Opting Out Of Equal Pensions (No. 2)

EDM number 420 in 1991-92, proposed by Richard Caborn on 17/12/1991.

That this House condemns the Government's intention to amend Article 119 of the Treaty of Rome, using a protocol attached to the Maastricht Treaty to the effect that occupational pension contributions paid before 17th May 1990 will not constitute pay and will therefore be exempt from any requirement to treat men and women equally; notes that this flies in the face of the European Court's ruling of 17th May 1990 that occupational pension contributions and rights are a form of deferred pay under Article 119; and further notes that the Government's proposed action is purely designed to bounce the European Court into overturning its own decision and that the protocol means British pensioners will not achieve equality for another 40 years, even though equality is already in place throughout the rest of Europe.

This motion has been signed by a total of 38 MPs.