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Law firm writes to DWP about compensation for 1950s women
A leading law firm has invited the Government to engage in mediation talks about compensation for women affected by the equalisation of the state pension age.
A leading law firm has written to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions calling for mediation talks on compensation for women born in the 1950s who have been affected by the decision to equalise the state pension age for men and women.
Garden Court Chambers has sent the invitation letter to Mel Stride for Mediation Talks with Joanne Welch, Founder of the organisation CEDAWinLAW.COM on behalf of the 1950s women mentioned in a recent report.
The report into 1950s women who are having to wait for their pension was written by former judge Dr Jocelynne Scutt after an inquiry and was published in November. It concludes that women born in the 1950s were directly discriminated against because they were targeted to bear the full impact of the change from 60 years in order to equalise the retirement age with men’s retirement age. It said most had no notice, or inadequate notice, of the change and have suffered “egregious economic hardship, stress, anxiety and psychological trauma as they had to change retirement plans and try to negotiate staying in their jobs or getting a new job in a time frame that was unrealistic or impossible to do”.
Anti-Brexit campaigner Gina Miller, Leader of the True & Fair Party, has also accepted CEDAWinLAW.COM’s invitation to join its efforts to advocate for compensation for 1950s-born women.
CEDAW is the Convention on the Elimination of All Discrimination Against Women. The Parliamentary Ombudsman recently shared its provisional views about the handling of the rise in the state pension age for women as well as their thinking about potential remedies.
Groups such as the Women Against the State Pension Injustice [WASPI] have been campaigning for years for compensation. A recent survey by WASPI found that almost half of the women affected will struggle to afford to buy Christmas presents this year. 70% said they will reduce the spending on food over the festive season while almost half of the women said their economic position has got worse in the past six months.
In July 2021, the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman ruled that the DWP had failed to communicate the age changes to those women with enough urgency, finding it guilty of ‘maladministration’, but stage two of the investigation was delayed due to a legal challenge.
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Comments [5]
maz says:
Worked from the age of 16 years. Had a break whilst raising my children in the 70s era, no childcare & nurseries back then, had to be a (stay at home mum), no choice until they were old enough for me to find work. Husband was the breadwinner he also had a private pension, when I went back to work a private pension was non existing for women in certain jobs. Family allowance was supposed to help towards NI contributions, found out that 4 years are missing now when they were there beforehand how does that work? beggars belief 🙁
I am 66 and still working have two jobs to keep head above water never thought this is how my life would end up.
I’m convinced that any recompense will be dragged out long enough until were all dead and there is no one left .
Sadly this is how I feel.
Thank you for all who fight for us bless you all.
KT says:
I found out after I retired. I couldn’t help with the mortgage as promised and kids and I lost our home. Because of all the financial tension, our marriage broke down. Because of Landlords selling or dying, we have moved damp and mouldy rentals four times. My children, the youngest 16, had to leave their schools, friends, choirs and clubs and have suffered everything I have, namely, stress, depression, physical and mental health issues. We have been treated disrespectfully and cruelly.
Sandra Wilcock says:
They are going to drag it out until they lose the election whenever that will be. I wonder what response I will then get from my Tory MP Rishi Sunak who so far as been more than ignorant about our fight !
Hannah Dunn says:
Nobody can deny the injustice against Post Office Masters/Mistresses and the belated remedial action to gain some kind of justice for them, but why is the injustice against 50’s women, who were stealthy robbed by government, without notice, of approximately £50k each after a life of work and paying dues, still not being addressed and, frankly, not gained the same traction, public out cry and support?
Looking at some gender pay gap stats recently it showed I worked 17 YEARS for nothing.
It appears to me that women truly are seen as second class citizens.
Rita says:
It’s so sad how this has affected so many women who have worked all thier lives and affected the ones who have not been able to work because of caring for parents children grandchildren and those who have suffered ill health, this has affected people in different ways physically and mentally we have not only suffered physically and mentally but we have been punished for being born in that era. many including myself don’t want to die peniless we want to die with some dignity we also want to make the most of what life we have left I know it helped destroy my marriage because it caused arguments,stress,worry and made me sicker than I already was those 6 yrs lost pension caused me to lose a lot more than money we deserve to die with respect, and dignity not penniless poor and forgotten we deserve justice and recompense