Letter: The unfairness of the pension system

Letter: There have been various letters written and information given out about state pensions and how they will be paid.

I do not believe most of the general public, especially those who are nearing state pension age, really understand or appreciate how unjust the system is now and how still more unjust it is going to be from 2015.

Firstly, until April 2010 the qualifying periods for state pensions were based on 49 years' work for men and 44 years for women — and, of course, paying the correct level of National Insurance contributions.

If you did not have the full qualifying years you got a proportion of the full entitlement.

In April 2010 the rules changed so that you only need to have done 30 years' work to qualify for a full state pension. The irony of this is that when I get to retirement this year I will get the full pension of what is in the 2011/2012 tax year £102 per week, based only on 30 qualifying years, even though I gave 49 years' service over my lifetime.

My wife, who retired four years ago and was on the system where she needed 44 qualifying years to get the full pension, had only built up 38 years and gets about £85 per week. Neither she nor anybody else suddenly jumps to this year's £102 per week.

From 2015 it gets worse. The coalition Government has already announced that from then pensions will be £155 per week. But do not think that if you have retired before then you will be getting the £155 per week as it only applies to those who retire from 2015.

E Humphreys

Shrewsbury