Pension age for ‘destitute’ labourers mean many die before claiming MP warns

An MP has called for the state pension age to be lowered for construction workers (Image: GETTY) An MP has called for the state pension age to be reduced for those who work in physically demanding jobs as many construction workers die before they can claim the support. Midlothian SNP MP Owen Thompson has called for a ‘full review’ into pensions and the construction industry to make the system fairer, reports the Daily Record . He said: ‘A full review is the first step on the road to righting this wrong, the first step towards stopping an entire generation being flung on the financial scrap heap. ‘After a lifetime of hard manual work, the ultimate ignominy for construction workers is to face poverty in their twilight years. Construction workers literally built this country. They deserve so much better.’ He cited an independent review of the state pension age published earlier this year, which recommended builders, electricians, plumbers and other manual labourers should be allowed to claim their state pension earlier than office workers. An MP has called for the state pension age to be lowered for construction workers (Image: GETTY) Research from Unite found most construction workers are not saving up for their retirement. Figures suggest just 797,000 workers in the construction sector are paying into a pension, which is just 36 percent of the total construction workforce. Mr Thompson said: ‘Why does it always have to be the working classes who suffer? The Work and Pensions Secretary said ministers will soon have to ‘grasp the nettle’ and raise the state pension age to 68. ‘It is working people who will bear the brunt of this. None more so than construction workers.’ An MP has called for the state pension age to be lowered for construction workers (Image: Getty) A DWP spokesperson said: ‘For 75 years the state pension has had a single issue and receipt date, there are currently no plans to change this.’ The state pension age is currently 66 and is set to increase gradually to 67 between 2026 and 2028 and then to 68 between 2044 and 2046. Former Labour MP Baroness Hoey previously warned the rise in the state pension age can have a big impact on people, particularly those who have worked in manual labour jobs. She told TalkTV in March: ‘There’s no doubt about it, people are living longer, therefore there is a tendency for them to be able to work on. As long as you have that choice that you can still work on and you don’t have to retire. ‘I think for a lot of people who have worked very, very hard, particularly in manual jobs, that are probably in many ways not as healthy as some of our jobs have been, I think it is quite awful to suddenly discover that you’re in that line, where you’re going to be the group that’s going to have to work on to get your state pension, which you’ve paid for right throughout your life.’ The full basic state pension is currently £156.20 a week while the full new state pension is £203.85 a week. For the latest personal finance news, follow us on Twitter at @ExpressMoney_.