Pensions timebomb

Saturday 18th March 2006, 12:00AM GMT.

A TIMEBOMB of pensioner poverty is ticking because some of the Island’s poorest-paid residents are excluded from benefiting from the social security system, says Deputy Geoff Southern.

He wants action to help people who do not earn enough to make Social Security contributions.

These are set at currently £633 a month.

Anyone who earns below that figure is therefore not entitled to sick pay and may lose their pension rights.

Deputy Southern says that the rule is particularly tough on single mothers who work on minimum wage and want to work only part-time to look after their children.

He has worked out that a person earning the minimum wage would have to work more than 30 hours to meet the social security threshold.

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