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Waspi Campaigners Prepare Legal Action Over Pension Age Changes
Advocates for the “Waspi” women—those adversely affected by the increase in the state pension age—are intensifying their efforts by threatening legal action against the government for its refusal to allocate £10 billion in compensation.
In March of the previous year, the parliamentary and health service ombudsman advised that women born in the 1950s should receive compensation due to the gradual raising of their pensionable age to match that of men. The ombudsman argued that these changes were poorly communicated to the affected individuals.
However, in December, government officials declared that no compensation would be granted to this demographic. Labour leader Keir Starmer acknowledged the concerns voiced by parliament members regarding the government’s stance but noted that “Ninety per cent of those impacted did know about the change,” adding that taxpayers could not bear the extensive financial burden of compensation.
The Waspi campaign has responded by issuing a “letter before action” to the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), indicating their readiness to take the matter to the High Court if satisfactory resolutions are not achieved.
Angela Madden, chair of the Waspi group, expressed determination to challenge what she refers to as the DWP’s “gaslighting” of women in their group. She asserted, “The government has accepted that 1950s-born women are victims of maladministration, but it now says none of us suffered any injustice. We believe this is not only an outrage but legally wrong.”
She further conveyed a sense of optimism regarding their past successes and urged the government to engage in discussions to establish a reasonable compensation package, stating, “The alternative is continued defence of the indefensible but this time in front of a judge.”
Notably, senior ministers such as Chancellor Rachel Reeves and Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Liz Kendall had previously shown support for the Waspi campaign during Labour’s time in opposition.
An estimated 3.6 million women in the UK were affected by the phased implementation designed to equalize their retirement age with that of men, a process that originated in 1995. The pace of this adjustment was accelerated in 2011 by the coalition government.
Campaigners highlight that many women have encountered financial difficulties and have had to alter their retirement expectations as a result.
Brian Leishman, among the ten Labour MPs who backed a bill initiated by the SNP urging the government to take action based on the ombudsman’s findings, warned that the next UK government could risk becoming more extreme if Labour fails to provide “improved living standards.”
A spokesperson for the government acknowledged the ombudsman’s findings of maladministration and conveyed an apology for a 28-month delay in communication with 1950s-born women. However, the spokesperson stressed that “evidence showed only one in four people remember reading and receiving letters that they weren’t expecting and that by 2006 90% of 1950s-born women knew that the state pension age was changing.”
The spokesperson concluded that, “for these and other reasons, the government cannot justify paying for a £10.5 billion compensation scheme at the expense of the taxpayer.”
Source
www.theguardian.com