The campaign for compensation for Waspi women has received a significant boost, as the Parliamentary & Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) has called for the Department for Work & Pensions (DWP) to announce a decision regarding the issue. The Women Against State Pension Injustice (Waspi) movement represents around 3.8 million women who were impacted by the changes in the state pension age, specifically women born in the 1950s.
The Waspi women have been fighting for years to receive compensation, asserting that they were not adequately informed about the changes, causing significant disruption to their lives. Many of them claim that they were not aware of the retirement age increase from 60 to 65, and subsequently to 66, until just a few months before they were scheduled to retire.
In a landmark ruling in July 2021, the PHSO stated that the DWP should have sent individual notices to the affected women at least 28 months before the change took effect. This verdict raised hopes of compensation for the affected women. Subsequently, the Ombudsman called for parliamentary intervention in the matter and acknowledged the entitlement of the women to compensation, which could range from £3,000 to £10,000, with some individuals claiming losses of up to £50,000.
Despite these developments, the DWP has appeared to delay the decision process, causing frustration and anxiety among the affected women. The DWP’s stance has been met with criticism and calls for swift action from various parliamentary figures. The Rt Hon David Jones MP, acting chair of the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee, took a firm stance on the matter and communicated to DWP Minister Mel Stride the urgency and necessity of making a decision and promptly updating parliament on the issue.
These interventions suggest that the DWP can no longer evade a decision on the matter, and a timetable for the decision is imminent. The pressure to make a decision and provide clarity and reassurance has intensified, promising hope to the Waspi women.
It remains to be seen what decision the DWP will ultimately make, but the intervention by parliamentary figures indicates that the matter is being taken seriously and that, hopefully, the long-awaited resolution for the Waspi women is on the horizon.