WASPI woman affected by state pension inequality dies every 13 minutes: ‘Time is not on our side’

Women Against State Pension Inequality (WASPI) campaigners have issued a stark warning to the Conservative Party, saying “time is not on our side” as they call on MPs to deliver redress for the state pension age disaster. Movement leaders highlighted the urgency of the situation to MPs, pointing out that a woman affected by this problem dies every 13 minutes.

The call for action follows a March report by a parliamentary watchdog which recommended that more than 3.5 million women should be compensated over Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) oversights. Despite the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) pleading for a prompt solution, the Government’s response remains pending, the Mirror reports.

Angela Madden, WASPI campaign chair, addressed MPs with a sobering statistic: “270,000 wasp women have died unjustly. In fact, another nine female wasps could die while we have this evidence session today. time is not on our side”.

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Madden also insisted on an apology from the DWP, decrying years of rejection adding “years of insults” to “years of hurt”. She firmly told the Work and Pensions Committee: “An apology without a commitment to a proper remedy is no apology at all.”

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has been criticized for its failings, which left millions of women born in the 1950s unaware of the state pension age being raised from 60 to 65, and later to 66, which leading to severe financial hardship for many. Women Against State Pension Inequality (WASPI) campaign director Jane Cowley expressed her exasperation at the government’s slow response, saying: “It seems to us that they are playing for time and hoping to throw it into the long grass.”

Ms Cowley condemned the situation as “widespread government failure to do the right thing for a group of women who have suffered quite a lot”. She emphasized the seriousness of the problem, saying: “If ever there was a case that required a proper response from Parliament, this must be it.”

In addition, Ms Cowley issued a stark warning: “We will not stand by and passively accept that injustice and we will continue to use whatever power we have.”

Meanwhile, Peter Aldous MP, co-chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on State Pension Inequality for Women, said he had come across “appalling” stories of how the pension changes had affected people. He argued for compensation amounts significantly higher than those suggested by the Parliamentary and Health Services Ombudsman (PHSO), proposing an average payment of £10,000 per woman, compared to the PHSO’s recommended range of £1,000 to at £2,950.

Participants pointed out that the average victim lost more than £50,000 in pension payments due to the problem. On March 22, Rebecca Hilsenrath, chief executive of the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO), said: “Parliament must now act quickly and ensure that a compensation scheme is put in place.”

According to the report, if the State Pension error is classed as a “level 4” injustice, victims could receive between £1,000 and £2,950, costing the Treasury between £3.5bn and £10.5bn. However, campaigners argue that the severity should be recognized as “level 6”, justifying payments of more than £10,000.