Ex-miners call on UK government to free up pension reserves

Former Welsh miners have urged the UK government to release £2.3bn of reserves from their pension schemes so they can be paid out.

government from Miners' Pension Scheme (MPS) in the October Budget, but the money remains frozen for those in the alternative pension scheme, the British Coal Staff Superannuation Scheme (BCSS).

Lindsey Hopkins, 75, one of more than 3,000 former miners who could be affected, said the government had “thrown us to the wolves” by not treating both schemes in the same way.

The Department of Energy and Net Zero said it would discuss the matter with the Treasury.

Mr Hopkins started working at Merthyr Vale Colliery and continued in the industry until working in private mines following privatization in 2010.

He retired at the age of 60 due to poor health, chest and joint problems.

He said he was “very distressed” that BCSS reserves were not being released to pensioners.

“Coal, steel got this country to where it is now, and now look at us – they've thrown us on the scrap heap,” he said.

Mr Hopkins said he believed miners and their pensions had been mistreated by successive governments.

“I have no confidence in the government. I have no confidence in any government. They've got a hold of it and they're going to keep it rather than give it to someone else.

“It's not theirs, it's ours.”

Under the deal signed 30 years ago, the government is entitled to half of the remaining cash in return for guarantees of its value, although no funds have been taken away since 2015.

Previous Labor manifestos had said reserves for MPS and BCSSS pensions would be released, but the 2024 manifesto only mentioned MPS.

BCSS pension trustee Bleddyn Hancock said he believed this was an oversight but one that urgently needed to be corrected.

“We feel very strongly about this,” he said.

“We make this money and we have to fight for it. We suffer for it, we bleed for it, we die for it.

“This is our money and we want the government to end this injustice and give our money back to us.”

Mr Hancock said the money would increase pensions for those on the BCSS scheme by about 50 per cent at a time when many people were struggling with the cost of living.

“We are all old. We have not saved for the future. Now the rainy days are coming.”

Leslie Davies, 77, from Nixonville in the Merthyr Valley, said he saw former colleagues dying and action needed to be taken quickly and there needed to be fairness between the two pension schemes.

“I don't know why they don't do that because we all work in the same industry and it's time for them to sort out our pension issues as quickly as possible,” he said.

“We are dying as a group and some people are not going to get this pension. I don't know how long it will take to get this pension and more are going to disappear.”

Gareth Paine, a 65-year-old former miner from Troedyrhiw, said he believed the government “wanted us to leave” but “at the end of the day, we all work in the same place and we all bear the same risks”.

BCSS trustees recently met with Industry Secretary Sarah Jones, with Bleddyn Hancock saying it was a positive meeting.

“She's very sympathetic and I think she wants to do something about it but now the matter has gone to the Treasury and we're waiting for their approval and I hope we'll get it but it's not a done deal yet so we're The more pressure we can put on governments to end this injustice, the better,” he said.

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero said: “The British Coal Pension Scheme operates differently to the Miners’ Pension Scheme, subject to the agreement with the scheme trustees.

“Minister Jones recently met with BCSS trustees and committed to discussing their recommendations with Treasury.”

“The government has not withdrawn any funds from the scheme's surplus since 2015. All surpluses have been used purely to fund future pensions.”