'This is about fair treatment to all ex-mine workers' Derbyshire miners welcome payout – but call for pension parity

At the end of October, the new government announced that miners who receive Mineworkers' Pension Scheme (MPS) will see their pensions increased – with around 8,800 Derbyshire miners set to receive an average of an extra £116 a month.

This comes after the Energy Secretary Ed Miliband confirmed that over 100,000 former mineworkers will receive £1.5 billion that was kept from their pensions, since 1970s, ‘overturning an historic injustice’.

John Burrows, an ex-miner from Duckmanton and a former Leader of Chesterfield Borough Council, was a full time union official when MPS was first introduced in 1976.

He said: “I was partially responsible for the introduction of the MPS among other mine workers. I was involved in the strikes in 1972 and 1974 and these were extremely difficult times for mine workers and their families. But that was the only way that we could get any satisfaction to get a mine workers pension scheme superannuated, as we did among the benefits.

"I’m glad the new government has decided that the amount of money that was set aside into the investment reserve from the mine workers pension scheme, should now be released and paid to mine workers as a bonus on a monthly basis. The mine workers that are receiving it are extremely happy that the government have honored their pledge in their manifesto.”

Councillor for Staveley Anne-Frances Hayes, has also applauded the decision, which has helped many residents across her ward.

She said: “Staveley has a proud mining history. It was home to Markham, later Ireland pit employing well over a thousand surface workers. The communities of Duckmanton and Poolsbrook were built on the mines and they contributed massively to the wealth of the area and the country in general. Indeed, the whole of the UK was powered on the backs of our miners.

“Since 1994, when the industry was privatised, successive governments have taken £4.8bn from the miners' pension scheme. It is a national scandal that the UK government has skimmed off funds that should have been passed to the miners and their families.

“It is a huge win for coalfield communities like Staveley that the new government has honoured its promise to put right this decades-long wrong, and pledged to transfer back the monies taken from the miners. This is a victory for the men and women who have campaigned for so long against this historical injustice that has seen thousands of miners to the grave.”

But while the government’s decision to pay back MPS scheme has been welcomed with enthusiasm, many former miners have been left disappointed that their colleagues who rely on the British Coal Staff Superannuation Scheme (BCSSS) cannot count on a pension increase they deserve.

The ex-miners set up a Facebook group calling for pension parity, which has almost 2,000 members.

Mark White, Chesterfield ex-miner who was a deputy at Markham for 14 years and the group member, said: "I have recently written to my local MP Toby Perkins regarding Labour’s manifesto commitment to repay billions back into MPS. What the government are ignoring is over 40,000 mineworkers in British Coal Superannuation Scheme. This scheme has also been raided in the same way as MPS.

"This is about fair treatment to all ex-mine workers, many of whom began paying into MPS before being promoted and joining BCSSS. They deserve parity."

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) said MPS and BCSSS were two seperate pension funds, which are operated differently and therefore must be considered seprately.

Speaking on the concerns regarding the BCSSS payments, Mr Burrows said: “The staff superannuation scheme was in place many, many years before the mine workers pension scheme was being paid and staff were receiving a superannuated scheme way before the mine workers on a daily paid basis were receiving their payments.

"I do not believe that there is the same surplus on investments in the superannuation scheme that on MPS scheme. As far as I'm aware, there isn't that same pot of money available to the British colinary staffs that there was available to the MPS miners.”

Chesterfield MP Toby Perkins has recently met with the former mine workers who raised concerns about the BCSSS scheme.

Mr Perkins said: “I am very proud that it is the new Labour Government that has finally delivered justice for miners by returning the £1.5 billion investment reserve back into the Mineworkers Pension Scheme. This change means 1295 former mineworkers in Chesterfield will receive an immediate 32% uplift in their weekly pension, overturning an historic injustice and ensuring fair payouts for years to come.

“I met last week with campaigners for mineworkers pension at a packed meeting of Labour MPs in coalfield communities. I do appreciate the concerns of former pit deputies and others who are in the BCSSS scheme and, will be taking up the case. Following the meeting, I am aware that there is some criticism of the Trustees of the scheme and the impact their decisions have had on the workers affected,

“The BCSSS scheme situation is different to the MPS scheme. The two schemes surplus-sharing arrangements with the government were initially quite similar. However, after the BCSSS faced deficits following the 2009 and 2012 valuations, they ended its surplus-sharing arrangement to stabilise the scheme and allow for pension increases.

"Although the surplus-sharing agreement was terminated, future benefits were secured, ensuring that bonus pensions could no longer be reduced, which meant the government became entitled to 100% of any future surpluses.

"Now workers in the BCSSS scheme believe those arrangements should be re-looked at and a fairer portion of the scheme be returned to the workers, I am taking up that case with the Secretary of state and Chancellor who responded so positively and quickly to our representations on the MPS scheme to see if they can also re-look at this.”