STUC Committee commit to supporting pension justice for women in Scotland
THE STUC Women’s conference has by acclaim unanimously given its backing to the Women against pension inequality (WASPI) campaign at its conference in Perth today [Saturday 29 October].
The campaign seeks to ensure fairer transitional state pension packages for women born on or after April 6 1951 who found themselves facing shortfalls in pensions as a result of pensions changes by the UK Government.
Both STUC and WASPI have emphasised that they both believe in equalisation of pension ages for men and women, however, it is the lack of communication or fair compensation that have left up to 2.6 million women in financial straits.
“We believe that the Government must offer a full package of transitional arrangements for all women born on or after 6th April 1951, who have unfairly borne the burden of the increase to the State Pension Age (SPA).” USDAW
A formal statement from the Union of Shop, Distribution and Allied Workers (USDAW) said: “That this Conference notes and supports the current WASPI campaign.
“Whilst this conference believes that the equalisation of the pension was the right decision to take in meeting equality obligations, the decision to equalise at age 65 was nothing more than a cost-cutting exercise.
“Hundreds of thousands of women have had significant changes imposed on them with a lack of appropriate notification. The failure to adequately communicate to millions of women the financial impact of equalisation was scandalous and has left many women’s retirement plans in chaos.
“We believe that the Government must offer a full package of transitional arrangements for all women born on or after 6th April 1951, who have unfairly borne the burden of the increase to the State Pension Age (SPA).
“Inequality of women’s pensions in Scotland is not new. Our pension system has been characterised by a State Pension too low to live on and dependence on occupational and private pensions, which cannot provide a comfortable old age to the low-paid and irregularly employed, most of whom are female.”
In Scotland over 243,900 women are affected by the age change in pension qualification from 60 to 66.
In Scotland over 243,900 women are affected by the age change in pension qualification from 60 to 66 and in the UK as a whole it has impacted on 2.6 million people, meaning a loss of income that would have otherwise been due under the old pension age.
Women born on or after April 6 1951 are directly affected by the UK Government's change despite the coalition agreement that promising no change to the women's state pension age before 2020.
As a result, the state pension age for women will reach 65 by November 2018 and 66 by the year 2020.
Picture courtesy of Tricia Clough
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