Older women betrayed by changes to State Pension Age will continue to fight

It was with great pleasure that I listened to the recent debate in Holyrood secured by Sandra White MSP highlighting the issue affecting WASPI (Women Against State Pension Inequality) Women. The public gallery was full of affected women from across Scotland.

The issue is the lack of notice for women born in the 1950s who are suffering disproportionately, unable to get their state pensions due to government legislation in equalising the State Pension Age for men and women.

Those women have no issue with equalising the pension age, their issue is that they did not receive the legal required notice of an increase in their pension age, as laid down in legislation, which would have allowed them to put in place alternative arrangements for retirement.

Many of those women have been plunged into poverty, dependent on benefits as a result.

MSP after MSP gave example after example of women suffering injustice and accused the Westminster Government of state pension robbery in support of the 250,000 women in Scotland affected.

Sadly, on such an issue the main Opposition in Scotland, the Conservative benches, remained silent, with the exception of Michelle Ballantyne MSP, who – try as she might – failed to convince anyone of her Westminster Conservative Government’s policies on this matter – after all, the National Insurance fund is currently sitting on a £30 billion surplus!

If this was a private pension or employer pension schemes we were talking about, missselling would be the issue today.

Many of the women affected are managing to continue in employment, continuing to pay national insurance contributions, and in many cases have done so since the age of 15 on starting employment. WASPI women will continue in their fight for justice, which is currently heading for the high court .

CATRIONA C CLARK

Hawthorn Drive Banknock, Falkirk