- Conference
- 2025 National Retired Members Conference
- Date
- 15 June 2025
- Decision
- Carried
Conference welcomes the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman’s report, 21st March 2024, entitled ‘Women’s State Pension Age’ which considered the impact of the arbitrary change in state pension age and its effect on women born after 6th April 1950.
We note the level of compensation recommended by the Ombudsman. The Ombudsman recommended Level 4 compensation (£1000 – £2950 per person) due to “the lasting impact on someone affected”, (paragraph 504 of the report, which estimated the total to be between £3.5 billion and £10.5 billion). While recognising that this does not meet the expectations of many WASPI women (Women Against State Pension Inequality) it is nevertheless a major step forward.
Conference expected the new UK government to instruct the Department of Work and Pensions to pay the recommended compensation as a matter of urgency. However, on 17th December 2024, the Labour government announced that no compensation would be paid to WASPI women.
This decision was a cruel blow to a generation of women, many of them now amongst the poorest pensioners, some of whom are now suffering severe financial distress. It came as a shock particularly given pre-election support from Labour for the WASPI campaign, including those in leadership positions; and the increase in funding that the government has found for war and armaments factories.
Conference calls on the National Retired Members’ Committee to work with National Executive Council to lobby and campaign in support of thousands of Unison women members, for immediate payment of the compensation that WASPI women rightly expected.