‘Work until we die?' Independent readers outraged over retirement age review

Independent

2 days ago

Liz Kendall's announcement of a new review into the state pension age has drawn a strong response from readers, especially older workers and pensioners who feel increasingly squeezed by reforms they see as both unfair and unrealistic.
Many took issue with the idea of raising the retirement age again, warning that it fails to account for physical decline, especially among manual workers.
'My knees have packed in,' said one 73-year-old, who retired at 65 after a lifetime of physical labour. 'There's no way I could keep doing the work I used to.'
Several readers questioned Ms Kendall's assertion that future pensioners should take heed and save more, with many pointing out that saving is only an option for the wealthy or those with disposable incomes.
A recurring theme was frustration at a system seen to punish those who had 'done everything right' – saving into private pensions and paying contributions, only to be left with little support.
'He told me to retire penniless,' another reader said of her father's bitter advice, 'because then you get everything.'
A few commenters looked to the future, suggesting that instead of clinging to outdated models, the government should explore policies like basic income to address the long-term impacts of AI and inequality.
Here's what you had to say:
Pensioners don't drain the system
Pensioners are nearly always referred to as if they're draining the system of something they're not entitled to. Forgotten is the fact that most of them worked until 65 and paid what was due until they did. As we now know, it doesn't protect them from poverty in old age. Only those with private pensions, which are also subject to taxation that wasn't foreseen when many set these plans up, have enough to cover basic costs.
Saving? How does the average worker do that? They can hardly afford to put food on the table and get by. Take more money out of people's pockets, which cuts spending, and even more high streets will become derelict and industries will fail.
Increasing retirement age? A friend died at 69 recently, and another at 72 (neither were manual workers). Increasing retirement age for manual workers would be cruel as well as disastrous, or are people supposed to work until they drop? Too many pensioners are having to desperately look for jobs to boost pensions that don't enable them to eat and heat. Maybe it's time the government took a look at some of the systems that work in other countries!
Quick-fix ideas aren't the solution. A system fit for purpose, where everyone pays their fair share and people can retain their dignity and are able to live without having to calculate how and if they're entitled to benefits or charity to get by, is the only sensible way forward. Will it happen? I would lie if I said I was optimistic!
Ambigirls
Do you think the state pension age should rise — or is it already too high? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
Reform, not tinkering
There are issues with the triple lock, but the savings narrative is a fiction. As people (particularly working-class people) approach 70, they are more likely to find themselves unable to find suitable employment or be underemployed. So they will require working-age benefits. It is not difficult to imagine that there would also be increased costs on the health system as ageing bodies are required to work more and more.
Further, it is likely that around one-third of millennials will end their working lives in the private rental sector, so housing support will be required at greater levels.
We cannot keep tinkering with these systems just to balance the books on paper. We must reform the tax code and the social security net to make both fit for the modern age.
lostboy88
Punished for saving
My dad saved, paid into private pensions and paid his contributions. He was never unemployed and did everything the government asked him to do. When he retired, he found to his disgust that he was entitled to very little from the state – effectively punished for having saved, etc, whilst others who contributed nothing were given everything by the state. That's socialism. He told me to never make his mistake and ensure I retired penniless to get the maximum back from all I had paid in.
saghia
Work until we die?
OK, so here we have the result of all those people who wanted to avoid benefits cuts. The alternative is for working people to work longer.
Some benefit cuts were needed, in my opinion.
And before anyone suggests a 0.2 per cent tax on billionaires – whether we like it or not – they can leave the UK, fly in from time to time if they really want to, and then we'd lose the huge amount they do pay in tax. What then? Work until we die? Ordinary people are paying for a few too many freeloaders, in my opinion. Where is the sympathy for non-unionised people who work and pay tax?
Hi5
Saving is not the answer
Saving? Saving is NOT the answer. If we try to save more, we spend less. If we spend less, businesses sell and make less, so they invest less... just the opposite of what we need to increase the output needed to pay pensions.
It is a good example of the confused thinking that affects so many people. An individual who saves more will have more to spend in retirement than they would otherwise have. If we all try to do that, we are all worse off. What is right for an individual is often not right collectively (wet wipes, panic buying, burning smoky fuel, saving for retirement, etc). The Fallacy of Composition.
much0ado
People aren't saving because they can't
People aren't saving because they can't – it's that simple. There is no money left at the end of the month to save anything because of the cost of living. A large majority of people are having to live pay cheque to pay cheque with no slack. Unless something is done about that, then there is a huge problem being stored up for the future, let alone Reeves saying she was going after people's savings!!
deadduck
Gross inequality is the root of our problems
The government can't simply keep increasing the state pension age for one reason: some people become physically incapable of working when they get a little bit older. Asking a manual worker to keep digging holes when he's nearly 70 is absurd. The government needs to deal with tax evasion and avoidance, including offshore.
I'd also introduce a land value tax, which forces the wealthy to pay their share. Gross inequality is the root cause of many of our societal problems, and it's time it was addressed. You don't deal with it by taxing working people more – you tax the ultra wealthy who pay basically nothing.
flying scot
It makes sense to raise the pension age
People are largely living longer because of better living conditions, nutrition and healthcare. For example, I'm now much older than all my grandparents were when they died. Although the most vulnerable must still be cared for, it makes sense to raise the pension age to reflect this change in society – it is the 21st century rather than the 1900s...
hayneman
Onsalught on working-class people
I'm 73, retired at 65 and did manual work most of my life. My knees have packed in, and the rest of my body is slowly packing in now – there is no way I am able to do the sort of work I did when I was younger, and haven't been able for well over 10 years now. This is the case for many manual workers.
How can Kendall, Reeves, Streeting, Starmer etc. call themselves a Labour government with this continual onslaught on working-class people? The trade unions should withdraw support and funding immediately and advise their members to place their votes elsewhere, preferably not in Farage's direction, though.
manwithnoname
The future looks unpredictable
We must bear in mind that the relentless march of AI and other systems is considerably reducing the number of jobs in many sectors dependent on 'exchanges of data', from simple insurance to DVLA or HMRC, for instance... The list is endless.
How can these workers be 'recycled' in the short term? How do we ensure that those mythical 16-year-old voters HAVE some employment to look forward to after finishing their studies, at whatever level?
Importing 'low-grade' labour is eating into the job supply at the bottom end, while all those 'surgeons and engineers' cream off the top end...
The future looks unpredictable for too many youngsters. Problems must be addressed now!
Failure to do that will make the triple lock – an invaluable resource to many pensioners still – look like change from the back of the sofa...
YvesFerrer
These reviews are so detached from people's realities
Financial literacy is not taught in schools. I suspect a large proportion of people who are not planning for retirement don't understand money very well. Also, a huge number of people don't have enough disposable income to save at a level that would give a comfortable retirement. You need, in current terms, around £300,000 to £500,000 in private funds. That is for someone who owns their own home. If you retire but have to still pay for rented accommodation, you've got no chance.
These reviews are so detached from people's realities. After paying tax and National Insurance for 50 years, I get my State Pension next year – and I will be paying income tax on it :)
Lithiumiron
Some of the comments have been edited for this article for brevity and clarity.