Christine Smith (on the left), gave an impassioned talk to us tonight, about the impossible situation that many women, who were born in the 1950’s, find themselves in when they come to draw their State Pension.
WASPI Women are a campaign group that fights the injustice done to all women born in the 1950s affected by the changes to the State Pension Law (1995/2011 Acts). The 1995 Conservative Government’s Pension Act included plans to increase women’s SPA (State Pension Age) to *65, the same as men’s. WASPI agrees with equalisation, but does not agree with the unfair way the changes were implemented – with little or no personal notice (1995/2011 Pension Acts); faster than promised (2011 Pension Act), and no time to make alternative plans. Retirement plans have been shattered with devastating consequences. The WASPI campaign was started by five ordinary women in 2015 who decided to fight this injustice.
*The 2011 Pension Act included plans to increase the SPA to 66.
On their website (http://www.waspi.co.uk/ ) are details of what their campaigns have achieved so far and what more they feel they need to do. There are also personal stories of women affected by this, as well as, templates to help women make a complaint to the Department of Work and Pensions
We are hoping that representatives of the Newcastle, Wear and Tees WASPI Group will be able to attend the SI Northeast Regional Meeting in November to further engage with members.
