Wɑspi Women Edge Closer to Justice ɑs Shock Court Heɑring Forces Lɑbour Rethink
A case for state pension compensation for millions of women born in the 1950s is heading to court earlier than expected in the latest development for the Women Against State Pension Inequality (Waspi) campaign.
Judges will convene for an urgent case management hearing tomorrow (December 3) to examine how the Labour Government’s pledge to revisit its stance on Waspi compensation affects ongoing legal proceedings.
The Waspi campaign has lobbied MPs for payouts, claiming women impacted by the equalisation of the state pension age between the sexes were not adequately informed.
According to those impacted, this resulted in many women being able to sufficiently prepare financially for retirement as they believed they would be able to access payments earlier.
Labour is being urged to ‘reconsider’ their initial decision over state pension compensation for Waspi women.
Last year, an investigation by the Parliament and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) determined women born in the 1950s were victims of “maladministration” in the Department for Work and Pensions’ (DWP) handling of said changes.
The ombudsman asserted that Waspi women could be entitled to a level four payout, which is worth up to nearly £3,000, but noted it was the responsibility of MPs to vote on and set a compensation payment package.
Despite this, both the Labour and Conservative Governments refused to take up the case of state pension compensation. Ahead of the Budget, DWP minister Pat McFadden confirmed the Government were reexamining the case.
Tomorrow’s two-and-a-half-hour judicial session on comes just six days before the scheduled judicial review challenging ministers’ initial rejection of compensation recommendations.
Angela Madden, chair of the Waspi campaign has criticised the lack of action from Government
The hearing represents an unexpected development in the litigation, with the court seeking to understand the ramifications of the Work and Pensions Secretary’s commitment made in November to reconsider the original decision to reject a payout.
Waspi’s legal challenge against the Government’s dismissal of compensation proposals remains scheduled for December 9 and December 10, though the campaign group has instructed solicitors to pursue guarantees about the reconsideration process.
Notably, the campaign group wants clarity on timelines and procedures before deciding whether to proceed with the full hearing. Waspi campaigners fear ministers might produce another decision mirroring the original rejection, complete with what they describe as identical legal deficiencies currently under challenge.
No specific deadline has been provided for completing the reconsideration, heightening concerns about potential delays in resolving the long-running dispute over state pension age changes.
Angela Madden, who chairs WASPI, acknowledged that November’s announcement marked significant progress as ministers conceded crucial evidence had been overlooked when rejecting the Ombudsman’s recommendations on compensation and injustice findings.
However, she criticised the Government’s reluctance to clarify its approach to the reconsideration or provide a definitive schedule.
“Our lawyers have been pressing the Government on these and other matters,” Ms Madden stated.
“The imminent court hearings may not be necessary, but only if we can be confident the Government is willing to reconsider in the right way.”
Campaigners are calling on policymakers to do more for women born in the 1950s | WASPI
She described the issue of Waspi compensation as being “high stakes” for women impacted by the perceived historic injustice.
The impact extends beyond the millions of affected women to the integrity of the Ombudsman system itself, according to Ms Madden, who warned that public trust in grievance procedures against government departments hangs in the balance.
“Most importantly of all, every 13 minutes, a Waspi woman dies without seeing justice,” she said, underlining the human cost of continued delays.
