IT was with great pleasure that I listened to the debate in Holyrood this week (April 3)secured by San-dra White MSP highlighting the issue affecting Women Against State Pension Inequality (Waspi) cam-paigners. The public gallery was full of affected women from across Scotland.
The issue is the lack of notice for women born in the 1950 who are suffering disproportionately, unable to get their state pensions due to government legislation in equalising the State Pension Age for men and women. Those women have no issue with equalising state pension age, their issue is they did not receive the legal required notice of an increase in there state pension age as laid down in legislation and to allow them to put in place alternative arrangements for retirement. Many of those women have been plunged into poverty, dependant on benefits as a result.
MSP after MSP spoke and accused the Westminster Government of state pension robbery in support of the 250,000 women in Scotland affected, sadly on such an issue the main opposition in Scotland, the Conservative benches remained silent with the exception of Michelle Ballantyne, who tried unsuc-cessfully to defend the policies of her Westminster Conservative Government on this matter.
Many of the women affected are managing to continue in employment, continuing to pay National Insurance contributions and in many cases have done so since the age of 15 on starting employment. Waspi women will continue in their fight for justice, which is currently heading for the High Court.
Catriona C Clark,
52 Hawthorn Drive,
Banknock, Falkirk.
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