50s women

The BackTo60 members presumably want just what their title says, but WASPI is a completely different group.

It is, and unfortunately the name WASPI is now being used as a generic for every woman caught in the pension trap.

WASPI does not speak for all the groups out there, and has probably delayed any settlement because of ego clashes and infighting.

It has the distinct advantage over groups like We Paid In, You Pay Out, and Back to 60 that it has a catchy name that sticks in the mind; but it has its own 'ask' which is to get a 'bridging' pension for women between the pension age they were promised and the one that has been imposed (not a full pension).

They charge for membership (about £20 a month, I think), which sets them apart from the groups who represent women who are in real poverty because of the change, and they specifically distance themselves from the other groups who are fighting for 50s born women.

They do distance themselves, and have made it absolutely clear that they do not speak for other groups, because their aims are different. WASPI accept that equalisation of the pension ages was inevitable. They don’t ask for it to be reversed.

The WASPI membership fee is nothing like £20 a month!

It’s £25 a year, £15 for those on benefits, is voluntary, and goes towards the cost of running the campaign. It’s not obligatory by any means. I’ve been on all the London demos and met many WASPI women there who can’t afford to pay it but are still very much part of the campaign.

Yes, there was a period of infighting amongst the WASPI leadership last year which was extremely frustrating for members. But throughout that time the work continued. We kept on lobbying our MPs, raising the profile of the cause and writing our staged letters of complaints of maladministration.

After many months I had actually got to the final stage of having my case referred for independent review at the end of 2018. Two weeks later the BackTo60 court case was announced and it was immediately put on hold, along with all the others.

Before the judicial review, the Parliamentary Ombudsman had reached the stage of a “proposal to investigate” maladministration, thanks to the WASPI letter writing campaign. They’re now saying they’re accepting no more new claims of maladministration and are deciding what to do about the ongoing ones.

We’re hoping we’re not right back to the drawing board.

Sorry, I must have got the fees wrong. I am sure that I was asked for a monthly fee, but this was a while ago, and may have been to join a local group.

I agree that it is maddening that the groups are not working together, and that this may well be delaying progress, as it is obvious that governments will use the differences against all of us.

I was put off WASPI by the bickering, and the rather superior tone of some of their social media posts, but wish them well. My post was to point out that the name WASPI refers to a specific group that does not represent all women who believe that the pension changes were wrong, and certainly should not be used to describe all 50s born women. I know you aren't doing that; but many people do, including reporters and newsreaders.

The phrase 'so-called WASPI women' makes me want to scream, as they do not speak for me, or for many other women who have been affected by the loss of six years of pension.

I agree, Doodledog, it’s frustrating when all women of the same age are lumped together as WASPIs, whatever their views on the pension age. It’s just lazy journalism.