Burning injustice that isn’t over yet

THE justice system might not seem so fair today for the millions of women kept waiting for their state pensions for up to six years longer than they expected.

The Court of Appeal judges were brutally unanimous in their rejection of the legal challenge against the hike in the state pension age for 1950s-born women.

The decisive ruling dashes the hopes of many hard-up women now forced to work longer or retire with less.

However, we can be sure that the dogged campaigners will not be deterred. The Backto60 group has already indicated it will appeal to the Supreme Court – and it has an army of supporters willing to help pay for the pricey services of a top lawyer.

But campaign leader Joanne Welch yesterday admitted that the women who funded the legal action could ‘barely afford’ to donate. A glance at the group’s fundraising page shows it has collected more than £200,000 so far. Yesterday’s crushing defeat – which rejected claims of discrimination outright – means the group should now think hard before asking victims of the law change for more money.

Instead, perhaps it is now time to try a different angle of attack? Experts have told me that the Government’s handling of the sorry saga was not discrimination – but rather maladministration. Many women affected by the law change say they were simply never told that they would not get their state pension at 60. The Department for Work and Pensions says all women were sent letters, but the department does not have a great track record in communication.

Money Mail has run stories this year on the married women now receiving windfalls because they had no idea they had been entitled to a bigger state pension for years.

DWP errors meant some women missed out on tens of thousands. It doesn’t fill you with confidence. We also reported this summer how some wives were unaware they could claim a better pension based on their spouse’s rate – as the letter informing them of their right to claim was sent to their husband. Perhaps the real injustice was the failure of government to ensure every woman affected knew what was coming?

Yesterday’s ruling might have discounted the case for discrimination, but 1950s women won’t be ready to give up just yet.