New Delhi: Former mineworkers across the UK will receive a boost to their pension today, with some seeing an average of £29 extra to their weekly payment, the government announced Friday. This increase, affecting over 100,000 individuals, follows the government’s transfer of £1.5 billion to the Mineworkers’ Pension Scheme last month. The payment marks the end of a decades-long dispute over pension payouts for former miners.
The uplift represents an average 32% increase in annual pensions, translating to an average weekly increase of £29 for each of the nearly 112,000 former mineworkers and dependents who will benefit.
The government has also committed to reviewing the surplus-sharing agreement with the scheme trustees, ensuring that miners and their families continue to benefit in the years to come. This review will determine the next steps for the scheme, which is the largest pension scheme for miners in the UK, the release added. It also pledged to review any proposals put forward by the Trustees of the British Coal Staff Superannuation Scheme, which covers former pit managers.