WE HAVE all been watching our sisters and brothers across the channel in France bravely resisting their government’s attempts to raise the state pension age from 62 to 64.  

We hope that the resistance in France, together with a new and growing coalition of pension campaigners, will inspire workers in Britain to sit up and take notice of their retirements being stolen.

Here in Britain, the state pension age is already due to rise to 67 by 2028 and 68 by 2046 thanks to decades of neoliberalism.

To make matters even worse, the government recently indicated that it may attempt to bring forward the rise to 68, possibly as early as 2037, or even earlier. The Tories quite literally want us to work until we drop.

Fearing a massive defeat at the next general election, on Thursday March 30 the government announced that it won’t be bringing forward the state pension age this year.

Instead, the decision will be delayed until the next parliament. But the Tories can’t be trusted.

We clearly need copper-bottomed commitments from not just the Conservatives but from all major political parties that they will not raise the state pension age in the next Parliament.

Millions of workers below the age of 45 must already wait until they are 68 to claim the state pension.  

Decades of bad choices by politicians have left us with an economy which does not work for workers. Life expectancy is no longer rising steadily.

While the wealthiest can expect their good health to continue until they are 70, the poorest can only expect our good health to last until we are 52.

Cuts to the NHS and long waiting lists mean that the number of us not able to work due to long-term sickness has increased dramatically. Analysis by Age UK  found 1.3 million people aged 50-64 are “economically inactive” due to sickness.

Let’s not forget the role employers have played in the attack against our class: work no longer pays like it used to. Almost one in ten full-time workers and one in five part-time workers are now living in poverty.  

Age UK also found that almost one third (1.5 million) of pre-state pension-age households have savings of less than £5,000 and 10 per cent have savings of less than £250 — or no savings at all.

And after decades of attacks on defined benefit pension schemes, most of us can’t expect to have a comfortable and secure retirement anymore.

But many of the very same corporations that have slashed pensions over the years are doing very well indeed. Unite’s own research has found the profits of Britain’s largest companies are now 89 per cent higher than before the pandemic.

What is really scandalous is that there is enough wealth in our society to pay for a generous state pension for all, from the age of 65. That is why Unite is putting its stake in the ground.

The 68 Is Too Late campaign is already taking shape. After Unite’s Retired Members Committee passed a motion at their sector conference last November, Unite organisers began working with the committee to push back against any unnecessary and cruel attacks on the retirement age.

We are working alongside the National Pensioners Convention, the Scottish Pensioners Forum and Unite’s industrial members to bring the state pension age to people’s attention.  

Our petition has already gathered 30,000 signatures in just four weeks — it goes to show that there is real anger at this potential attack.

Politicians have a choice: will they take the side of the profiteers lobbying for lower and lower taxes — or will they take the side of ordinary people?

With a general election just around the corner, it is crucial we show politicians that we will not allow our state pension to be raided.  

The state pension age is already too high and the government can’t be trusted on this matter. Workers can see through the Conservative government’s game and we won’t let them get away with it.

Join Unite to hand in the petition on Tuesday May 2 at 2pm in London on College Green, 5 Great College Street, SW1P 3JY, and in Edinburgh at Queen Elizabeth House,1 Sibbald Walk, EH8 8FT.