The shame of a Labour Government that has betrayed WASPI Women

With 3.8 Million women facing hardship as a result of the way in which the 1995 Conservative Government’s State Pension Act has been implemented, back in March 2024 the findings of the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman recommended payouts of between £1,000 and £2,950 each, 17th December 2024 will go down in history as the shameful day that Labour abandoned working women.

The WASPI women felt that with senior Labour politicians such as Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall and the prime minister himself among those who have been pictured alongside campaigners holding signs backing their cause before Labour won power, that they would finally see justice, however. In Government, Liz Kendall announced that contrary to the Ombudsman's findings there had been adequate notice of the changes, and no compensation would be paid.

Liberal Democrat Work and Pensions spokesperson Steve Darling MP said “Today (17th December) is a day of shame for the government. The new government has turned its back on millions of pension-age women who were wronged through no fault of their own, ignoring the independent Ombudsman’s recommendations, and that is frankly disgraceful.”

“The Conservative party left our economy in a shambles, but asking wronged pensioners to pay the price of their mismanagement is simply wrong.”

"For years, Liberal Democrats have pushed the government to fairly compensate WASPI women in line with the Ombudsman’s recommendations."

History

In 1995, the Conservative Government passed the State Pension Act, which phased in an increase in the state pension age for women from 60 to 65 (about 3.8 million women in total) over several years, bringing it in line with men’s. The debate surrounding WASPI women has focused on the question as to whether sufficient notice was given to women born between 6th April 1950 and 5th April 1960 about a 5 year increase in their state pension age from 60 to 65. Further changes in 2011 led to a second wave of increases which were implemented faster than had been promised, again with insufficient notice.

Much of the debate has focused on the perception that the rise in pension age was enforced without adequate notice, often much sooner than promised, and sometimes leaving these women vulnerable after facing multiple increases. Countless women now facing financial struggles with insufficient time to adjust their retirement plans, have been shocked to learn that their retirement age has extended by up to six years without their prior knowledge.

Whilst the Turner Commission proposed 15 years of notice, and SAGA suggested 10 years, the changes made in 1995 were not adequately disseminated, and many women received no notification at all.

However, it is not just the notice given that has been unfair as many women were excluded from work pension schemes. The burden of care in the family falls more often on women, and now, as caregivers or due to their own poor health, many women are finding stable work has become nearly impossible and left relying on zero hour contracts or Job Seekers’ Allowance.

The treatment of women born in the 1950s has been notably unfair, as the way the state pension age increases were introduced has created significant disparities.
Women of similar ages face extreme inequalities, where even a year’s difference in birth date could mean an additional three years waiting for their pension. 
Women born between April 6, 1951, and April 5, 1953, received letters about these significant increases only 14 years after the 1995 Act (Many only got the information a year before their expected pension age of 60). Some women received as little as one year of notice for increases of up to six years, while men were informed six years in advance of a one-year increase. Many reported never receiving any letter, while others had their letters sent to incorrect addresses despite updating their contacts with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).

The issues facing WASPI women (and many other women too):

Faced with working at least five years longer than they expected, there are significant societal problems that are increasing the the struggles faced by these women:

The job market struggles to accommodate older women, forcing many into low-paying, insecure jobs with no financial stability.

• Some women must take on jobs unsuitable for their health.
• To access limited Job Seekers’ Allowance, they endure humiliating assessments; otherwise, they risk sanctions.
• Some find themselves in jobs that worsen their financial situation.
• Some have made irreversible life choices based on the expectation of retiring at 60, such as accepting early redundancy.
• Single, divorced, or widowed women often find themselves without additional income, may paid reduced national insurance as they anticipated receiving benefits based on a spouse's pension, and so the independence of many women has diminished, leading to reliance on partners or husbands for support.
• Those caring for elderly or ill family members find it challenging to work, while others face health issues themselves.
• Even women who planned and saved adequately for retirement are now surviving on dwindling savings until they finally reach the new state pension age, at which point their only income will be from their state pension.