Government's Decision Leaves 'Waspi Women' Without Compensation, Campaigners Vow to Fight On
A ruling by the government has once again dashed hopes of compensation for "Waspi women", a group of millions who claim they were unfairly penalized due to changes in the state pension age. The group, which comprises women born in the 1950s, was supposed to receive payouts after being denied compensation despite a parliamentary and health service ombudsman ruling that they should be compensated.
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has refused to budge, citing concerns over the cost of implementing a flat-rate compensation scheme that could cost up to £10.3bn. The current Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Pat McFadden, claimed it would not be practical or fair to set up such a targeted scheme, despite acknowledging that many women in this category were aware of the pension changes.
Campaigners say the decision is "shameful" and that the government has demonstrated "utter contempt" for these women. The chair of Waspi, Angela Madden, vows to fight on, stating that all options remain on the table, including pursuing every avenue in parliament and the courts. A new high court case is now being considered.
The issue dates back to 2011 when the state pension age for women was increased to 65, with further increases to 66 by October 2020. Many of these women had made financial plans based on the assumption they would receive their pension at 60 and were left thousands of pounds out of pocket after discovering the changes.
The government's decision has been met with widespread criticism from campaigners, who argue that the harm caused to these women should not be ignored. As one campaigner put it, "This is a disgraceful political choice by a small group of powerful people who have decided the harm and injustice suffered by millions of ordinary women simply does not matter."
The battle for justice continues as Waspi prepares to take on the government in court once again, with many lives hanging in the balance.
A ruling by the government has once again dashed hopes of compensation for "Waspi women", a group of millions who claim they were unfairly penalized due to changes in the state pension age. The group, which comprises women born in the 1950s, was supposed to receive payouts after being denied compensation despite a parliamentary and health service ombudsman ruling that they should be compensated.
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has refused to budge, citing concerns over the cost of implementing a flat-rate compensation scheme that could cost up to £10.3bn. The current Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Pat McFadden, claimed it would not be practical or fair to set up such a targeted scheme, despite acknowledging that many women in this category were aware of the pension changes.
Campaigners say the decision is "shameful" and that the government has demonstrated "utter contempt" for these women. The chair of Waspi, Angela Madden, vows to fight on, stating that all options remain on the table, including pursuing every avenue in parliament and the courts. A new high court case is now being considered.
The issue dates back to 2011 when the state pension age for women was increased to 65, with further increases to 66 by October 2020. Many of these women had made financial plans based on the assumption they would receive their pension at 60 and were left thousands of pounds out of pocket after discovering the changes.
The government's decision has been met with widespread criticism from campaigners, who argue that the harm caused to these women should not be ignored. As one campaigner put it, "This is a disgraceful political choice by a small group of powerful people who have decided the harm and injustice suffered by millions of ordinary women simply does not matter."
The battle for justice continues as Waspi prepares to take on the government in court once again, with many lives hanging in the balance.
! I don't get why they can't just make it fair and compensate these women already. They've been fighting for so long and still getting rejected. It's like the gov's just not willing to listen. And £10.3bn? That's a huge amount of money, you'd think they could find a way to make it work. The fact that they're saying it wouldn't be practical is just a cop-out 
. These women have already been robbed of their pension, now they're being told they might not get compensation at all? It's just shameful 
. Can't believe the gov's attitude on this one...
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. These women were already in a tough spot, making financial plans based on a pension they never got, and now the gov is just throwing them under the bus again 
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, but can we please get some real action from our gov here? Like, a proper compensation scheme that doesn't break the bank 
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. It's not just about the money; it's about the principle that we should be protecting our most vulnerable citizens. The fact that the DWP is saying it's too expensive to give them a fair payout is just a cop-out 
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. These women have been living with the stress and anxiety of not knowing when they'll get their pension, and now it seems like the government is just going to let them struggle on forever 
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. We can't let this happen!
. Seriously though, it's not exactly fair to leave these women out of pocket for so long. It's like someone took all their pension plans and said " sorry, you can't use 'em". They're already struggling, why make it worse? The government's decision is looking more and more shady by the minute... or should I say, by the pound? 
what's even more annoying is that these women were already penalized by being forced to work longer and plan their finances around a new rule that was never in place when they started paying into the system. It's just so unfair! 
. The fact that they're worried about the £10.3bn cost and not the people who are being unfairly punished is just mind-boggling 
. It's time to put these women first and make it right 
I think this is just another example of a massive cover-up by our so-called "representatives" . Like, what's going on here? We're talking about millions of women who've been left high and dry because of some fancy maths that doesn't add up 
. And the government's all like "oh, it'd be too expensive to give them compensation". Too expensive?! Is that really a valid reason?! 
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. They deserve justice, and if it takes going up against the system again, then so be it 