A WASPI generation (Women against state pension inequality) woman has launched a petition urging for the new state pension rates to be applied to all state pensioners.
Many of the WASPI women are on the basic state pension, which applies to women born before April 6, 1953. The full basic state pension is currently £169.50 a week while the full new state pension is £221.20 a week, a difference of more than £200 for each four-week pay period.
The petition states: “I’m a WASPI woman that was affected by state pension change like plenty of other women and also missed out on the new state pension on the 6th April 2016.”
“I believe it is not right that pensioners who are on the new pension can get over £200 a month more.”
“I think it’s not right that people who have worked all their lives and some who have been on benefits all of their lives get more pension. We believe this is unfair.”
You can read the full petition here.
If the petition reaches 10,000 signatures, the Government will have to provide a response.
WASPI campaigners are continuing to pile pressure on ministers to make a decision on the question of compensation.
A much-anticipated report from the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman recommended payments of between £1,000 and £2,950, and urged Parliament to take up the issue.
The Backbench Business Committee last week approved a request for a debate on the question.
But there was frustration for the campaign as well, as the second reading of a bill to set out a scheme to provide compensation was put on hold.
WASPI campaigners have also launched a separate petition on the Parliament website calling for a public inquiry into the changes to the state pension age that affected the WASPI generation.
Jim Shannon MP told Express.co.uk previously: “It is disappointing that this debate has been pushed further back and that we have not had an indication from Government on the recommendations of the long awaited report which is something that deserves not simply governmental comment but action.”
“Each day that passes see women continuing to live in hardship not of their own making and redress should be a priority. I have been contacted by women – and men – in my constituency thanking me for the work thus far but I know that the work is not finished until compensation is given.”
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