Conor McGinn, St Helens North MP, is demanding a far better deal for former mine workers from St Helens and across the region.
He has joined Gloria DePiero MP in writing to the trustees of the Mineworkers’ Pension Scheme (MPS) to call for a meeting to review an arrangement that has deprived ex-miners of billions of pounds.
Under an agreement made by the Tory Government and the trustees of the British Coal pensions schemes in 1994, 50 per cent of the surplus made by the MPS goes to the Government.
Since 1994, it has made хЃ3.36bn from the scheme ‰лв despite making no contributions, even when the scheme was in deficit.
Mr McGinn is working with the National Union of Mineworkers and MPs from coalfield communities to get a fairer deal for ex-miners.
Commenting, Mr McGinn said:
“Thousands of miners from St Helens and Lancashire and across the North West worked hard in difficult and dangerous conditions to build up a pension pot for their retirement.
“I believe they or their widows and families should have a much greater share of the huge surplus that has been built up.
“We will keep fighting for them. The Government might want to forget the contribution these men made, but we won’t. Victory to the Miners.”