Janet Haley of WASPI (Woman Against State Pension Inequality) gave a talk to members of the Liskeard Labour Branch at their recent meeting which coincided with the International Women’s Day campaign week. 

Janet, of Middle Taphouse, is co-ordinator for the Kernow WASPI Group.

She said: “It was an excellent opportunity to share facts and figures and answer questions. I came away overwhelmed by the support and empathy shown by the Labour members.” 

Sue Shand, chair of Liskeard Labour, said: “Our members were moved by the stories of how seriously the thoughtless changes to state pension age have impacted on so many women’s lives. In this 100th anniversary of votes for women, it is a shock to realise just how many of the rights we take for granted today have only been won over the last few decades.

“Women born in the 1950s have struggled against prejudice and discrimination all their working lives; and are now seeing the pension they contributed to for all those years, and were led to believe would be theirs at 60, recede into the distance. Members felt this was totally unacceptable and wholeheartedly agreed to back the campaign in whatever ways we can.”

Janet highlighted how the WASPI campaign supports the principle of equalisation of the state pension age.  

“What it does not agree with is the unfair way the changes were implemented with no notice or transitional period given to women born in the 1950s making it impossible for them to plan their financial future,” she explained.

“The Parliamentary bills, in 1995 and 2011, changed the State Pension Age and speeded up the rate at which it would be implemented. Some women are waiting up to an extra six years for their pensions and the lack of notice of these changes has changed ladies’ lives drastically. They were given no time to amend their planned futures.”