UNISON has submitted its response to the government’s independent review into what factors should be considered when determining the state pension age

UNISON’s response, with contributions from members, highlighted the physical and mental demands that essential workers face. The union believes it is not fair to expect workers to ‘just keep going’ in such roles.

The state pension age stayed the same for over six decades after 1948 but has seen several increases since 2010. Currently set at 66, a timetable was set in 2014 for it to rise further to 67 in 2026-8 and then to 68 in 2044-6. UNISON argues that the state pension age should be predictable and constant.

Furthermore, the life expectancy projections of ten years ago that were the basis for increasing the pension age have been shown to be optimistic. The increases planned to 67 and then 68 are not justified by the most recent life expectancy evidence.

We also now know when the state pension age rose from 65 to 66 in 2018-20 that poverty rates surged for 65-year-olds as a direct consequence. Increasing the state pension age as previously planned from next year will undoubtedly damage hard-pressed households.

Reaching state pension age can be a lifeline for many people who are experiencing poverty on inadequate working age benefits or struggling to remain in paid employment in their 60s. It can also be a liberation, as it allows more time to undertake enjoyable and economically useful activities away from paid employment.

Grandparents provide a huge amount of unpaid care that supports parents in employment, and older people have the highest rates of volunteering in the community.

UNISON believes that increasing the state pension age is a false economy and the state pension needs to be available to people at an age when they can enjoy it.