Have you heard about this campaign? Women Against State Pension Inequality. It was mentioned on our local news and I went on line to check out the petition to Parliament and the articles. Mainly because something like the quote below from the Independent happened to me.
"the Government waited more than fifteen years to inform people personally: it recently admitted that the first time it wrote to women was between April 2009 and March 2011. That means a woman born in March 1953 could have found out for the first time at age 58 that she was not going to get her State pension until age 63. "
Luckily we had been working hard through selling house and downsizing to pay off mortgage and have no debts to retire together rather than wait till I was 65. I could have gone on, I had a good job and was wanted for my skills, but that extra 2.5 years I had to wait after I was 60 was pain enough and I had no enthusiasm for working on. Apparently the main changes in 1995 were not communicated well, and I must admit if I had known more from 1995 I would have made very different arrangements.
What I enjoyed about the local interview was the lady of a certain age trying to explain to a "young" radio presenter the cultural difference in attitudes to women working in the 1950s generation. He struggled.
I don't want the compensation some MPs are talking about, apparently it would cost billions to pay the pensions of the 1950s generation, but I would like an apology or recognition that lots of us worked hard for many years to change this country and support our families.
Sorry I am not usually political but this one issue is close to home!
good post, I've got to wait until I'm 66, whilst the body is able,in my mind it's wholly unfair the way they did it and like most others, with my state pension I could retire, without it I have to work.
ReplyDeleteI really feel for you in those extra years. One thing which would have helped at 60 was to have got the bus pass as actually paying to go to work was an extra burden to bear as well as having to pay tax, NI and a work based pension I didn't want. As I worked in local government there were no pay rises either!
DeleteI agree, the only reason I can retire at 60 this year is because we invested in property and bought private pensions. Yes I'm a Civil servant and will get a pension but I doubled my contributions while I could so it's a half decent. I couldn't do the shift work and physical side to my job for much longer.
ReplyDeleteI think I have said it before best thing to do if you can afford it is to go early! I used what was left of my mother's will to go at 62.
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