Councillor takes up cause of WASPI women at conference

A Leicestershire County Councillor has taken up the cause of local "WASPI" women at a conference. Women Against State Pension Inequality (WASPI) are a campaigning group for women who lost out when their retirement age was raised without proper consultation and notice. Many women born in the 1950s were affected by the changes.

Leicestershire Lib Dem Councillor Michael Mullaney took up the issue at the Liberal Democrats East Midlands Regional Conference where he spoke in favour of a motion supporting WASPI women. Michael said "Many women in Hinckley and Bosworth tell me they have been unfairly treated by the changes to their retirement age without proper notice. It was right to equalise the retirement age for men and women. However the way the changes went about were flawed and many women lost out, having to work years longer than they were expected to and not having enough time to re-plan for their retirement.

"It is time for the government to acknowledge that there has been an injustice and work towards a solution that ensures the WASPI women receive fair treatment. I will continue to work with and support the local Leicester and Hinckley WASPI group."

The motion supporting the WASPI women was passed unanimously at the conference the wording was:

Conference notes that:

1. Women born in the 1950s have had the State Pension Age (SPA) increased three times, most of them receiving little or no notice.

2. Women expected to receive their state pension at 60, and throughout their working lives saw that happening and understood 60 to be the normal retirement age.

3. As a result, many women (with or without partners) are living in poverty, either because of poor health, being the primary carer, unable to find work and age discrimination.

4. Women have had unequal working life courses compared with men in the same cohort, regarding equal pay, access to pension schemes, and years spent in the labour market.

Conference believes that:

A. Raising women's SPA very rapidly continues the unequal life courses of women born in the 1950s.

B. The DWP has had many opportunities to inform women of the changes, and the Freedom of Information requests have demonstrated that they failed to do so

Conference calls for:

i. Fair transitional payments to be implemented for women born in the 1950s, up to their new State Pension Age.

ii. Liberal Democrats at all levels, local, regional & federal, to support the WASPI campaign.