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Pensioners in protest for better state pension
22 October 2008 15:54
Great Britain's older generations today (October 22nd) hit parliament square to campaign for a better state pension.
They were joined by trade union movements as they demanded Westminster for a fairer basic pension for the over 60s of today and tomorrow.
The aim of the lobby is to have the basic rate of pension payments increased to £151 per week and the link with earnings to be restored immediately.
General secretary of the Trades Union Congress (TUC), Brendan Barber, said that the state pension remained a key achievement, but its value had melted away since the link with earnings was ended by the last Conservative administration.
Joe Harris, the head of the National Pensioners Convention, echoed Mr Barber's comments, saying that it was a national disgrace that more than 2.5 million older Britons could be allowed to live below the poverty line.
According to statistics from the TUC, about 60 per cent of pensioner couples have an annual income of £15,000 or less.
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