Trade Union survey shows dangers of extending the state pension for both genders
AROUND ONE IN FOUR Scottish men and women have to stop working before their state pension age because of ill-health or disability, according to research published by the Trade Union Congress (TUC).
Thirty eight per cent of people in Scotland who are within five years of the retirement age recorded with the survey that disabilities or sickness was a reasons for being economically inactive.
The TUC report called Postponing the pension: are we all working longer? also found that nearly half a million workers across the UK who are within five years of state pension age have had to leave their jobs for medical reasons.
"Older workers have a crucial role to play in the labour market but we can’t expect the sick to wait longer to get a pension when they may need financial support more than ever." Frances O’Grady
The TUC general secretary, Frances O’Grady, said: "Raising the state pension age is an easy target for chancellors of the exchequer wanting to make stealth cuts. But these figures show that we must hold off on any further rises in the pension age until we have worked out how to support the 1 in 8 workers who are too ill to work before they even get to state pension age.
"People should be able to retire in dignity with a decent pension when the time is right. Older workers have a crucial role to play in the labour market but we can’t expect the sick to wait longer to get a pension when they may need financial support more than ever."
The TUC analysis revealed a north-south and regional divide with the south west of England seeing 1 in 13 affected by sickness and disability five years from retirement.
The south east of England saw 1 in 11, but the figures jump to 1 in 7 for Yorkshire and the Humber region, the north west, north
east, Wales and Scotland.
In the south east and south west England, sickness and disability are cited by just 24 per cent of those jobless in the run-up to state pension age but in Scotland it was 38 per cent and in Northern Ireland 53 per cent.
The south east of England saw 1 in 11, but the figures jump to 1 in 7 for Yorkshire and the Humber region, the north west, north
east, Wales and Scotland.
The report also showed that people who work in the lowest paid jobs, including cleaning, leisure, caring and heavy manual industries are twice as likely to stop working before the retirement age because of sickness and disability than those who are in management.
Workers over 50 now make up one in three of the workforce which is a up from less than one in four in 2000.
The report comes against the backdrop of UK government plans to raise the state pension age with the women's state pension age being gradually raised to 65 by November 2018.
By December 2018 the state pension age for both men and women will increase to 66 by October 2020 and will have another increase to 67 between 2026 and 2028.
By December 2018 the State Pension age for both men and women will increase to 66 by October 2020.
The professed aim of this policy by the UK government has been to improve public finances as pensions account for £43bn or 17 per cent of UK government spending.
In 2014-15, the UK government spent £258bn on welfare, representing 35 per cent of all government spending.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, stated in September that she felt raising the pension age would be “totally unfair" for workers in Scotland, however the Scottish Conservatives have consistently supported the proposals, calling capping the age of retirement "unsustainable."
Currently, an independent review of state pension age has been instituted by the UK Government and is being lead by civil servant John Cridland, who will consider what should happen to the state pension age after 2028.
Picture courtesy of OTA
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