Waspi women say parties ignoring payout ruling

Vera Vaughan-Williams says she won't "hold my breath" over government compensation for Waspi women

Women hit by the rise in the state pension age say they are not confident of a future government payout due to a lack of commitment to do so from Tories or Labour in their election manifestos.

That is despite an ombudsman's ruling in March which recommends some women should get a pay-out and an apology.

One of the WASPI women (Women Against State Pension Inequality) said she thinks the delay is down to gender.

"I hate to say it, but I think it's because we are women," said Vera Vaughan-Williams, 67.

The former administrator from Caerphilly added: "I think if this was men, it would have been sorted out much quicker.

"We are definitely owed a debt from whichever government takes over. Whether they'll honour that is something else and I'm not going to hold my breath over it."

"I don't believe any party is going to do it [deliver compensation] and it's definitely not higher in their agendas. And I hate to say it, but I think it's because we are women."

She said she "really, really struggled to keep going" after the state pension age for women was pushed back to 66 following a gradual change from 60 in 2010.

"It was a nightmare at times for me," she said.

Sheila Burgess says the millions of Waspi women "are not going to go away"

Sheila Burgess, 69, from Magor, Monmouthshire, said the change to the qualifying state pension age for women was "cruel".

"Women are struggling to live, women who didn’t have long maternity pay, didn’t have assisted childcare costs," she said.

"We had to work part time where we could until our children went to school."

Mrs Burgess said she now wants recognition about the ombudsman's recommendations from the parties in the next parliament.

"Saying it will be looked at in due course - well, there's no timeframe about it. It's as if the women don't really matter," she said.

She said it would be better if a specific timeframe was put on the ombudsman's findings.

"It's easier for [parties] to sweep it under the carpet. Does it need a TV drama to get the issue into people's minds like the Post Office or Windrush before they give it the attention it needs?

"I feel they are happy to ignore it."

She added: "I think they are hoping it will go away - [but] 3.5 million women of us are not going to go away."

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Mrs Burgess said she was not allowed to join the pension scheme at her workplace until she was full-time in the 1980s.

"We have had to use our savings to keep our house going. And that wasn't what we were saving for.

"We were saving for a happy retirement, we wanted to help our children. But we've had a lot of barriers put against us that today's ladies - which I'm really pleased for - don't have."

What do the political parties say?

A Welsh Labour spokesperson said: "We will take time to give the report proper consideration and continue to engage respectfully to the women who have been affected, as we have done from the start."

The Liberal Democrats, Plaid Cymru and the Green party all said they have "long supported Waspi" in the fight for compensation.

The Lib Dems added the party has "pledged in our manifesto to ensure that women born in the 1950’s are finally treated fairly and properly compensated".

Plaid Cymru said: "The UK government has been found to have acted unfairly in not notifying women properly of changes to their pensions.

"Plaid Cymru's manifesto has a crystal-clear commitment to providing compensation for women who have been seriously affected financially by this scandal."

Anthony Slaughter, leader of the Greens in Wales, said the party believed "all those 1950s-born women affected should receive full, fast and fair compensation and that this should be a priority for an incoming UK government".

The Conservatives party and Reform have been contacted for comment.

In the Conservative manifesto states: "We are carefully considering the ombudsman report into Waspi women and will work with parliament to provide an appropriate and swift response."