Mhairi Black highlights pension inequality for women

I initially became aware of this issue through constituents bringing it to my attention. Many women came forward to tell me that they had not had any notification of changes to their state pension age, and those who had received any information had found it conflicting and constantly changing. 

In one case a woman was told that she had paid enough National Insurance contributions to receive their full state pension at 60 (a few months away), only to receive a further letter 3 weeks later telling her that she would not be entitled to her pension until she was nearly 66.

Some women were told by MPs and Ministers that they must have given the DWP an incorrect address and this is why they hadn’t received any notification and yet they had been living in these homes for up to twenty years.

The persistent failure by the DWP to notify the women affected has left an unfair burden on them, and refused them the chance to prepare for the increase in the state pension age. One of my constituents told me:

“The coalition and this present government have stripped us of our pensions with no prior warning, and with no regard to the contract we all entered into when we were 17”

I think that is the perfect way to describe the actions of the Government. Women have been stripped of pensions they paid into for years and the Government’s response has been:

“The cost of prolonging this inequality would be several billions of pounds”

As always with this Government the cost of everything falls on those who struggle most on society. After going after people on low wages, and the disabled, and women, they are now chasing pensioners. It is grossly unfair and and not at all surprising that this Government can find money for sending bombs overseas but decide it is too expensive to look after our pensions.