More than 300,000 women born in the 1950s have died whilst awaiting compensation over state pension age changes, campaigners revealed today.
Data from the Office for National Statistics commissioned by Women Against State Pension Inequality (Waspi), shows that one affected woman dies every 13 minutes.
The stark figures have emerged as millions of women continue to await compensation proposals from ministers following a nine-year battle for justice.
Waspi campaigners seek compensation for the Department for Work and Pensions’ (DWP) failure to properly communicate state pension age increases to millions of women.
In a major breakthrough this March, the Parliamentary Ombudsman ruled that the DWP was wrong in its handling of the changes.
The Ombudsman ordered ministers to urgently compensate affected women. However, the government has yet to bring forward specific compensation proposals.
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The Waspi campaign has claimed 300,000 have died since the compensation payout row begun
PA
This delay comes despite the Ombudsman’s directive for payments to be made without delay. The issue affects women born in the 1950s who had their retirement plans significantly altered by the pension age changes.
Many Labour MPs and trade unions, including UNISON, have backed the campaign for urgent compensation.
Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall told MPs this week she was working “as quickly as humanly possible” to respond to the Ombudsman’s report.
However, she declined to provide a timeline for when financial redress proposals would be presented to Parliament.
The absence of Waspi compensation in the recent Budget drew criticism from dozens of MPs, particularly as redress proposals were confirmed for Post Office and infected blood scandal victims.
Waspi chair Angela Madden highlighted the tragic toll of the delays.
“It is both distressing and tragic that after nine long years of campaigning, 300,000 Waspi women have died without seeing the justice they are due,” she said.
She warned ministers that “time is running out” to fairly compensate those who remain.
UNISON’s Head of Equality Josie Irwin called the situation a “pensions shambles” that left retirement plans in tatters.
“It’s a tragedy so many women have died without receiving the payments they were due,” she said.
“Many of them were low-paid cleaners, teaching assistants, school administrators, cooks, catering staff, nurses and receptionists.”
She urged ministers to “find a way to resolve this desperately unfair situation”.
