First victory for women in fight over pension age
DOZENS of women pension campaigners sang and danced outside London’s Royal Courts of Justice yesterday after winning a landmark ruling.
But it is just the first stage of their High Court challenge against the Government.
Three women who were born between 1950 and 1953 claim the raising of the age at which they can start collecting their pensions, from 60 to 66, discriminates against them on the grounds of their age and sex.
They also say that they were not properly informed of the move in time to adjust.
Their barrister Michael Mansfield told the High Court that the changes affected a minimum of 3.8 million women, some of whom were given as little as 18 months’ notice.
Mrs Justice Lang said the women’s case was arguable and granted permission for their claim to proceed to a full hearing.
The Government introduced changes to the state pension age, most recently in 2011, in an attempt to ensure parity between women and men.
But Mr Mansfield said those women affected, who will have to wait up to six years longer for their pension, had been left in a powerless position, adding: “Suddenly they have to retrain. Suddenly they have to find a new job.”
He suggested the Government had made it clear that the real object of this exercise has been cost-cutting and saving money.
Catherine Rayner, also representing the claimants, said the changes meant that £5.3billion has been “saved from women”. She added: “Women have been put into poverty, women have been forced on to benefits as a result of losing out on the pension which they would have relied upon.”
Julian Milford, for the Department for Work and Pensions, said the changes were intended to bring about “the equalisation between genders of the age of entitlement for the state pension”.
But he also conceded that it was intended to help alleviate massive fiscal pressures after the financial crash of 2008.
Campaigner Yvette Greenway said: “This is such an important step and this has made such a difference to so many ’50s women. Hearing this result, it is what they have prayed for, what they have worked towards for a long time.”