A PETITION is hoping to force the British government to stop paying its pensioners the lowest amount in Europe.

The UK pays the worst basic pension, at just 17 per cent of the national average wage.

Most European pensioners receive at least 60 per cent of their countries average wage.

Only Estonia (33%),Ireland (31%),Holland (30%)and the UK(17%) pays less than 40 per cent.

Political consensus was reached by the EU Nations at the Laeken Summit 2001 that each member would pay 40 per cent by 2007 and then work towards 60 per cent.

Pensioners in Greece, Spain and Italy receive over five times the UK’s basic pension. Those in Portugal and France receive over four times, while in Sweden and Poland they get three times as much.

Sign the petition at http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/pensionpoverty/

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2 COMMENTS

  1. Why should anyone be so suprised at the figures? Successive British governments have undermined in a deplorable manner the very people who helped the ‘famous’ health and social security systems in Britain work by contributing for decades only to find that they are then treated like second class citizens when it is their turn to enjoy their hard earned pensions, whilst 10’s of thousands of people never having paid a penny into the system enjoy the same off their contributions. Only in the UK!

  2. why do people think that the uk should do everything that other countries do.We have subsribed to a pension at probably a lower rate than other countries.Hopefully the uk wont finish up like italy and greece.
    If we had the highest pension in europe then the same people who are whinging now would find something else to whinge about

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