1950s-born women plan Westminster demonstration 29 June

Women from all over the UK are descending on Westminster on 29 June 2016 to demonstrate about the lack of notice given for the loss of years of their State pension. The campaign group are assembling a huge Choir to sing their anthem, and there will be a mass lobby of MPs to follow.

This decade of women had their State Pension Age delayed – in some cases twice and by up to six years in total – without sufficient notice to plan for alternative income. In a Women’s State Pension Age Briefing in October 2011,
 Baroness Altmann, CBE, Pensions Minister was unaware that women hadn’t been individually notified.

Now, despite caring responsibilities for younger, and older, generations, ageing health issues, and the need to work to provide an income in place of their State pensions, these women have mobilised, forming groups all over the UK, to pressure for more action on the issue. The group intends a huge London demonstration and a mass lobby of MPs to get their plight heard.

Pat Tarttelin, a Lincolnshire campaigner said, ‘This is a generation of women who worked and brought up their families, paying their National Insurance contributions and expecting a fair deal. It’s only fair to receive proper notice of these significant changes, and we want the Government to take action, urgently.’

Since the 1940s women have had an expectation that they will receive their State Pension at 60, yet under the 1995 and 2011 Pension Acts, plans to equalise women’s State Pension Age with men’s at 65, then increasing to 66 for both men and women, unfairly and disproportionately impacted on women born on or after 6 April 1951 because of the way the changes were implemented.

These women have first-hand experience of how, when the Government fails to provide timely and appropriate communication when implementing significant changes to policies, (in this case changes to their State Pension Age) the unintended consequences on people’s lives are far-reaching.  Even Judges based decisions on a falsehood – WASPI have received reports that divorce settlements have been calculated using projected incomes that included women receiving their State Pension at 60.

The Government did not write to any woman affected by the rise in pension ages for nearly 14 years after the law was passed in 1995: some of the women were 58-60 years old when they heard of the changes. Many women report receiving NO letter EVER and very many others received only 3, 4 and 5 years’ notice. Missed out of the first tranche of DWP letters in 2011, women born in 1954 were finally written to in 2012 at the age of 58 years, with news of a State retirement age addition of 6 years, giving only 2 years warning.

This astonishing lack of communication is not tolerated in many countries where notice periods for changes to State Pension age are regulated, and several UK bodies have made similar recommendations, including:

  • Turner Commission (15 years),
  • Work & Pensions Select Committee (10 years) and
  • Saga (10 years’ notice of a one year pension age change).

The Government now says that in future anyone affected by a rise in state pension age must have ten years’ forewarning. (Spending Review 2014), and Ministers have even legislated for that period to apply to MP’s own pension age changes.

Under the 2011 Pensions Act, Women’s State Pension Age was increased more quickly than initially promised by the Government.  Many of the women who were “hit” for a second time were not even aware of the first increase to their State Pension Age under the 1995 Pensions Act. Steve Webb’s stated his one regret as Pensions Minister at a 2014 Conference:
“I pushed too hard and too fast on raising women’s state pension age”.

Now, a ONE year difference in age can result in a 3½ year difference in State Pension Age (dob 5/3/1953 gives a State Pension Age of 6/1/2016 v dob 5/3/1954 gives a State Pension Age of 6/7/2019)

Compared to women of other generations, the policy was implemented against a background of inequality for this decade of women.  Today’s younger women may be adopting similar working patterns to men, but the 1950s-born women grew up in a time of inequality with none of the workplace advantages of today, and poorer, unequal opportunities to save for retirement. At one time these women could not continue to pay into established private pensions, for instance, during employment breaks looking after children. Or buy a property independently, without a man’s signature.

WASPI are urging the Government to review the way changes to the State Pension Age were implemented under the 1995 and 2011 Pensions Acts for women born in the 1950’s (on or after 6 April 1951) in the light of new evidence and the “unintended consequences” being reported now, with a view to making fair transitional state pension arrangements.  This review should also address the concerns of women born 6 April 1951 to 5 April 1953, who are excluded from the New State Pension.

Thinking of future generations, WASPI would also like the Government to take immediate steps to implement a cost effective and practical policy of notification, which enables letters to be sent NOW to men and women:

  • to notify them of the changes to their State Pension under the 2014 Pensions Act
  • who are within 10 years (at least) of their expected State Pension Age to notify them of the increase
  • show State Pension Age changes clearly on the first page.

They would also like to see a review the design of the new “State Pension Statement”; and the development, with monitoring,  of a programme for ongoing awareness raising.

 

 

 

Women’s State Pension age SECOND, final changes under

the Pensions Act 2011.

Date of birth Orig SPA 60 yrs  old Date State Pension age (SPA) reached
6 April 1953 – 5 May 1953 April-May 2013 6 July 2016
6 May 1953 – 5 June 1953 May-June 2013 6 November 2016
6 June 1953 – 5 July 1953 June-July 2013 6 March 2017
6 July 1953 – 5 August 1953 July-Aug 2013 6 July 2017
6 August 1953 – 5 Sept1953 Aug-Sept 2013 6 November 2017
6 Sept 1953 – 5 Oct1953 Sep-Oct 2013 6 March 2018
6 October 1953 – 5 Nov1953 Oct-Nov 2013 6 July 2018
6 Nov1953 – 5 Dec 1953 Nov-Dec 2013 6 November 2018

 

Further increase in State Pension age from 65 to 66, including men and women

 

Date of birth  Orig SPA, 60 years old Date State Pension age (SPA) reached
6 December 1953 – 5 Jan 1954 Dec 2013 -Jan 2014 6 March 2019
6 January 1954 – 5 Feb 1954 Jan – Feb 2014 6 May 2019
6 February 1954 – 5 Mar 1954 Feb-Mar 2014 6 July 2019
6 March 1954 – 5 April 1954 Mar-Apr 2014 6 September 2019
6 April 1954 – 5 May 1954 Apr-May 2014 6 November 2019
6 May 1954 – 5 June 1954 May-Jun 2014 6 January 2020
6 June 1954 – 5 July 1954 June-Jul 2014 6 March 2020
6 July 1954 – 5 August 1954 Jul – Aug 2014 6 May 2020
6 Aug 1954 – 5 Sept1954 Aug- Sept 2014 6 July 2020
6 Sept 1954 – 5 Oct 1954 Sept – Oct 2014 6 September 2020
6 October 1954 – 5 April 1960 Oct- Nov 2014 66th birthday

 

Campaign Facebook page – WASPI -Women Against State Pension Inequality Campaign

Demonstration Working Party – Pat Tarttelin

website to follow shortly

 

One woman’s story:

“I was not told about the pension changes, it was only a short time ago that I heard about it, I think it was after I had a letter telling me that my national insurance stamps where short, and I thought I must phone and try to pay them. I was told verbally that it was ok, I now didn’t need to pay, as I only needed 30 years? but the bad news was I had to work until I was 66. This was news to me and a shock, I had no time to look at starting a private pension, as they take years to accumulate.In May 2014 I was made redundant from my job as Insurance administrator, it was very sudden, as my boss had died and his son wanted to come into the business and take over my job. I signed on at the job centre and was told that at the age of nearly 59 I was to apply for jobs 90 minutes in both directions, making a total of 3 hours travelling and 8 hours work, 11 hour day for someone in very poor health.Due to the stress my existing chronic fatigue took a turn for the worse and I developed fibromyalgia which is constant nerve pain. This is an invisible illness, to most I look very well, sometimes I am able to do things, but suffer terrible pain afterwards. Stress makes both illnesses worse, trying to get a job and visits to the job centre and the constant pressure they put on me, made me worse and took its toll on my health.

I was told by the job centre that I only needed 30 years NI stamps and that as I wasn’t entitled to job seekers after 6 months, and it was not worth my signing on. Upon checking I discovered I actually needed 35 years, thank goodness I did not sign off straight away. After 12 months I was informed that I would have to travel to a training programme once a week 8 miles away, only bus fare would be paid. As I live in a rural area and unable to walk to the nearest bus pick up, I would have no option but to drive myself. Parking is around £5 a day plus the fuel 16 miles a time, add to that the 2 trips a month to another town (24 miles) to sign on, I would lose £60 a month, despite only having my NI stamp paid. Giving me no option but to sign off unemployment and my husband having to pay my NI stamps.

Although attending several job interviews it was made clear by the comments that they thought I was too old to employ. This left me in limbo, no job, no benefits (the stress to apply would make my illness worse), no money to call my own.

My husband was due to retire last June, but we would not be able to live on his pension alone, as I am unable to work he has no option but to try and keep going as long as he can. He suffered a heart attack 10 years ago and is on a massive amount of medication. Also being a builder it is hard for a man of 65 to do such physical work, he also suffers from arthritis and COPD. His health is now getting worse from having to keep going in a tough plysical job.

The stress that I have been put under, as my husband constantly blames me for “bringing no money to the table” will probably result in a break up of my marriage of 41 years, and I will have to sell my home to live. A family home that we have lived in for 41 years (bought 16 years ago). My sons will also lose their inheritance, all those years of going without food, holidays etc struggling to pay the mortgage, for what.

For the next 7 years I will have no income, however, with my illnesses it is doubtful that I will live to receive my pension.”