PEOPLE should not have to work beyond the age of 65 in return for a higher state pension, a new announcement by a pensioner lobby group claimed this week. The Government proposals have been blasted by the National Pensioners` Convention (NPC) which has br

PEOPLE should not have to work beyond the age of 65 in return for a higher state pension, a new announcement by a pensioner lobby group claimed this week.

The Government proposals have been blasted by the National Pensioners` Convention (NPC) which has branded them as unfair.

Later retirement would hurt manual workers who generally have a shorter life expectancy, the NPC said.

"Raising the state pension age would punish manual workers unduly since they do not live as long as people in white collar jobs," said Neil Duncan-Jordan, spokesman for the NPC.

He added that increased longevity - the reason cited by the Pensions' Commission for raising the pension age - was a double-edged sword.

'It is all very well living to 85 but many people endure prolonged ill health in the last decade of their lives," he said.

"If they work later this cuts down the time they have to enjoy a third age."

For some time now, the NCP has been lobbying for a hefty increase in state pension payments.

The state pension age for women is already set to rise from 60 to 65, the same as for men, between 2010 and 2020.

In a recent speech, Work and Pensions Secretary John Hutton said that a rise in the state pension age was inevitable.