'Frustrating!' Waspi women slam politicians over 'no response' to calls for state pension compensation
Campaigners are calling for politicians to act on behalf of Waspi women
PA
Waspi women are being urged "to use your vote to win justice" on behalf of Britons impacted by historic changes to the state pension age in tomorrow's General Election.
Campaigners for Women Against State Pension Inequality (Waspi) are speaking out before heading to the polls with many sharing their concern about the lack of commitment to compensation from politicians.
Over 200 candidates for Parliament have endorsed the campaign's goals but both Labour and the Conservative Party have remained cagey about what amount will be eventually offered to pensioners.
Earlier this year, the Parliament and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) determined women born in the 1950s could be entitled to a Level 4 payout, which comes to between £1,000 and £2,750.
This comes after its initial report in 2021 which found the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) guilty of "maladministration" in its handling of the state pension age equalisation between the sexes.
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Sunak and Starmer have remained cagey about a future compensation payout for Waspi women
PAAround 3.8 million women are believed to have been impacted by the change due to not being adequately informed.
This led to many not being able to sufficiently prepare for retirement, according to the Waspi campaign.
While the Liberal Democrats, Green Party, SNP and Plaid Cymru have promised a proper compensation package, Sir Keir Starmer and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak have been less clear.
The Labour leader has confirmed he will take on the issue which has been "kicked into the long grass" by the Tories, while Sunak has claimed the Conservatives are still examining the PHSO's report.
On the Waspi Facebook page, women are calling on the UK's political leaders to do more as "one woman dies every 13 minutes" while waiting on compensation.
Many have written to the parties ahead of July 4 to see where they stand on the payout for women born in the 1950s.
Elizabeth Sidney said: "Women fought and died for us to have the right to vote so make sure you do ladies, even if it’s a protest vote. The fight for Waspi goes on."
Jenny Gregory added: "I wrote to both parties but they didn’t have the courtesy to reply which has been frustrating."
Dawn Tok explained: "I wrote to them all. No response of course but an email response to say 'with election under way blah blah blah' but at least they have my emails."
Despite many women not receiving a response from the major parties, some campaigners did reveal their correspondence with potential MPs.
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Campaigners are calling on policymakers to do more for women born in the 1950s WASPI Elaine Wright shared: "I got a lovely email straight back from the Lib Dem candidate saying it's in their manifesto and he will definitely support it."
Angela Madden, the chair of Women Against State Pension Inequality (WASPI), said: "As the clock ticks down to the polls opening, Labour and Conservatives are in the final hour to win over the votes of 3.6 million women.
"We are grateful to the many candidates in all parties who have responded positively, but a new government needs to move from warm words to concrete actions.
"With one WASPI woman dying every 13 minutes, we will be using our votes to demand justice for all those who have been so badly let down."
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