Almost 18,000 former miners across South Yorkshire receive pension boost in ‘historic milestone’

The pension uplift, which is part of a broader £1.5 billion transfer to the Mineworkers’ Pension Scheme, will affect around 112,000 former miners and their dependants across the UK. The decision follows years of campaigning by ex-pit workers and their families, seeking fairer payouts for those who contributed to the nation’s energy production for decades.

The increase represents an average rise of 32 per cent in the annual pensions for eligible members, providing much-needed financial support to former miners and their families.

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The pension scheme had been underfunded for years, with the government taking half of any surplus generated by the scheme after British Coal was privatised in 1994. The new agreement sees this surplus being returned to the miners, ensuring they will receive the benefits they were originally promised.

The government’s action follows a meeting between Energy Secretary Ed Miliband, Minister for Industry Sarah Jones, and members of the scheme at the National Union of Mineworkers’ headquarters in Barnsley, where they discussed the long-awaited transfer of the investment reserve.

The trustees of the Mineworker’ Pension Scheme said: “This month marks a historic milestone for the members of our scheme with the first instalment of pension resulting from the recent Investment Reserve transfer being paid. As trustees, we’re delighted that we’ve been able to get this extra money into our members’ pockets so quickly.

“This has been made possible due to the swift action of the Government in making good on its manifesto commitment but also as a result of the hard work of the team that supports the scheme.

“We are now looking forward to discussing our scheme’s surplus sharing arrangements with the Government in the coming months and sharing the outcome with our members as soon as we can.”