lynne, Liberal Democrats

Field, Mark, Conservative Party

Foster, Don, Liberal Democrats

Fox, Liam, Conservative Party

Francois, Mark, Conservative Party

Freeman, George, Conservative Party

Freer, Mike, Conservative Party

Fullbrook, Lorraine, Conservative Party

Fuller, Richard, Conservative Party

Garnier, Edward, Conservative Party

Garnier, Mark, Conservative Party

Gauke, David, Conservative Party

Gibb, Nick, Conservative Party

Gilbert, Stephen, Liberal Democrats

Gillan, Cheryl, Conservative Party

Glen, John, Conservative Party

Goldsmith, Zac, Conservative Party

Goodwill, Robert, Conservative Party

Gove, Michael, Conservative Party

Graham, Richard, Conservative Party

Grant, Helen, Conservative Party

Gray, James, Conservative Party

Grayling, Chris, Conservative Party

Green, Damian, Conservative Party

Greening, Justine, Conservative Party

Grieve, Dominic, Conservative Party

Griffiths, Andrew, Conservative Party

Gummer, Benedict, Conservative Party

Halfon, Robert, Conservative Party

Hames, Duncan, Liberal Democrats

Hammond, Philip, Conservative Party

Hammond, Stephen, Conservative Party

Hancock, Matthew, Conservative Party

Hands, Greg, Conservative Party

Harper, Mark, Conservative Party

Harris, Rebecca, Conservative Party

Hart, Simon, Conservative Party

Harvey, Nick, Liberal Democrats

Haselhurst, SirAlan, Conservative Party

Hayes, John, Conservative Party

Heath, David, Liberal Democrats

Heaton-Harris, Chris, Conservative Party

Hemming, John, Liberal Democrats

Henderson, Gordon, Conservative Party

Hendry, Charles, Conservative Party

Herbert, Nick, Conservative Party

Hinds, Damian, Conservative Party

Hoban, Mark, Conservative Party

Hollingbery, George, Conservative Party

Hollobone, Philip, Conservative Party

Hopkins, Kris, Conservative Party

Horwood, Martin, Liberal Democrats

Howarth, Gerald, Conservative Party

Howell, John, Conservative Party

Hughes, Simon, Liberal Democrats

Hunter, Mark, Liberal Democrats

Huppert, Julian, Liberal Democrats

Hurd, Nick, Conservative Party

Jackson, Stewart, Conservative Party

James, Margot, Conservative Party

Javid, Sajid, Conservative Party

Jenkin, Bernard, Conservative Party

Johnson, Gareth, Conservative Party

Jones, Andrew, Conservative Party

Jones, Marcus, Conservative Party

Kelly, Chris, Conservative Party

Kirby, Simon, Conservative Party

Knight, Greg, Conservative Party

Kwarteng, Kwasi, Conservative Party

Laing, Eleanor, Conservative Party

Lamb, Norman, Liberal Democrats

Lancaster, Mark, Conservative Party

Leadsom, Andrea, Conservative Party

Lee, Jessica, Conservative Party

Lee, Phillip, Conservative Party

Leech, John, Liberal Democrats

Leigh, Edward, Conservative Party

Leslie, Charlotte, Conservative Party

Letwin, Oliver, Conservative Party

Lewis, Brandon, Conservative Party

Liddell-Grainger, Ian, Conservative Party

Lloyd, Stephen, Liberal Democrats

Lopresti, Jack, Conservative Party

Lord, Jonathan, Conservative Party

Loughton, Timothy, Conservative Party

Lumley, Karen, Conservative Party

Macleod, Mary, Conservative Party

Main, Anne, Conservative Party

Maude, Francis, Conservative Party

Maynard, Paul, Conservative Party

McCartney, Karl, Conservative Party

McIntosh, Anne, Conservative Party

McLoughlin, Patrick, Conservative Party

McVey, Esther, Conservative Party

Mensch, Louise, Conservative Party

Menzies, Mark, Conservative Party

Mercer, Patrick, Conservative Party

Metcalfe, Stephen, Conservative Party

Miller, Maria, Conservative Party

Mills, Nigel, Conservative Party

Moore, Michael, Liberal Democrats

Morgan, Nicky, Conservative Party

Morris, Anne-Marie, Conservative Party

Morris, David, Conservative Party

Morris, James, Conservative Party

Mosley, Stephen, Conservative Party

Mowat, David, Conservative Party

Mulholland, Greg, Liberal Democrats

Mundell, David, Conservative Party

Munt, Tessa, Liberal Democrats

Murray, Sheryll, Conservative Party

Murrison, Andrew, Conservative Party

Neill, Bob, Conservative Party

Newmark, Brooks, Conservative Party

Newton, Sarah, Conservative Party

Nokes, Caroline, Conservative Party

Norman, Jesse, Conservative Party

Nuttall, David, Conservative Party

O'Brien, Stephen, Conservative Party

Offord, Matthew, Conservative Party

Ollerenshaw, Eric, Conservative Party

Ottaway, Richard, Conservative Party

Paice, James, Conservative Party

Parish, Neil, Conservative Party

Patel, Priti, Conservative Party

Pawsey, Mark, Conservative Party

Penning, Mike, Conservative Party

Penrose, John, Conservative Party

Percy, Andrew, Conservative Party

Perry, Claire, Conservative Party

Phillips, Stephen, Conservative Party

Pincher, Christopher, Conservative Party

Poulter, Daniel, Conservative Party

Pritchard, Mark, Conservative Party

Pugh, John, Liberal Democrats

Raab, Dominic, Conservative Party

Randall, John, Conservative Party

Reckless, Mark, Conservative Party

Redwood, John, Conservative Party

Rees-Mogg, Jacob, Conservative Party

Reevell, Simon, Conservative Party

Reid, Alan, Liberal Democrats

Rifkind, Malcolm, Conservative Party

Robathan, Andrew, Conservative Party

Robertson, Hugh, Conservative Party

Rogerson, Dan, Liberal Democrats

Rosindell, Andrew, Conservative Party

Rudd, Amber, Conservative Party

Ruffley, David, Conservative Party

Russell, Bob, Liberal Democrats

Rutley, David, Conservative Party

Sandys, Laura, Conservative Party

Selous, Andrew, Conservative Party

Shapps, Grant, Conservative Party

Sharma, Alok, Conservative Party

Shelbrooke, Alec, Conservative Party

Shepherd, Richard, Conservative Party

Simmonds, Mark, Conservative Party

Simpson, Keith, Conservative Party

Skidmore, Chris, Conservative Party

Smith, Chloe, Conservative Party

Smith, Henry, Conservative Party

Smith, Julian, Conservative Party

Smith, SirRobert, Liberal Democrats

Soames, Nicholas, Conservative Party

Soubry, Anna, Conservative Party

Spencer, Mark, Conservative Party

Stanley, SirJohn, Conservative Party

Stephenson, Andrew, Conservative Party

Stevenson, John, Conservative Party

Stewart, Bob, Conservative Party

Stewart, Iain, Conservative Party

Stewart, Rory, Conservative Party

Streeter, Gary, Conservative Party

Stuart, Graham, Conservative Party

Stunell, Andrew, Liberal Democrats

Sturdy, Julian, Conservative Party

Swayne, Desmond, Conservative Party

Syms, Robert, Conservative Party

Tapsell, SirPeter, Conservative Party

Teather, Sarah, Liberal Democrats

Thurso, John, Liberal Democrats

Timpson, Edward, Conservative Party

Tomlinson, Justin, Conservative Party

Tredinnick, David, Conservative Party

Truss, Elizabeth, Conservative Party

Turner, Andrew, Conservative Party

Tyrie, Andrew, Conservative Party

Uppal, Paul, Conservative Party

Vaizey, Ed, Conservative Party

Vara, Shailesh, Conservative Party

Vickers, Martin, Conservative Party

Walker, Charles, Conservative Party

Walker, Robin, Conservative Party

Wallace, Ben, Conservative Party

Ward, David, Liberal Democrats

Watkinson, Angela, Conservative Party

Weatherley, Michael, Conservative Party

Webb, Steve, Liberal Democrats

Wharton, James, Conservative Party

Wheeler, Heather, Conservative Party

Whittaker, Craig, Conservative Party

Whittingdale, John, Conservative Party

Wiggin, Bill, Conservative Party

Williams, Mark, Liberal Democrats

Williamson, Gavin, Conservative Party

Willott, Jenny, Liberal Democrats

Wilson, Robert, Conservative Party

Wollaston, Sarah, Conservative Party

Wright, Jeremy, Conservative Party

Wright, Simon, Liberal Democrats

Yeo, Tim, Conservative Party

Young, George, Conservative Party

Zahawi, Nadhim, Conservative Party

MPs voting NO (this means they opposed the Pensions Bill, and voted for the Bill to stop)

Abbott, Diane, Labour Party

Abrahams, Debbie, Labour Party

Ainsworth, Bob, Labour Party

Alexander, Douglas, Labour Party

Alexander, Heidi, Labour Party

Ali, Rushanara, Labour Party

Allen, Graham, Labour Party

Anderson, David, Labour Party

Ashworth, Jonathan, Labour Party

Austin, Ian, Labour Party

Bailey, Adrian, Labour/Co-operative Party

Bain, William, Labour Party

Balls, Ed, Labour/Co-operative Party

Banks, Gordon, Labour Party

Barron, Kevin, Labour Party

Beckett, Margaret, Labour Party

Begg, Anne, Labour Party

Bell, Sir Stuart, Labour Party

Benn, Hilary, Labour Party

Berger, Luciana, Labour/Co-operative Party

Betts, Clive, Labour Party

Blears, Hazel, Labour Party

Blenkinsop, Tom, Labour Party

Blomfield, Paul, Labour Party

Blunkett, David, Labour Party

Bradshaw, Benjamin, Labour Party

Brown, Lyn, Labour Party

Brown, Nicholas, Labour Party

Bryant, Chris, Labour Party

Buck, Karen, Labour Party

Burnham, Andy, Labour Party

Byrne, Liam, Labour Party

Campbell, Alan, Labour Party

Campbell, Ronnie, Labour Party

Caton, Martin, Labour Party

Chapman, Jenny, Labour Party

Clarke, Tom, Labour Party

Clwyd, Ann, Labour Party

Coaker, Vernon, Labour Party

Coffey, Ann, Labour Party

Cooper, Rosie, Labour Party

Cooper, Yvette, Labour Party

Corbyn, Jeremy, Labour Party

Crausby, David, Labour Party

Creagh, Mary, Labour Party

Creasy, Stella, Labour/Co-operative Party

Cruddas, Jon, Labour Party

Cryer, John, Labour Party

Cunningham, Alex, Labour Party

Cunningham, Jim, Labour Party

Cunningham, Tony, Labour Party

Curran, Margaret, Labour Party

Dakin, Nic, Labour Party

Danczuk, Simon, Labour Party

Darling, Alistair, Labour Party

David, Wayne, Labour Party

Davies, Geraint, Labour/Co-operative Party

Denham, John, Labour Party

DePiero, Gloria, Labour Party

Dobbin, Jim, Labour/Co-operative Party

Dobson, Frank, Labour Party

Docherty, Thomas, Labour Party

Donohoe, Brian, Labour Party

Doran, Frank, Labour Party

Dowd, Jim, Labour Party

Dromey, Jack, Labour Party

Dugher, Michael, Labour Party

Durkan, Mark, Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP)

Eagle, Angela, Labour Party

Eagle, Maria, Labour Party

Edwards, Jonathan, Plaid Cymru

Efford, Clive, Labour Party

Elliott, Julie, Labour Party

Ellman, Louise, Labour/Co-operative Party

Engel, Natascha, Labour Party

Esterson, Bill, Labour Party

Evans, Chris, Labour/Co-operative Party

Farrelly, Paul, Labour Party

Field, Frank, Labour Party

Fitzpatrick, Jim, Labour Party

Flello, Robert, Labour Party

Flint, Caroline, Labour Party

Fovargue, Yvonne, Labour Party

Francis, Hywel, Labour Party

Gapes, Mike, Labour/Co-operative Party

Gardiner, Barry, Labour Party

Gilmore, Sheila, Labour Party

Glass, Pat, Labour Party

Glindon, Mary, Labour Party

Godsiff, Roger, Labour Party

Goggins, Paul, Labour Party

Goodman, Helen, Labour Party

Greatrex, Tom, Labour/Co-operative Party

Green, Kate, Labour Party

Greenwood, Lilian, Labour Party

Griffith, Nia, Labour Party

Gwynne, Andrew, Labour Party

Hain, Peter, Labour Party

Hamilton, David, Labour Party

Hamilton, Fabian, Labour Party

Hanson, David, Labour Party

Harman, Harriet, Labour Party

Havard, Dai, Labour Party

Healey, John, Labour Party

Hendrick, Mark, Labour/Co-operative Party

Heyes, David, Labour Party

Hillier, Meg, Labour/Co-operative Party

Hodge, Margaret, Labour Party

Hodgson, Sharon, Labour Party

Hoey, Kate, Labour Party

Hopkins, Kelvin, Labour Party

Hosie, Stewart, Scottish National Party (SNP)

Howarth, George, Labour Party

Hunt, Tristram, Labour Party

Irranca-Davies, Huw, Labour Party

Jackson, Glenda, Labour Party

Jamieson, Cathy, Labour/Co-operative Party

Jarvis, Dan, Labour Party

Johnson, Alan, Labour Party

Jones, Graham, Labour Party

Jones, Helen, Labour Party

Jones, Kevan, Labour Party

Jones, SusanElan, Labour Party

Jowell, Tessa, Labour Party

Joyce, Eric, Labour Party

Kaufman, Sir Gerald, Labour Party

Kendall, Liz, Labour Party

Khan, Sadiq, Labour Party

Lammy, David, Labour Party

Lavery, Ian, Labour Party

Lazarowicz, Mark, Labour/Co-operative Party

Leslie, Chris, Labour Party

Lewis, Ivan, Labour Party

Lloyd, Tony, Labour Party

Love, Andrew, Labour/Co-operative Party

Lucas, Caroline, Green Party

Lucas, Ian, Labour Party

MacNeil, Angus, Scottish National Party (SNP)

MacShane, Denis, Labour Party (suspended)

Mactaggart, Fiona, Labour Party

Mahmood, Khalid, Labour Party

Mahmood, Shabana, Labour Party

Mann, John, Labour Party

Marsden, Gordon, Labour Party

McCabe, Stephen, Labour Party

McCarthy, Kerry, Labour Party

McClymont, Gregg, Labour Party

McCrea, William, Democratic Unionist Party (DUP)

McDonagh, Siobhain, Labour Party

McDonnell, John, Labour Party

McFadden, Pat, Labour Party

McGovern, Alison, Labour Party

McGuire, Anne, Labour Party

McKechin, Ann, Labour Party

McKinnell, Catherine, Labour Party

Meacher, Michael, Labour Party

Mearns, Ian, Labour Party

Michael, Alun, Labour/Co-operative Party

Miliband, David, Labour Party

Miliband, Ed, Labour Party

Miller, Andrew, Labour Party

Mitchell, Austin, Labour Party

Moon, Madeleine, Labour Party

Morden, Jessica, Labour Party

Morrice, Graeme, Labour Party

Morris, Grahame, Labour Party

Mudie, George, Labour Party

Munn, Meg, Labour/Co-operative Party

Murphy, Paul, Labour Party

Nandy, Lisa, Labour Party

Nash, Pamela, Labour Party

Onwurah, ChinyeluSusan, Labour Party

Owen, Albert, Labour Party

Pearce, Teresa, Labour Party

Perkins, Toby, Labour Party

Phillipson, Bridget, Labour Party

Pound, Stephen, Labour Party

Qureshi, Yasmin, Labour Party

Raynsford, Nick, Labour Party

Reeves, Rachel, Labour Party

Reynolds, Emma, Labour Party

Reynolds, Jonathan, Labour/Co-operative Party

Riordan, Linda, Labour/Co-operative Party

Robertson, Angus, Scottish National Party (SNP)

Robertson, John, Labour Party

Robinson, Geoffrey, Labour Party

Rotheram, Steve, Labour Party

Ruane, Chris, Labour Party

Ruddock, Joan, Labour Party

Seabeck, Alison, Labour Party

Sharma, Virendra, Labour Party

Sheerman, Barry, Labour/Co-operative Party

Sheridan, James, Labour Party

Shuker, Gavin, Labour/Co-operative Party

Simpson, David, Democratic Unionist Party (DUP)

Skinner, Dennis, Labour Party

Slaughter, Andrew, Labour Party

Smith, Andrew, Labour Party

Smith, Angela, Labour Party

Smith, Nick, Labour Party

Smith, Owen, Labour Party

Spellar, John, Labour Party

Straw, Jack, Labour Party

Stringer, Graham, Labour Party

Stuart, Gisela, Labour Party

Sutcliffe, Gerry, Labour Party

Tami, Mark, Labour Party

Thomas, Gareth, Labour/Co-operative Party

Thornberry, Emily, Labour Party

Timms, Stephen, Labour Party

Trickett, Jon, Labour Party

Turner, Karl, Labour Party

Twigg, Stephen, Labour/Co-operative Party

Umunna, Chuka, Labour Party

Vaz, Valerie, Labour Party

Walley, Joan, Labour Party

Watson, Tom, Labour Party

Watts, David, Labour Party

Weir, Michael, Scottish National Party (SNP)

Whiteford, Eilidh, Scottish National Party (SNP)

Whitehead, Alan, Labour Party

Wicks, Malcolm, Labour Party

Williams, Hywel, Plaid Cymru

Williamson, Chris, Labour Party

Wilson, Phil, Labour Party

Winnick, David, Labour Party

Winterton, Rosie, Labour Party

Wishart, Peter, Scottish National Party (SNP)

Wood, Mike, Labour Party

Woodcock, John, Labour/Co-operative Party

Woodward, Shaun, Labour Party

Wright, David, Labour Party

Wright, Iain, Labour Party

MPs who did not vote 

Bayley, Hugh, Labour Party

Benton, Joe, Labour Party

Bercow, John, Speaker

Berry, Jake, Conservative Party

Binley, Brian, Conservative Party

Blackman-Woods, Roberta, Labour Party

Brady, Graham, Conservative Party

Brennan, Kevin, Labour Party

Brown, Gordon, Labour Party

Brown, Russell, Labour Party

Browne, Jeremy, Liberal Democrats

Bruce, Fiona, Conservative Party

Bruce, Malcolm, Liberal Democrats

Burden, Richard, Labour Party

Cable, Vincent, Liberal Democrats

Cameron, David, Conservative Party

Campbell, Gregory, Democratic Unionist Party (DUP)

Chope, Christopher, Conservative Party

Clappison, James, Conservative Party

Clark, Katy, Labour Party

Clegg, Nick, Liberal Democrats

Connarty, Michael, Labour Party

Davey, Edward, Liberal Democrats

Davidson, Ian, Labour/Co-operative Party

Dodds, Nigel, Democratic Unionist Party (DUP)

Doherty, Pat, Sinn Fein

Donaldson, Jeffrey, Democratic Unionist Party (DUP)

Doyle, Gemma, Labour/Co-operative Party

Drax, Richard, Conservative Party

Duddridge, James, Conservative Party

Duncan, Alan, Conservative Party

Evans, Nigel, Conservative Party

Farron, Tim, Liberal Democrats

Flynn, Paul, Labour Party

Gale, Roger, Conservative Party

George, Andrew, Liberal Democrats

Gildernew, Michelle, Sinn Fein

Gyimah, Sam, Conservative Party

Hague, William, Conservative Party

Hancock, Mike, Liberal Democrats

Harrington, Richard, Conservative Party

Harris, Tom, Labour Party

Heald, Oliver, Conservative Party

Hepburn, Stephen, Labour Party

Hermon, LadySylvia, Independent

Hilling, Julie, Labour Party

Holloway, Adam, Conservative Party

Hood, James, Labour Party

Hoyle, Lindsay, Labour Party

Huhne, Chris, Liberal Democrats

Hunt, Jeremy, Conservative Party

James, Sian, Labour Party

Johnson, Diana, Labour Party

Johnson, Jo, Conservative Party

Jones, David, Conservative Party

Kawczynski, Daniel, Conservative Party

Keeley, Barbara, Labour Party

Keen, Alan, Labour/Co-operative Party

Kennedy, Charles, Liberal Democrats

Lansley, Andrew, Conservative Party

Latham, Pauline, Conservative Party

Laws, David, Liberal Democrats

Lefroy, Jeremy, Conservative Party

Lewis, Julian, Conservative Party

Lidington, David, Conservative Party

Lilley, Peter, Conservative Party

Llwyd, Elfyn, Plaid Cymru

Long, Naomi, Alliance

Luff, Peter, Conservative Party

Maskey, Paul, Sinn Fein

May, Theresa, Conservative Party

McCann, Michael, Labour Party

McCartney, Jason, Conservative Party

McDonnell, Alasdair, Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP)

McGovern, Jim, Labour Party

McGuinness, Martin, Sinn Fein

McPartland, Stephen, Conservative Party

Meale, Alan, Labour Party

Milton, Anne, Conservative Party

Mitchell, Andrew, Conservative Party

Mordaunt, Penny, Conservative Party

Murphy, Conor, Sinn Fein

Murphy, Jim, Labour Party

Murray, Ian, Labour Party

O'Donnell, Fiona, Labour Party

Opperman, Guy, Conservative Party

Osborne, George, Conservative Party

Osborne, Sandra, Labour Party

PaisleyJr, Ian, Democratic Unionist Party (DUP)

Paterson, Owen, Conservative Party

Pickles, Eric, Conservative Party

Primarolo, Dawn, Labour Party

Prisk, Mark, Conservative Party

Reed, Jamie, Labour Party

Ritchie, Margaret, Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP)

Robertson, Laurence, Conservative Party

Roy, Frank, Labour Party

Roy, Lindsay, Labour Party

Sanders, Adrian, Liberal Democrats

Sarwar, Anas, Labour Party

Scott, Lee, Conservative Party

Shannon, Jim, Democratic Unionist Party (DUP)

Singh, Marsha, Labour Party

Spelman, Caroline, Conservative Party

Stride, Mel, Conservative Party

Swales, Ian, Liberal Democrats

Swinson, Jo, Liberal Democrats

Swire, Hugo, Conservative Party

Twigg, Derek, Labour Party

Vaz, Keith, Labour Party

Villiers, Theresa, Conservative Party

Walter, Robert, Conservative Party

White, Chris, Conservative Party

Willetts, David, Conservative Party

Williams, Roger, Liberal Democrats

Williams, Stephen, Liberal Democrats

Wilson, Sammy, Democratic Unionist Party (DUP)

Over the weekend, thousands of us piled on the pressure on the Government ahead of the Bill’s Second Reading in Parliament yesterday. 6000 of us sent emails to our MPs, and hundreds more picked up the phone to ask their MPs to vote ‘no’ and stop the Bill.

Unfortunately, we lost that vote in Parliament last night. Labour MPs opposed the Bill, but most Tories and Lib Dems voted for it to go through.

But we can still win this fight. The Bill will now go to a Committee of MPs where it can be amended. And the pressure on the Government is mounting - MPs from all the Parties stood up in Parliament to tell them that they’ve got it wrong.

We’re going to be stepping up our campaign over the next few weeks to try and change the Bill before it comes back again to the House of Commons for final approval. We want to make sure that the Government gets the message that these changes are unfair, and they have to think again.

What’s your message to the Government on state pensions?

http://www.unionstogether.org.uk/whatsyourmessage

We’ll post some of your messages on our blog, and we’ll send a selection of the best ones to Government ministers like Iain Duncan Smith, Steve Webb and George Osborne and, of course, to Cameron and Clegg themselves.

Thanks to the pressure that our campaign has put on MPs, the Government has been forced to go away and look at some of the details of these proposals. We don’t know what they’ll come up with, but we’ll be keeping a very close eye on them.

We’ll also be working closely with the Labour MPs on the Bill Committee, who are going to try to get rid of the unfair changes to the State Pension Age. As soon as we know which MPs are sitting on the Committee, we’ll be getting in touch to help us win them round.

As the Bill moves on in Parliament, we have to keep up the pressure on the Government. Send them your message now:

http://www.unionstogether.org.uk/whatsyourmessage

Let’s keep up the fight to stop these unfair pension plans.

Helen

PS. We are going to be doing some number crunching about the result last night, which we’ll put up here on our blog later. In the meantime, you can check how your MP voted here: http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201011/cmhansrd/cm110620/debtext/110620-0004.htm

Over the weekend, that total kept going up and up, and I kept increasing our campaign target.

Just a few minutes ago, we hit 5000 emails. That is an incredible effort, and shows just how strongly people feel about this campaign. If you haven’t emailed your MP yet, please do so now:

http://www.unionstogether.org.uk/giveitthechop

Hundreds of people have also got on the phone and called their MPs, too. The debate on the Pensions Bill starts at about 4pm, and we want as many MPs as possible to have had a phone call by then.

http://www.unionstogether.org.uk/pickupthephone

There’s also some good and interesting coverage in the newspapers today.

This piece in the Daily Mail says that pressure is mounting on the government to backtrack on their plans. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2005533/Pension-reforms-cost-500k-women-15k-each.html

“A climbdown on state pension age increases that will unfairly hit 500,000 women is ‘inevitable’, it was claimed last night.

Senior ministers have told the Treasury there must be a rethink on the proposals that will force women in their fifties to work for up to two years longer, according to Whitehall sources.

As MPs prepare to debate the controversial reforms today, the Treasury insisted it intends to press ahead despite the threat of a revolt by Tory and Liberal Democrat backbenchers.”

And this comment piece in the Guardian, columnist Jackie Ashley writes about the positive way that women MPs are working together to stop the Pensions Bill. http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/jun/19/female-mps-pensions-changing-debate

“On Monday MPs have their first chance to vote on the pensions bill, and in particular the government's plans to accelerate the increase in the state pension age. There has been a big, cross-party campaign on a subject mentioned here before, the special unfairness being visited on middle-aged women as part of the pensions reform. On this, Lib Dem MPs have come together in large numbers with Labour, and Tories too – particularly women – and may have won a rethink in cabinet.”

We’ll be watching the debate in the House of Commons closely from 4pm – you can watch online here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/tv/bbc_parliament/watchlive

We set a target of 1000 emails. But, within hours we'd smashed that - so we've doubled it to 2000 last night. Now, we've beaten that by 11am this morning - amazing! So, I've tripled our target to 3000! Let's try and hit that before Monday.

http://www.unionstogether.org.uk/giveitthechop

If you've already emailed your MP, why not double the strength of your message by picking up the phone and calling them to ask them to vote against the Pensions Bill. It's dead easy, but this page should guide you through it:

http://www.unionstogether.org.uk/pickupthephone

The pressure on the government on the state pension age is mounting. We’ve seen the issue raised with David Cameron at Prime Ministers Questions two weeks in a row, and more and more MPs are signing up to oppose these unfair changes. That’s due to the hard work of campaigners like you.

On Monday, we have our first chance to try to defeat these changes once and for all, when the Pensions Bill is debated in the House of Commons.

The Labour opposition is going to argue that the Pensions Bill should be abandoned, because the proposals on the state pension age are so unfair.

It’s crucial we all get in touch with our MPs to ask them to vote to give the Pensions Bill the chop:

http://www.unionstogether.org.uk/giveitthechop

We have to do everything we can to defeat these plans on Monday. But, if we don’t win that vote, we’ll still have other chances to stop them as the Bill moves into its ‘committee stage’. At that point, a group of MPs from across the political parties will spend weeks looking at the detail of the Bill. They can vote to change parts of the Bill if they want to.

Our job then will be to invest all our campaigning energy in winning those MPs round, and we’re working on our plans for that already.

But if we can get enough MPs to support us on Monday, it will be the end of these unfair pensions plans once and for all. The feedback we’ve had from MPs is that every single email, letter and phone call makes a difference.

Even if you’ve emailed a dozen times already, please get in touch with your MP again – this is crunch time. Will you email your Member of Parliament today?

http://www.unionstogether.org.uk/giveitthechop

We can still stop these state pension plans, but we have to keep up the pressure!

Thanks

Helen

PS. There’s lots in the news about pensions at the moment. If you hear a discussion about pensions on your local radio station, why not call in and make sure we get the state pension age issue on the agenda too?

At the moment, I get Working Tax Credit, Child Tax Credit and Child Benefit, as my 17-year old daughter is at sixth form college. Next year, my daughter will leave sixth form college and, I hope, go on to university – at that point, I will lose my tax credits, and have to survive on my income of £7455.

I can only work 24 hours a week – partly due to health problems, and partly due to the fact that it’s difficult to find work in these bleak times. That means that I won’t be entitled to Working Tax Credit at all once my daughter’s moved out, as I don’t work the 30 hours a week you need to to be eligible.

Not only will I lose my Working Tax Credit but the eligibility to free prescriptions (I am taking 3 lots of pain management prescriptions). I get free prescriptions at the moment as I qualify for Working Tax Credit at the moment, but when the Tax Credit goes, so will the free prescriptions.

My household income will be effectively cut in half from next year, and I’m already having to dip into my few savings as my daughter has lost her EMA due to Coalition cuts.

Until recently, I have assumed I would retire at 64 – in itself, a big jump from the retirement at 60 I had expected for most of my life. Those extra years will make a big difference. If I were to get my pension, the suggested universal retirement pension of £140 per week would amount to £7,280 per year and be roughly what my poor income is currently for hard manual labour. And I would also qualify for free prescriptions, free local bus fares, help with Council Tax and concession prices etc – and I would also have a sense of dignity in retirement.

So I will be much much worse off, financially and health-wise if my state pension is withheld from me until I am 66 yrs old in nine years time.

My work is physically hard and I have health problems. I am worried about whether I will be able to carry on into my late 60s. I am terrified of ending up on Job Seeker’s Allowance, sitting opposite an advisor or assessor having to justify ''why I had to give up work that is proving injurious to my health'' and facing the possibility of penalties financially for ''giving up work''. No over 60s woman has faced being told this until now.

I had always intended to keep working until I could move into a dignified retirement from a life of toil, but I don’t know if, physically, I will be able to do this. The last thing I want is to have to stop working and rely on benefits, but I just don’t know if I can go on until I am 66.

It is not just about money, it's about dignity for over 60s women, many of whom will be the first generation to ''sign on'' and made to feel guilty about being older.

A lot of the news coverage has been about women who are professional or middle class, and I want to make sure that my situation is represented too. I am not alone, but sometimes we who are low paid and just about surviving below the breadline go unnoticed. For us, the prospect of an extra two years on that breadline is terrifying.

How can the Coalition government expect people to ''save more for their retirement'' when people like me have so little to live on? From next year, my weekly income will be roughly £143 per week. By the time I’ve paid my Direct Debit bills of £64 per week, I’m left with £79 a week to pay for the water meter, food, clothes, prescriptions, a small holiday, Christmas, birthdays, and to try and help my daughter through her education.

Impossible. These new changes in the Pensions Bill mean I have to bear this burden an extra two years.

The Government does not seem to understand what these extra two years means for so many people like me, with low incomes and big commitments. I’ve even been turned down for Carers’ Allowance for the hours I dedicate to my severely disabled 34 yr old son who does not live with me, but depends on me, and I was turned down as ''I earn more than a hundred pounds a week''! But not much more!

I feel not only robbed of my retirement, but totally kicked in the teeth now as well. As you can see, it’s not just me missing out on my state pension, but also my children suffering from the cuts, with no EMA for my daughter and refusal of Carers’ Allowance for my son. I feel cheated and robbed, along with my kids, because I'm an older mum on a low income, and for different reasons they both depend on me to help them.

If it wasn't for my kids, one severely disabled, and one just about to apply for University, I think I would lose the will to live. They have different needs and rely on me, and I have needs and rely on the Government who have abandoned me at a time of my life when my needs are greater.

The government says that life expectancy for women is increasing – but that’s not the case for everyone. Income and work make huge differences to life chances so 'if the government thought about what extra working years meant to female manual workers then why not use the health and financial fitness of a low paid female manual worker as a the basis when deciding the retirement age for women? Instead, the Government are using the life chances of women in better paid, non-manual professions as a measure, ultimately at the cost of the already worn out female manual worker.

Daily Mirror

David Cameron could make new U-turn over raising women's state pension age

INDECISIVE David Cameron could soon perform yet ANOTHER U-turn over plans to make women work longer.

The Prime Minister wants to raise the retirement age for women to 65 earlier than previously planned by Labour.

This would mean 2.6 million women will have to wait at least an extra year for their state pension, while 330,000 women will have to wait two years. But Tories and Lib Dems are among 161 MPs who have signed a Commons motion objecting to the move which campaigners have blasted as grossly unfair.

And Shadow Pensions Minister Rachel Reeves predicted that Mr Cameron will be forced into another about-turn.

Read more: http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/2011/06/09/david-cameron-could-perform-another-u-turn-over-raising-the-state-pension-age-for-women-115875-23189320

The Guardian

Don't turn back the clock for women

Rachel Reeves writes:

Until this government's formation just over a year ago, every generation of women has enjoyed greater opportunity. My great-grandmother was a cockle picker on the south coast of Wales, my grandmother worked in shoe factories, and my mother is a primary school teacher. But this expectation that women of the next gene ration will do better than the one before is now fundamentally threatened.

MPs from all sides of the house are today debating what is shaping up to be the biggest assault on women and families for many years, one which risks turning back the clock on women's equality.

Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/jun/08/government-cuts-women

Daily Mail

MPs demand U-turn on women’s pensions saying raising qualifying age is 'deeply unfair'

Ministers are facing a mounting revolt by Liberal Democrat and Tory MPs over controversial plans to fast-track the rise in women’s pension age.

Coalition backbench MPs yesterday broke ranks to criticise the ‘deeply unfair’ proposals which will force around 330,000 women to wait 18 months or longer to receive their state pension.

Nineteen Lib Dems - a third of the parliamentary party - are among 161 MPs who have signed a motion opposing the plans and increasing numbers of Tory MPs have now voiced their concerns.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2001195/MPs-demand-U-turn-women-s-pensions-say-raising-qualifying-age-deeply-unfair.html

The Guardian

Next U-turn: changes to pensions provision for women, please

Is there a limit on the number of U-turns a government can spin? I hope not as there's one issue that needs a change of heart pretty sharpish. It isn't sexy, like some of the issues prompting women to march in protest over newspaper front pages, but it's just as important, probably more so for the 300,000 women directly affected.

Changes in pension provision, an issue that's never going to provide the sort of media-friendly pictures of a Playboy protest, say, or sluts, whether walking or otherwise, smacks of injustice just the same. Strangely enough, the changes were introduced in the name of equality: why should women retire earlier than men? They live longer and can make the same useful contribution to the economy, so why bundle them into the Post Office to pick up their pensions any earlier?

The problem is that this government speeded up the bid for equality in a way that leaves a group of women just seven years away from retirement suddenly facing two more years without any pension whatsoever. Yes, this coalition makes a change in name of equality that unfairly impacts women – who'd have thought it?

Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/the-womens-blog-with-jane-martinson/2011/jun/09/pension-age-increase-women

You can read a report of the Parliamentary Debate in Hansard here. We didn't win the vote on the opposition motion, but that was to be expected as MPs are very tribal about voting for motions like these. The real fight will be when the Pensions Bill itself is tabled in a few weeks' time.

The main aim of the day was to put pressure on the Government over pensions, and we certainly did that.

Excitingly, since the debate on Wednesday we've seen several Lib Dem MPs sign up to the Early Day Motion in Parliament to oppose these plans. There are now 23 Lib Dems signed up - out of a total of 57 MPs. And only 33 of those MPs are backbenchers who are allowed to sign EDMs - so, 23 out of 33 have signed up - 70% of Lib Dem backbenchers. This is the result of all the hard work our campaigners have been putting in over the past months - together, we've made this an issue that MPs have to listen to. Surely it's time for Steve Webb, the Lib Dem Pensions Minister to start to listen too?

David Cameron was asked about the State Pension Age twice at Prime Ministers' Questions, and the second time the question was asked by a Lib Dem MP - we are really starting to see them wobble on this now:

Lindsay Roy (Glenrothes) (Lab): What message does the Prime Minister have for the hundreds of women in my constituency in their mid-50s who feel that they have been unjustly thwarted by the extension of their retirement age, contrary to the coalition agreement?

The Prime Minister: What I would say is that the first decision was taken in 1995, when there was all-party agreement that we should equalise men’s and women’s pension ages, and that was done over a long period of time. The second point is that it is right to lift the pension age for men and women to a higher level more rapidly than the last Government decided. However, the key fact is that 85% of the women affected are going to lose one year or less in terms of their pension. The last point that I would make is this. Because we have linked the pension to earnings, people who retire today will be £15,000 better off than they were under the policies of the last Government.

and then:

Annette Brooke (Mid Dorset and North Poole) (LD): Notwithstanding the Prime Minister’s previous answer, I would, as a woman not affected by the current pension proposals, like to ask him personally to review this particular proposal, because of the injustice and discrimination against women. The group of women affected, who were born between 1953 and 1954, will be asked to work up to two extra years over and above what they had planned for, whereas men will be asked to work only an extra year. It is the discrimination that concerns me.

The Prime Minister: I do understand the point that the hon. Lady makes, but let me make this point. First, in general, the reason for raising pension ages is twofold: one is that we are seeing a huge increase in life expectancy, but the second point is that we want to ensure that we can fund really good pension provision for the future, and if we do not do this, we will not be able to. Let me repeat the statistic: four fifths of the women affected by the proposals will have their state pension age increase by a year or less. The reason, as she says, that there is this difficulty is that those two things—the equalisation of the pension age and the raising of the pension age—are coming together, but that is enabling us to link the pension with earnings, thus meaning that people will be £15,000 better off than they were under Labour’s plans.

This is what Shadow Minister for Women, Yvette Cooper, said when she opened the debate in the Commons:

In area after area, whether it is income, employment, child care, public services or action on violence against women, we are seeing the clock turned back. Today we want to concentrate on the Government’s reforms to the pension age and what is happening to women as a result. We understand the Government’s concern about rising longevity; of course we are all living longer and that has consequences. However, the nature and timing of the changes they have chosen is hitting women much harder than men. Bringing equalisation down to 2016 from 2018, combined with increasing the age again straight after that, means that women currently in their late 50s are getting a very bad deal. No men will see their state pension age increase by more than a year, but half a million women will do so. Those women, who are already in their mid to late 50s, are suddenly seeing their retirement plans ripped up. A third of a million women will have to wait an extra 18 months, and 33,000 women will have to wait an extra two years.

Let us think about what that really means. These women are already around 57 years old. They have been expecting to get their retirement pension in about seven years’ time. They will already have made financial plans; many will already have made retirement plans. These women are often the rock of their families. They are the ones who stopped work to look after their grandchildren so that their daughters could work, or they are working part-time and looking after elderly relatives. They have worked out how they can manage it, and how they can stretch their savings until the pension kicks in, and suddenly the Government are ripping all that up.

Those women have already made changes to their retirement plans, but these further changes are very late in the day, when it is extremely difficult for them to rearrange their plans. The consequence is that the equivalent of about £5,000 is being taken from half a million women, £10,000 is being taken from thousands of women, and £15,000 is being taken from those who are hardest hit—and they have less than seven years to work out how to cope. For most of those women it is too late to make changes to their financial plans and their career plans.

Let us take the case of Christine. She was born in July 1954. She is still working as a self-employed bookkeeper, and works about 25 hours a week. Like a lot of women her age, Christine says that she put her career on hold to bring up her children, so she does not have much of a private pension. She does not have extra savings to help her to cope and to make good the gap. Women in their late 50s have average pension savings of £9,100 compared with an average of £52,000 for men of the same age. These are women who took time out to look after their families, who worked part-time, and who started work in the ’70s when the pay gap was bigger. The pension system never properly recognised the contributions that they made to their families and to society, and now, as a result of what the Government are doing, it is kicking them in the teeth again.

The Government cannot tell us that this is being done to cut the deficit, because in 2016, when these changes come in, their structural deficit is supposed to have been eliminated. The best that the coalition has been able to come up with in its defence is to say that some of the poorest male pensioners who get pension credit will be quite hard hit too. I do not think that people such as Christine will consider that much consolation. Today, the Prime Minister tried to claim, “Well, it’s all right, it means that pensioners will be £15,000 better off because this is restoring the link with earnings,” but the link with earnings had already been restored as part of the Turner review. Making such a change now does not provide any benefits for women for many years to come. Instead, in the next few years, it hits extremely hard women who have worked hard for their families and for society.

Women on the Government Front Bench and Back Benches ought to do something about this. They should stand up and be counted; otherwise they are letting down women in their constituencies.

This afternoon, the Labour shadow ministerial team are leading a debate in the House of Commons. They’ll be arguing the case that the government’s cuts have hit women too hard, and that the changes to the state pension age are unfair.

At the end of the debate, all our MPs will get the chance to vote for a motion that specifically calls on the government to stick to the Coalition Agreement, and back down on their plans to make so many women wait longer for their state pensions.

Will you email your MP to ask them to vote for the motion tonight?

http://www.unionstogether.org.uk/wordsintoaction

Together, we’ve been pushing the government hard on this issue. Just last week, campaigners delivered our petition to MPs up and down the country – some even delivered it right to the doorsteps of Nick Clegg and Steve Webb, the Pensions Minister.

And our campaign is working – reports in today’s newspapers say that the government is facing growing anger from their own MPs about these plans, and just a few minutes ago the issue was raised with David Cameron at Prime Minister’s Questions.

This opposition day motion is unlikely to change the government’s pensions plans on its own – the real debate will come when MPs get the chance to vote on amendments to the Pensions Bill in a few weeks time.

But the more MPs we can get to vote for the motion this evening, the more pressure will be put on the government to back down. I know many of you have emailed your MPs before on this, but we can’t underestimate the importance of people getting in touch with their Members of Parliament.

Send your MP an email to ask them to put their words into action tonight.

http://www.unionstogether.org.uk/wordsintoaction

We’ve come so far on this pensions campaign – we have to keep the pressure up now!

You can read more about it in the Sheffield Telegraph, which said:

A GROUP of women came together at Nick Clegg’s Sheffield office to oppose planned changes to pensions which could make 500,000 women worse-off.

The protesters, including Janet Hague, one of the Sheffield Hallam MP’s constituents, handed a petition containing 10,000 signatures to staff at Mr Clegg’s office in Nether Green.

Signatories from across the country fear that up to half a million women born in 1953 and 1954 could lose up to £15,000 if the Pensions Bill becomes law.

Janet, aged 55, from Whirlow, said: “I worked as an accountant but gave up three years ago to look after my dad. I had planned to receive my pension at 60, then it was put back to 65 and now 66. The only thing I can do to cover my living costs is use my capital.

“It’s been suggested I could take Job Seekers’ allowance or get a job in a shop but not everyone wants that. It’s not fair when you have worked hard and planned to retire at a certain date for things to be changed.” Protesters want Mr Clegg to oppose sections of the Pensions Bill which propose the changes when it is voted on in Parliament.

She said:

"Our visit lasted just over half an hour. I gave Marcus Jones the petition and the literature from Unionstogether. I also gave a document stating my view of this situation. We did discuss for some time how:

• waiting two extra years for a pension would impact on our lives

• it was not fair to allow women to lose out on one or even two years of pension.

Marcus Jones appeared to understand our thoughts on this subject. I am not a Conservative voter. However I did find Marcus Jones very accommodating. I do think he got my main message:
All women should have reached 65 and parity with men as originally planned. I knew in 2003 that my state pension age of 64 was in the year 2018 and have planned for this. Now in 2011 I’m expected to wait another two years with only seven years notice and find the money to live during those extra two years."

You can read about their protest in this article in the Bristol Evening Post, which says: