Protest over pension changes
Competition... Competition... Competition... Competition
Hamilton MPS Margaret Ferrier and Angela Crawley, and Blantyre MSP Clare Haughey joined hundreds of campaigners in Glasgow last Friday to protest against changes to the state pension age for women born in the 1950s.
Campaigners from Women Against State Pension Inequality (WASPI) say that the speed at which changes were introduced did not give women the chance to make plans for retirement.
Ms Ferrier said: “There are over 5000 women affected in some way by these changes in my constituency, with countless more across the length and breadth of the UK. These are women who have worked hard and contributed to the economy. To move the goalposts like this, with improper notice, is grossly unfair.”
And Ms Crawley added: “The state pension is a contract, not a benefit. This protest sends an important message that we will not give up the fight for justice. The UK government must now put in place proper transitional arrangements for these women who have had their retirement plans shattered.”
Ms Haughey “These women, through absolutely no fault of their own, have had their retirement plans completely upended.
“They are paying the price for political decisions made at Westminster, and it is unforgivable that they are actually losing out financially as a result of changes that were designed to make pensions more equal.”