The WASPI group fighting for State Pension compensation have submitted a list of demands to the Government as part of their dispute with the Department for Work and Pensions. The demands submitted by the Women Against State Pension Inequality includes a “fair and fast” cash settlement in a bid to resolve their fight with the DWP over age changes to the state pension over the last 13 years.
WASPI women were born in the 1950s and face a direct impact of changes by the Government which would bring the state pension age for women up from 60 to 65 to equalise with men. The state pension age then went up to 66 for everyone.
The group say they were not properly informed of the changes by the Government and that the poor communication left them with “insufficient time” to prepare for up to six more years without their pension. They have argued with the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman that they have had lasting financial problems as well as impacts on their health and emotional wellbeing by the changes, The Mirror reports.
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An investigation by the independent complaint handling ombudsman has already found that the DWP had failed to give women enough notice of the changes. Stage two of this investigative report was rejected recently due to legal errors, but the report is being revisited and should be published by the summer.
The WASPI group say this investigation is “crucial” as they believe it will have an impact on the amount of compensation they could get. The group has since urged all of its members to write to their MPs with a list of ten demands to put pressure on the ombudsman – which can be downloaded from from their website.
The group says: “Some of us were already 58 when the DWP pulled the rug from under us by letting us know far too late that we could not retire and draw a pension at 60 but must instead wait until 66. By then we had taken life-changing decisions to leave work, often taking up caring responsibilities for our elderly parents, grandchildren or ill partners.”
The group has said they understand they have no right to compensation, but argue it would be the “legally correct decision” to make. They added: “We strongly believe the ombudsman must reach a legally correct decision on the injustice we have experienced.”
The 10 steps outlined by the Waspi group include:
- Complete the investigation with a sense of urgency
- Clearly and correctly identify when maladministration began
- Clearly and correctly identify when maladministration ended
- Reach a sound conclusion on what would have happened if women had been correctly notified of the changes to their state pension age
- Make realistic findings on direct financial losses
- Look at the lost opportunities for women to make different financial decisions
- Properly consider the distress, anger and hurt of those affected
- Take account of varying impacts based on circumstances
- Reach conclusions in a fair manner including consultation with WASPI
- Make compensation recommendations that are fair, fast and straightforward
A DWP spokesperson told The Mirror: “The Government decided over 25 years ago it was going to make the State Pension age the same for men and women. Both the High Court and Court of Appeal have supported the actions of the DWP under successive governments dating back to 1995 and the Supreme Court refused the claimants permission to appeal.”
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