WASPI (Women Against State Pension Inequality) campaigners will be attending two party conferences later this month to renew their calls for DWP compensation and have set out a plan of action to get justice for women who it is claimed missed out on their fair pensions.
Angela Madden, chair of WASPI, said: “We are going to both the Liberal Democrat and Labour conferences, where we hope to meet more MPs and Labour supporters.
“The way Labour MPs will change their mind if they don’t support is if their constituents ask them to, to tell their MP that they want them to represent WASPI women.”
She said the WASPI group will have an exhibition stand at the Labour party conference, which is taking place in Liverpool from September 22 to 25.
They will also be trying to arrange meetings at the event to plug their cause. The Liberal Democrat conference will be in Brighton from September 14 to 17.
With regard to support from Conservative MPs, Ms Madden said they are waiting until after the leadership election is over, to see what trajectory the party moves towards.
She said there are many MPs in the new Government who back the cause. A landmark report came out in March this year from the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman, saying the women should get compensation, and recommending payouts of between £1,000 and £2,950 for being treated unfairly when the state pension age changed.
The campaigners hope to get much more. with the Ombudsman’s top level of compensation at £10,000 and above. One former MP backing the cause called for payouts of £10,000 or above.
The campaigners are contacting all the new MPs but as the new Government is still in its early days, they are getting limited responses.
Ms Madden said: “It’s a funny time because some MPs haven’t even yet set up their office, to get a response from all MPs at the moment is quite difficult.”
The campaigners are hoping to get a meeting with pensions minister Emma Reynolds over the coming days, with Ms Reynolds saying they would hold the meeting soon after Parliament returns today, September 2.
The important meeting will be the first time the campaigners have met with a pensions minister in the ruling Government, having met previously with shadow ministers.
Ms Madden said: “What we’re hoping for is it’s the start of a productive conversation that will lead to our position being fully understood.”
She said they will be setting out their key concerns and ask some questions as they push on to secure payouts.
The campaign head commented: “It’s in the Ombudsman’s report: we didn’t get sufficient information, we weren’t informed correctly of the impact of pensions changes on us.
“The Ombudsman has said we deserve compensation and an apology. That is quite clear.”
