With one month to go, an alert has been issued to women awaiting compensation by Women Against State Pension Inequality (WASPI) campaigners.
The WASPI initiative aims to help women who were born in the 1950s and who say their retirement plans were thrown into chaos after the Government didn’t properly notify them that their State Pension age would increase by more than five years. The women, who were negatively affected by their pension age going up, say that, while they are not against equalisation, they do not accept how the pension changes were implemented with inadequate or no notice.
Earlier this year, a report by the Ombudsman said WASPI women should be issued compensation of between £1,000 and £2,950 each and Parliament was told to “act swiftly” in making sure affected women received payouts. Many WASPI women were hoping a Labour victory would mean the money they are owed would finally arrive, reports LeicestershireLive.
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Back in May, then-leader of the opposition Sir Keir Starmer blasted the Tories and said: “The Ombudsman’s report came out I don’t know how many months ago now and the Government should have responded and they haven’t done so … it is shocking that the Government hasn’t dealt with it.”
But his own Government has yet to pay out any compensation either. Chancellor Rachel Reeves will deliver Labour’s first Budget on Wednesday October 30, and at the beginning of September, she told the BBC it would involve “difficult decisions” on tax, spending and benefits, with it looking unlikely that WASPI compensation will be a priority.
WASPI campaigners are now calling on others to join them as they conduct a demonstration in Parliament Square on October 30. A post on WASPI social media feeds reads: “WASPI women have traditionally gathered outside Parliament on such days, but this year we are asking all our supporters to go one step further.
“This is your opportunity to make your voice heard, as thousands of WASPI women renew their calls for fair and fast compensation on Budget Day.”