“The Government have made a pig’s-ear of the way they have introduced Pension Age Equalisation”

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WASPI group 2On Wednesday, June 29th, Brendan O’Hara joined women from across the country at a demonstration outside the Palace of Westminster in support of women hit by the acceleration of the equalisation of the State Pension Age, a change which began in 1995 and was compounded in 2011.
Campaigners also met their local MPs inside the Palace in order to secure their support for the campaign.WASPI group photoIn Argyll and Bute alone, according to the independent House of Commons Library, around 4,590 women are directly affected by the 2011 Pensions Act alone. 421 Argyll and Bute women signed the e-petition calling for transitional arrangements, which received almost 200,000 signatures nationwide.
The Women Against State Pension Inequality (WASPI) campaign works to lobby the Government to introduce transitional arrangements for those women affected, many of whom were not notified about the changes, and took early retirement, leaving them without any income.
Speaking at the protest, Brendan said:
“We want to get the best outcome for these women, many of whom have worked hard for decades without taking a penny out of the system. I am therefore proud to join them at their demonstration in Westminster today.
“These women had been told that they would be entitled to their pension at the age of 60 but instead get hit twice – first when its raised to 65 in line with men and then again when its increased for men and women to the age of 66. Successive governments have failed in their obligation to give ample notice to women affected by this – some have had as little as 2 years and many have received no notice at all – this is unacceptable.”
“I hope we will soon have the equitable outcome that the WASPI women deserve.