Miners’ Pension Scheme: A welcome gesture thanks to the people who actually fought for it

Rhys Mills

This week, the new chancellor, in what the government would surely have us believe is an act of exceptional benevolence, announced a couple of long awaited changes to the Mineworkers’ Pension Scheme (MPS).

We’re told the MPS Investment Reserve Fund is to be transferred to the Trustees of the scheme, a one time bump in funds that will “enhance payouts” for the miners who’ve spent decades campaigning for something remotely fair.

As if that wasn’t enough, we’re also treated to the promise of a “review” of the surplus sharing arrangement and a commitment to “look into” the Treasury’s habit of pocketing half the scheme’s surplus for itself, year after year.

Fight

So, yes, we’re getting something. Let’s not be ungrateful here, MP’s Like Ed Miliband have delivered and should be commended for it. It’s a welcome step forward. But before we let the government bathe in the glow of its own generosity, let’s remember who actually drove this fight for change. And, spoiler alert, it wasn’t the Welsh Labour MPs – well, unless your name happens to be Beth Winter.

Let’s start with the government’s big gesture here, the transfer of the Investment Reserve Fund to the MPS Trustees. It’s being framed as though this is some grand concession, like the government has just gifted miners the Crown Jewels, when really, it’s just a modest step, a polite nod of recognition to miners who’ve spent decades working in dangerous conditions.

Will it boost pensions? Yes. Will it transform lives? Probably not. It’s a relief, and it’s welcome. But let’s not pretend this is the change miners have campaigned for, because it isn’t.

Credit

In Wales, where real campaigns are won by people with names and faces, not
government press releases, the hard work has been done by retired miners themselves: Ken Sullivan, Neville Warren, Emlyn Davies the late, great Harry Parffit and Gareth Hughes.

These men have shown up, gathered signatures, and kept the issue on the agenda while some politicians looked the other way. And it’s thanks to their determination, not government goodwill, that we’re seeing any movement at all.

And while we’re handing out due credit, we can’t forget the late Steffan Lewis AM. He took this fight into the political sphere, raising the problem of the surplus sharing arrangement and calling for an independent review long before the Treasury announced it was even remotely interested.

This wasn’t just a campaign to him; it was about basic decency. His efforts lent credibility to the movement and made sure it couldn’t be ignored. To her credit, his successor Delyth Jewell has continued to add to his legacy, keeping the issue firmly in the spotlight whenever she could.

Review

Now, on to the other “big” news! A “review” of the 50/50 surplus sharing arrangement. For those not versed in this glorified profit-sharing scheme, here’s the basics…

Back in 1994, the government graciously decided to be the MPS’s guarantor,
meaning they’d cover any shortfall in the fund. In return, they’d trouser half of any surplus the scheme generated, forever, until the end of time. Over the years, this little arrangement has allowed the Treasury to quietly scoop up over £4 billion, while miners were left with whatever was left in the pot.

Now we’re told this arrangement will be “reviewed.” Not scrapped, not reimbursed mind you, just reviewed. The sort of review that will undoubtedly be followed by countless committee meetings and serious frowns before we hear that it’s all really very complex and, goodness me, who could possibly untangle it? Think of a fox reviewing whether it should keep half the eggs in the henhouse. A nod to scrutiny without any of the hassle of real change.

Let’s spare a moment for our Welsh Labour MPs, that quiet bunch who’ve done so
much…or rather, so little. The only exception being Beth Winter, who was vocal, consistent, and because of her commitment to being a good socialist, entirely unwelcome in Keir Starmer’s Labour Party.

Hard work

Maybe he was too busy handing out parachutes to fully paid-up members of the Starmer appreciation society to notice her hard work? The rest of the Welsh Labour MPs? Silent.

In fact, at the risk of annoying the leadership of my own party, there was a Welsh MP that did some heavy lifting. Jonathan Edwards – If you’re reading this Jonathan, the lads would like to thank you for the work that you did, and so would I.

And as a further shot in the foot to any future ambition I have within Plaid Cymru, here’s a photo of Jonni and Liz Saville Roberts with the miners outside downing street presenting the petition that got us here. The reason? Every Welsh MP was invited to turn up that day, only Plaid Cymru did. (now there’s a metaphor for you)

‘Victory’

To be fair to the Labour Government in Westminster, these announcements are a
step forward. One step in the right direction. The miners deserve this transfer, this review, and much more.

But real justice means more than a one-off boost or a review that kicks the can down the road. It means the end of the 50/50 surplus sharing arrangement and a commitment to returning what’s already been taken.

The miners who’ve led this campaign know this isn’t the finish line. We’ll keep pushing until true reform is in place, and we won’t be distracted by one time transfers or vague promises. We know that justice isn’t something that happens by accident; it’s something you must fight for, with or without MPs in your corner.

So, if you’re a government official or a Welsh Labour MP hoping to bask in this “victory,” perhaps remember that the credit belongs to the miners and the grassroots campaigners.

And if you’re holding your breath for them to pack up and go home after this announcement, well, don’t hold it too long. Because they’re not asking for charity, they’re asking for what’s rightfully theirs. And they’re not stopping until they get it. I love them for that. They are after all, the real heroes of this story.

Rhys Mills is a Plaid Cymru councillor and Mayor of Blackwood – This article is dedicated to Steffan, Harry and Gareth (and Non too).