Equal survivor pensions in the private sector: A briefing for union negotiators

The government review into survivor benefits estimated that 27 per cent of private sector schemes (1,334 schemes) that provide a survivor pension treat same-sex spouses and civil partners less favourably than opposite-sex spouses, relying on an exemption in the Equality Act 2010. The TUC estimates that more than 70,000 members of defined benefit pension schemes in the private sector will leave a surviving same-sex spouse or civil partner.

This guide sets out the facts, the law and the arguments to persuade employers to extend voluntarily the provisions of their occupational pension schemes to provide equal survivor benefits.