Union bosses have criticised Prime Minister Keir Starmer for failing to compensate Waspi women, one year after a landmark Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) report.
The Women Against State Pension Inequality (Waspi) campaign has lobbied for compensation to address inequalities resulting from historic changes to the state pension age.
In a letter sent to Downing Street today, union leaders claim ministers have set a "dangerous precedent" by ignoring the Ombudsman's compensation order.
They warn the Government's decision risks "eroding public trust" and urges Starmer to change course. The letter highlights that Waspi women have "worked tirelessly" throughout their lives only to be denied proper compensation.
Unions are slamming the Prime Minister over his silence on Waspi compensation
GETTY / PA
The signatories include leaders from some of the largest unions, including UNISON's Christina McAnea, the GMB Union's Gary Smith and CWU general secretary Dave Ward.
Last year, the ombudsman recommended a Level 4 payout to women born in the 1950s which comes to between £1,000 and £2,750.
More than 3.5 million women born in the 1950s were affected after the Government increased their state pension age without properly informing them of the changes. Campaigners say this plunged tens of thousands into poverty.
Many affected women were left with little time to make alternative arrangements for their retirement. Some of the worst affected individuals received just a few months' notice of a six-year increase to their state pension age.
Campaigners are calling on policymakers to do more for women born in the 1950s WASPI In December, Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall confirmed to MPs during a Commons statement that those affected by the pensions controversy would not receive any compensation.
Despite issuing an apology and acknowledging maladministration, the Government rejected the Ombudsman's recommendations for financial remedy. The compensation would have cost between £3.5billion and £10.5billion.
UNISON general secretary Christina McAnea said: "Ministers should do the right thing and grant the compensation that's owed."
On Monday, Waspi campaigners launched a High Court judicial review to challenge the Government's position.
The legal action aims to force ministers to reconsider their stance on compensation. Campaigners have vowed to fight on for justice.
Angela Madden, the chair of the Waspi campaign, expressed gratitude for support from the trade union movement and across the country.
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:
Keir Starmer is under fire from unions
PA"Nobody would have expected that one year after the publication of the Parliamentary Ombudsman's report we would still have to be asking 1950s-born women to raise funds for a legal case to secure justice, especially under a Labour government that is meant to fight for social justice and equality," she said.
With the judicial review now launched, Madden said the Government has "an opportunity to get around the table and engage meaningfully with us."
She warned that if the Government doesn't engage, "they will have to continue to defend the indefensible, but this time in front of senior judges."
The judicial review represents a significant escalation in the Waspi campaign's efforts to secure compensation for women who have been fighting for justice for years.
