Pensions ( Waspies)

[Moier]

Quote: 'Did you know when I was 16, the government made an agreement with me, that if I paid National Insurance every week, they would give me a pension when I was 60
I kept my end of the deal and am still paying in!!
On the 5th and 6th of June, the UK Government may be made to give back the right to retire at 60 to all those women who worked and paid their National Insurance.
Currently their pension payout is delayed until 66 or 67 depending on date of birth.
We all know that the pension age for women born in the sixties has been raised. Did you know a campaign called ‘Back to 60 Movement’ has won the right to a Judicial Review and is taking the DWP to the High Court? On the 5th and 6th June they will attempt to get women justice over non consultation in raising the pensionable age to 66 and above.
Michael Mansfield QC will lead the case and the argument for the movement. However, there does not appear to be any media coverage regarding this significant event. That is why we’re raising the awareness now. Let's hope for justice rightly deserved.
There appears to be a media blackout on this issue, which suggests that the government have put a block on the media reporting it. So let’s use social media for what it’s good at - share the hell out of this.

@User46576 It might seem obvious to those who grew up with computers and the ability to Google but 50's women didn't have that luxury and many are not computer literate now either.

Yes - I always think this it is surprising how many WASPIs are upset that other women aren't supporting them in their campaign.

We will probably be retiring even later, why would we support them retiring probably a decade earlier than us...?

The decision to increase the pension age was always going to be controversial whenever and however it happened and there were always going to be those were caught in the crossfire of the transition.

I was lucky enough to retire at 60 and what a good thing I did: I was able to use my talents in a voluntary capacity for the benefit of several organizations (and save councils money) and, most importantly, I was able to care for my sick husband until nearly his death. Who would have done that if I had been obliged to work? I also care for GC so that DDs can work - I could not be doing that if I were at work and younger people would be unable to contribute to the work force through lack of affordable child care.

I am sad for my DDs who are working their tripe out in the middle of their working lives - in their prime - and are going to have to continue with no let up till an age I consider unacceptable.

I would not have been able to work after I did - I was tied up with caring duties and my health plummeted and I would have needed benefits to survive.

I have sympathy with both sides of this equation - with those who started out planning their financial lives on one basis and now find themselves thrust into something different; and with those young people who are being forced to work beyond a reasonable age in order to get pension.

I think it important that the two sides are not seen i competition.

The best quote I read was ‘i paid in for 35 years)’ well by the time I retire I will have paid NI for 52 years (at current expected retirement age). Both my gran and mother developed dementia in their late 60’s so I’ll probably not actually enjoy any retirement if I inherit the same genetics.

@User46576 You not thinking there was a gross error does not make it so. The PHSO's statement makes it very clear that there was DWP "Maladministration." Did you spend six years going through paperwork in order to disagree with the Parliamentary Ombudsman who states: "Our investigation has been complex and involved analysing thousands of pages of evidence. We appreciate the impact the time our investigation has taken will have had on the women affected, but we had to make sure our investigation was robust, and our findings were evidence based." And finally: "‘Our role as a Parliamentary body is to support Parliament to hold the Government to account. Throughout this investigation, DWP indicated it would not comply with our recommendations and that is why, nine months ago, we asked Parliament to intervene."

This, especially for those of us who will be told, 'oh paid into a works pension? No state pension for you! Oh works pension, nothing from the state for you like care, free/discounted prescriptions, will probably start charging you to use the nhs... aren't you lucky you've paid into a works pension all your life, now you can continue to be taxed on everything still! Aren't you so grateful, because if you're not, you clearly want to kill fluffy bunnies and stomp on rainbows!!'

How should the government rectify it ? What do you think is fair and affordable?

Is the usual answer not 'TAX THE anyoneRICH er than me!!

@Thisiswhathings There are so many things they could have done that would have been better than nothing. They could reinstate the Winter Fuel Payment for WASPIs, they could waive the TV license fee - it would soon add up if we live another few years, and all without causing the government too much stress. But yes, TAX the millionaires & billionaires, many who pay nothing or very little. Did you see that some mega-wealthy had a battle bus ASKING the government to tax them? Many know it's madness and very unjust they they aren't taxed in a just manner: yorkshirebylines.co.uk/politics/more-taxes-yes-please-patriotic-millionaires-want-to-do-more-for-the-country/

They kept the very generous triple lock , it's not like they have done nothing.

@Thisiswhathings The Triple Lock is for ALL pensioners regardless of whether they suffered an injustice - this bill is about addressing a historic injustice for a certain group of women though and it will have its 2nd reading in Parliament on 4th July.

It is for all pensioners, maybe they should have targeted it at WASPIs only , certainly would have been cheaper than giving it to all pensioners. Would have been win win . WASPIs get something, government saves cash. I'm still not clear on what they hope to achieve from the latest court action, an apology?

Why on earth should WASPI’s get even more pension benefits when their pension age was still before most people working today?

@Thisiswhathings Because of the legally proven historic injustice! People today get flooded with information and most of them know what to expect because they are computer literate. Where OTHER injustices (aka "maladministration") are found, other groups can form and take legal action against government too - it's one of the joys of democracy. (such as it is in the UK these days, lol)

The generation that owns over £2 trillion in mortgage free assets wants another 10bn as compensation to add to final salary pensions.

I remember using a government online calculator to look up my retirement age sometime after 2005 and it said I’d be retiring at 60. My actual retirement age is 67 but the calculator hadn’t been updated. Fortunately I knew it was wrong so just ignored it.

@Thisiswhathings ONLY the group who suffered "MALADMINISTRATION" by the DWP dear! If you've studied all the paperwork submitted to the PHSO (for the past six years) and you still disagree with their findings you could submit your own report to them? Yes, lucky old pensioners who aren't in that group! Some pensioners are relatively well off.

I haven't read the report, I haven't said I disagree with it , the reality is it's irrelevant. This is a political decision to decide to pay out £10bn , in the current climate that seems unlikely. I'm sure legal teams are telling them to carry on.

But it wouldn't be anything like £10bn - closer to £1bn. The £10bn quote was just Starmer's attempt to garner more support from the tax payer.

The much loved PHSO I think have it as 3-10bn. I hope nobody is banking on any payments from government.

@Thisiswhathings Please send a link to that as I never read anything like that amount. Taking the lowest level of PHSO level 4 compensation (£1,000) for 3.6 million women = ????? I'm asking in case I got it wrong. If it's correct (the £1 billion-ish) they could throw in a free TV license & Winter Fuel payment and that's the WASPIs sorted. They've backed up their apology with some action. Am I banking on it? No. Do I completely rule it out? No.

Give it up. The government is not going to give billions in handouts to women who are already retiring earlier than people even a few years younger than they are. I would have loved to get a pension at 60, as my mother did, but instead here I am working as I will long past 67 (god willing) as it’s not much of a liveable income anyway.

@@Thisiswhathings Give it up you say...... you haven't!
Again - it's NOT billions (that's misinformation) but approx 1 billion, and check out the vast amounts of money being spent on things the UK doesn't need, like the 3rd runway for Heathrow and the 2nd runway for Gatwick. I' still working at 69 as I'm self employed and it really hurts as it involves a lot of lifting and I have arthritis.

https://www.theactuary.com/2024/03/28/ombudsman-demands-compensation-waspi-women

You've quoted me incorrectly it was another poster in your quote.
However both those airports are at capacity and neither are being funded by the government so it's irrelevant to the WASPIs