A petition signed by 50,000 people was delivered to Downing Street earlier this week by MPs and representatives of the Women Against State Pension Inequality (WASPI) campaign, including those from the Isle of Wight.
The petition calls for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to “resolve a long-running injustice” and to provide a one-off compensation payment to women affected by State Pension age changes.
Over 48,700 people have signed the petition so far, which calls for fair and fast compensation for women born in the 1950s who saw an increase in their State Pension age of up to six years.
The changes saw 10s of thousands of the 3.8 million affected women plunged into poverty, with previous reports revealing one-in-four women have been unable to afford food and basic essentials as a result.
Campaigners claim ministers have persistently ignored their requests to meet and continue to “wilfully misrepresent [their] position” rather than acknowledging their pragmatic calls for compensation.
The petition calls on the Prime Minister to adopt a “more constructive and respectful position” in an effort to continue building the growing cross-party consensus for fair and fast compensation.
The petition comes after the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman was forced to row back on his Stage 2 report into Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) failings, when WASPI successfully argued in court that he had not properly considered the full impact on affected women.
The Parliamentary Ombudsman has been investigating the DWP’s mishandling since 2018, with tens of thousands of women dying during the course of the inquiry. Their Stage 1 investigation has already found the DWP to have committed ‘maladministration’.
Representatives of the WASPI campaign in Stephen Morgan MP’s Portsmouth South constituency also joined the Downing Street petition hand-in.
Shelagh Simmons, Solent Co-ordinator of the Women Against State Pension Inequality (WASPI) campaign, said:
“We’re delighted to have the support of Stephen Morgan in Portsmouth, and so many MPs from across the country who’ve joined our calls for fair and fast compensation as a result of the devastating hardships tens of thousands of women face as a result of DWP failings.
“In the Solent area alone, we have 84,630 women born in the 1950s, many of whom have had their retirement plans ripped up at the last minute, through no fault of their own. The Prime Minister must urgently listen to the 50,000 petitioners, and countless others who are crying out for compensation.”
Women keep going on about equality and when they have to work as long as men suddenly it’s all wrong
We agree to the age being the same as men,that is not the issue,we were only told ( in my case only 11 months before I was due to get my pension), totally unacceptable.
When my wife and I started work at 15 Years old I was given a deal, if you pay your NI contributions and your taxes you can retire and receive a pension at 65 and your wife can retire at 60. That was the deal. I didn’t contact them and say ‘ Oh, I changed my mind I no longer want to pay into this pension’ I am now 66 and I have been done for about 12k, my wife is 63 and by the time she can retire she will be done for 60k + Now that’s just not fare.
Women want equal pay as well but we still haven’t got that, have we? Funny how, since these women were forced to work another 6 years their daughters have dropped out of the workplace because they can’t afford childcare. And there’s a crisis in funding for the elderly because their (usually) carer daughters aren’t able to take on the role whilst working at their age. There was a reason women typically ‘retired’ before men because they never really retired. This short sighted government were warned, but chose not to listen until until it was too late.
get lost pietrr – equality exists now -if you choose not to work -your choice, your fault no one elses.
Equality works both way. They want equality at work but not when they retire.
Until men give birth there never can be equality.
Women are superior beings.
Both the comments posted show complete and utter ignorance of a very high order.
The Ladies affected are of a generation who raised families, worked, paid taxes etc., all on the understanding they would receive a State Pension at age 60.
The EU legislated that it was an inequality to provide a State Pension 5 years before men and Directed Member Countries (Governments) to set that anomaly right, without time scale and fairly.
Blair/Brown immediately implemented and effectively stole the pensions of Ladies who were qualified or as near as to receive full pension having paid in. Then lied that they had written explaining to each. Equality is correct, robbery of pensions, is not. They’re still lying and delaying, hoping most will die off.
they were adequately told 20 years in advance in the media campaign the government did…they had ample time to get jobs and prepare….equality swings both ways
no sympathy and do not see why I should be paying more tax just so these freeloaders can get paid.
I didn’t as a female have the same work opportunities as most men of my generation to build up a private pension. My father died at home and I looked after him so he didn’t go into care (but no money or property to inherit). I have looked after grandchildren, children as well as my ageing parents. I have now retired (not quite on a full state pension even though I had several years with a number of weeks contributions but I couldn’t afford to top up). Unfortunately the older generation are now put into nursing homes asap as their families turn their backs. I cannot afford to live to a ripe old age financially and I actually don’t wish to I just hope I have the mental awareness to know when it is my best time to say goodbye to life.
you chose to look after your father, you chose to look after grandchildren and children – no one force you – you could have worked, it was your choice, no one elses.
my mother and other generations of my family worked through child caring years, built businesses, didn’t have child care and juggled it all just fine.
stop making excuses for your choices -the rest of us shouldn’t be expected to compensate you for your choices.
Get your facts straight. Women’s pension age hike, by a much shorter period, was escalated under cover of brexit to an unacceptable 6 years. The very reason the ombudsmen found in their favour.
garbage and well you know it – the notification of the change to 65 went out in 1995 – funny how I know about it and am still of working age now.
You know nothing and it was not 1995 so get your facts right you horrible cretin,
Freeloaders !!, and as for adequately told 20 years before , even the High Courts know they did not tell any of us , have stated we should be paid out at once, there was no Media campaign, i found out at 57, you need to get your facts straight Joe, your wrong on all counts, sounds like you have a major problem with women, lots of women had bad health and had to look for a job, many had to go and live with family because they couldn’t pay there bills with bad health, every 14 minutes one of these ladies die, we paid in all our lives, with the premise we would get our pension at 60, its the worst paid pension in Europe but it was better than nothing, and nothing is what we got, get your facts right, before you put your mouth into gear.
So women can be considered equal when it comes to robbery but not when it comes to brutality, equal opportunities and equal pay eh?
Equality is a 2 way street – Ladies, please stop bleating on about it.
Theft of pension is not equality it is theft plain and simple, and men will be next if they do not support women in this.
So equal rights when it comes to disadvantaging women right? But not when it does actually mean giving them equality like equal pay and promotion prospects which are still mostly a fallacy. And then there’s the matter of common sense. Women historically retired earlier than men because in truth they never really retired. The government were warned about women leaving the workplace because they can’t afford childcare because their mothers are no longer available to help. Then there’s the question of a funding crisis for the elderly, historically cared for by those women who now are forced to remain in the workplace who are simply too tired to manage both. They didn’t listen.
They’re listening now but it’s too late.
Then there’s the question of a funding crisis for the elderly
really – I know countless women that did nothing but claim benefits, couldn’t be bothered to work from the 1950’s until now – their only goal – to seamlessly switch from income support to state pension without a hitch.
some deserve nothing, as they contributed nothing.
When I married at 19 years of age my husband paid into a joint pension, he died at the age of 39years from health issues although started work aged 14 years, I don’t get any money from this, anyway Nov 1954 I was born ,whilst men born in that year got a free bus pass and changed working shift and worked until 66 they did pretty damn good,I suffered living on ESA until I retired 6 yrs to be exact..I paid for those who had free bus passes and continued working I being on crutches I’m an insurance liability so no work..yes I’m hurt yes I feel unfairly treated ,but because I get 5 pounds higher state pension I can’t get pension credits like the men get digging at my ex who laughs in my face..