Pension ‘injustice’ slammed as Hucknall and Bulwell's ex-miners ‘shafted again’

Calls have been made for the Government to ‘hand back’ £1.2billion as dozens of ex-miners around Hucknall and Bulwell feel they have been ‘shafted’ by the decision not to give them an immediate cash boost.
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The Government recently caused uproar by refusing recommendations of the Government’s Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Select Committee (BEIS) on the Mineworkers’ Pension Scheme.

The scheme recommended that ministers tackle the “historic injustice” and recommended that the £1.2bn ‘Investment Reserve’ – a fund left by British Coal to be called on in the event of a deficit – be given to ex-miners, equating to minimum of a £728 a year uplift.

A motion to discuss the rejection was set to be the hot topic at a full meeting of Nottinghamshire County Council this week, led by Ashfield Independent councillor Jason Zadrozny.

Councillor Jason Zadrozny at the former pit tip in AshfieldCouncillor Jason Zadrozny at the former pit tip in Ashfield
Councillor Jason Zadrozny at the former pit tip in Ashfield

The meeting was due to take place today (Thursday, July 22).

This latest motion, supporting local ex-miners who have been affected, claimed that the ‘Government should not be in the business of making money from the Mineworkers Pension Scheme and should now hand back the £1.2 billion from the investment reserve fund to the miners and their families’.

Coun Jason Zadrozny, the leader of Ashfield District Council, who put forward the motion, said: “Our ex-miners have to live with long-term illness and disabilities as a result of decades on the coalface.

“In a cynical move, Boris Johnson came to our area before the General Election in 2019 and made a promise to give ex-miners and their families their promised share of funding.

“Even a Government Select Committee called it a ‘historic injustice’ – now yet again our miners have been shafted.

“Thousands of ex-miners and their families lent them their vote as a result of broken promises.

“Many of them have gone to their deaths thinking that justice for miners had been finally achieved.

“Voting for this motion will send a clear message to ‘red wall’ MPs and the Conservatives in government that they should keep a clear promise to our ex-miners.”