1950s women "Fight Back Rally"

Well said worthingpatchworker!

Aware or not the fact remains that we have had 6years worth of pension simply stolen from us. Paying in at a rate accomodating retirement at 60 then left 6 years without pension on a whim? It's not what we do in UK -its the way in which we do it. Germany is also increasing age to 67 for both but scaling over time gradually and will be achieved no earlier than 2029, not a guillotining of funds and stripping us of our earned money, to spend on what? HS1/2/3 Boris bikes or some other utter waste of our money.......

Government were heard to gloat about how much had been saved by doing this. It was not done with proper consideration for those it would affect…regardless of notification. It would have been fairer to have raised it for those just entering their work life not those about to leave it. It gave many little, or no chance, for any alternative arrangement and has put many women into poverty. The same women who had greatly reduced rights during their working life and have constantly been treated as second class citizens. This rally would not be needed if the media were giving full and proper voice to the issues these women face. It has to take place at the chosen venue as that is where the government is. These women are mothers, grandmothers, sisters, aunts, and cousins of people working now….and they need the support of all….not just the few.

homefarm

I agree with OVERTHEMOONGRAN. I received notice and worked until 68 as did my late mother. The information as I recall was in newspapers and on TV news programmes. Take notice of what's going on around you.

Bit glib. Not everyone has the time money or inclination to buy papers and sit watching TV news when working full time and keeping family going. Maybe you had an occupation that allowed for leisure time and working to 68 was an attractive option in a pleasant less taxing job?

I knew for years that I wouldn’t receive my pension at 60. The date move twice The first date was to have been when I was 63.5 and the second was 3 weeks before my 65 birthday.
It does puzzle me that so many women seem to have been unaware of the changes, but there you go. I’m afraid that I can’t see the Government paying compensation.

Dizzyribs

I read the papers and always have. I agree with equalising the pension age between genders. This should follow a working life of equality. You may have forgotten, but women born before 1959 DID NOT experience equality in their working lives.

I didn't know that the age had equalised "decades ago". I did not receive any letter or see it advertised. I have a print out from the pension agency, dated 2016 saying my pension will be paid on my 60th birthday.
The financial ombudsman has found that I am one of many thousands of women who were not informed. It was NOT well known.
When I started work (1974) women were not allowed to join the company pension scheme. It was legal to pay us a different rate for the same job. Not all jobs were available to us, it was perfectly legal to refuse a woman a job on the basis of being female. Most jobs had a "women's rate" and were lower paid. It's just the way it was. But we were promised that we would have a state pension earlier than men, at 60.
If I had had sufficient notice, I would have made different arrangements for my financial future.
If I had sufficient notice, I wouldn't have given up work to care for sick elderly parents, using my savings in the belief that I would get a pension at 60.
I'd happily go back to work, if someone would employ me Obviously social services would need to take over the over the caring role that I currently do full time. I'd have to live with that, but guilt over such things is fairly normal for women.
I'd rather work outside of the home and contribute to getting a full pension. Obviously, I haven't enough contributions as I have not been employed since I left a well paid professional role at 58.
Getting work in your 50s is hard, it's almost impossible in your 60s. No-one wants older workers, especially ones with caring responsibilities. And I have tried!
Waspi women do not want the pension age changing. They do want compensation for fact that they were not informed in time to make preparations for their financial future.

Why haven't you got enough contributions? Did you take an extended break for family? I took 8 years,' break but I didn't pay the ' reduced contributions ' and maintained the full stamp as it was known despite pressure from employers to make me accept the lesser rate which would have virtually slashed my pension in half now! I know many who did fall for that one to their utter despair now. Also many many dreadful employers were not paying the stamp when they should unbeknown to the women concerned.

Retirement age is or has been raised in practically every European country, and if you in the UK were warned in advance then you are more fortunate than people in many other countries, where governments passed laws with very little warning.

And yes, we too were told it is necessary because of the longevity nowadays and the falling birth rate.

No one has yet tried to make it easier for young people to have families or even get jobs (which they might just be old-fashioned enough to consider necessary before deciding to start families) or bothered to take into account that those of us who live longer than our parents did, do not neccesarily remain strong and healthy up to the age of 70 - which is when retirement will be possible for those who are in their forties and fifties now.

I applaud those who rally in protest, and frankly am shocked so many of you seem to consider the inconvenience to those passing Parliament more important than protest rallies.

I think we need to remember women weren’t even allowed to open their own bank accounts until 1975

Well, I opened one when I started work, back in 1969. A proper current account.

Had a Trustee Savings deposit account in my own name before then.

I've just received my pension last year after waiting the six years dumped on us. I worked almost 40 years and it an ok pension but I'm furious at the nearly £60k they've STOLEN from me!!!!!
I wouldn't be traipsing down to London anyway it would cost well in excess of £400 ! And for what?

I agree with OVERTHEMOONGRAN. I received notice and worked until 68 as did my late mother. The information as I recall was in newspapers and on TV news programmes. Take notice of what's going on around you.

Thanks for starting this thread Hippe20. As I have stated previously in relation to other protests, the fact that it might ‘not make a difference’ should not deter us from having our voices heard. It is accepted by the Ombudsman that there was maladministration by the DWP regarding the management of the pension age rise for women. (Apparently they successfully managed the ONE YEAR pension age increase for men!) I believe in equality and it is right that women and men receive their state pension at the same age. This is not the argument here. The issue is the DWP’s maladministration. I was expecting to receive my state pension at 60. Working in a highly stressful job, I had made arrangements to reduce my hours to part time to coincide with this. However, I was forced to continue working full time for a further six years. This had a hugely detrimental impact on my physical and mental health and, since retiring a year ago, I have been beset with health problems. I find it disappointing to read some comments on this thread that appear to dismiss the issues that many 1950’s women have suffered. Many of us were not informed of a SIX year increase.

I read the papers and always have. I agree with equalising the pension age between genders. This should follow a working life of equality. You may have forgotten, but women born before 1959 DID NOT experience equality in their working lives.

I didn't know that the age had equalised "decades ago". I did not receive any letter or see it advertised. I have a print out from the pension agency, dated 2016 saying my pension will be paid on my 60th birthday.
The financial ombudsman has found that I am one of many thousands of women who were not informed. It was NOT well known.
When I started work (1974) women were not allowed to join the company pension scheme. It was legal to pay us a different rate for the same job. Not all jobs were available to us, it was perfectly legal to refuse a woman a job on the basis of being female. Most jobs had a "women's rate" and were lower paid. It's just the way it was. But we were promised that we would have a state pension earlier than men, at 60.
If I had had sufficient notice, I would have made different arrangements for my financial future.
If I had sufficient notice, I wouldn't have given up work to care for sick elderly parents, using my savings in the belief that I would get a pension at 60.
I'd happily go back to work, if someone would employ me Obviously social services would need to take over the over the caring role that I currently do full time. I'd have to live with that, but guilt over such things is fairly normal for women.
I'd rather work outside of the home and contribute to getting a full pension. Obviously, I haven't enough contributions as I have not been employed since I left a well paid professional role at 58.
Getting work in your 50s is hard, it's almost impossible in your 60s. No-one wants older workers, especially ones with caring responsibilities. And I have tried!
Waspi women do not want the pension age changing. They do want compensation for fact that they were not informed in time to make preparations for their financial future.

I too have been affected by the pension rule changes & feel very aggrieved by the lack of communication given by the government . I’m a member of WASPI too and support the campaign but wouldn’t be able to go to the London Rally . Having watched Martin Lewis show this week I doubt whether any compensation or real action now will be forthcoming but I applaud everyone for not giving up .

I genuinely did not know till I was 58 and preparing for retirement, the lady in the tax office that told me that so far she had never spoken to any woman that had actually had a notification letter.

As a woman born in 1961 ( so now aged 62 , I have to say that us woman born in the early 60s were also given the news that pension age will be changed. I have full NI contributions but have to wait until 67 until I get mine. Also aggrieved about the bus pass !

Can't believe some of the posts here. The issue of notice of changes to state pension has been the main problem, not the changes themselves.Financial planning is key as you get older, particularly if you're relying on a state pension.
And to say rallies/protests don't effect change is not true..equal rights for women, black people, gay and transgender as well as workers rights have all involved democratic protests. Or would you rather live in China? Protests are often when other channels have failed. Should we just roll over and accept what we're told?

I was affected by the rise in the pension age, but I was given plenty of notice, I cannot understand why some of us would be told and others not? I have always read everything official that pops through my letterbox, I do wonder if some of those claiming they had no notice are the same people that just throw brown envelopes in the bin.

Withnail

Please correct me if I am wrong but if say you paid into a Christmas Club all year with the agree that it would pay out in December then the organisation just announced it wouldn't be paying out after all wouldn't they be legally obliged to?
I paid out all that time expecting to get it in my pension at 60 then they just decided they wouldn't pay out and the contract you entered into was declared null & void?
That was my money.

But you never paid anything into an individual pension pot. You paid for your parents' generation's pensions.

Do you have the contract which states that you would receive your state pension at the age of 60?

Please correct me if I am wrong but if say you paid into a Christmas Club all year with the agree that it would pay out in December then the organisation just announced it wouldn't be paying out after all wouldn't they be legally obliged to?
I paid out all that time expecting to get it in my pension at 60 then they just decided they wouldn't pay out and the contract you entered into was declared null & void?
That was my money.

These Ladies are elderly now and need the support of younger Ladies, that’s us.
I’m ok doesn’t really help.
Saying that London will be busy is so lacking in support. Where is the Suffragette spirit? Sadly I think we’re witnessing weakness without a backbone.
Let’s live the strength we Ladies joyously and thankfully inherited and less of the ‘I'm ok brigade’

I was told at the age of fifty-something that I would get my pension at the age of 64 1/2. Eighteen months later there was another letter saying, no actually, sixty-six. I consider myself pretty well-informed and politically savvy, but I genuinely did miss the original change (maybe I was too pre-occupied with small children and my late husband being made redundant). I knew that something had to be done but I thought that it would be more like splitting the difference at 63. I'm quite surprised we WASPIs weren't contacted directly by letter at the time.

Anyway, I'm now drawing my pension. Still working full time because my employers balked at how much it would cost to replace me, but at least I shall be going part-time in a couple of months, and will definitely be retired by the end of the year.

knspol

There has been lots of publicity about raising the pension age over the last few years so plenty of notice has been given. This is just like many years ago when women were given the choice to either pay a full stamp and eventually receive a pension in their own name or else continue to pay a smaller married woman's contribution and then when the latter group suddenly found they were not entitled to a full pension they were up in arms.

I was one of those "small stamp" women and we were told at the time that if we were widowed. then we could claim against our husband's emplyment years!

Its not just the age rules. My husband died a couple of years before my pensionable age and before he drew his own pension. When he died I contacted the pensions department to find out whether i would be able to clain pensionable years against his unclaimed pension as I knew that things were changing. I didn't have enough pensionable years to my own accound due to being one of the women who paid the "small stamp" because at the time the rules were that you could claim against your husband's years. coming back to the present day I was told unequivocally that yes I could claim against his years as he had died without claiming his pension...then the fun started. A year before I could claim my own pension and during the changeover period I checked again that my husband's years would count. The pensions office people were lovely and did me several manual forecasts as the automatic forecast system wouldn't work for those near to claiming their pension. Each one came out different. I spoke to the pensions office many times and was told "This is what the guidance says THIS WEEK. We don't know what we will be told next week or what the eventual answer will be. please keep phoning back" Eventually I got a forecast that was more than the minimum new rate but a bit less than I would have received under the old scheme. I have no idea how they worked out the amount but decided that as i would be taxed anyway (I have my husbands occupational pension) it wasn't worth arguing about. My college friend whose birthday falls in january (mine is august) got her pension a year before I did and got it assessed under the old scheme. I think its the utter shambles and inequality between different women that the waspis are complaining about.

I am getting annoyed about this as the information has been out there for years about all the changes to ages and receipt of pensions. Women forget that men have also fallen foul of these changes. My OH expected his state pension at 65 as promised , worked non stop from 16 , 42 years with BT etc and then had to wait another year to 66 . I just feel for people who rely on the state pension for their income. It is nowhere near sufficient for an individual’s needs in today’s economic situation. I doubt this rally will make any difference but at least we have the freedom to hold one !

There has been lots of publicity about raising the pension age over the last few years so plenty of notice has been given. This is just like many years ago when women were given the choice to either pay a full stamp and eventually receive a pension in their own name or else continue to pay a smaller married woman's contribution and then when the latter group suddenly found they were not entitled to a full pension they were up in arms.