Ceri Wheeldon of Fab after Fifty interviews Anne Keen, co-founder of WASPI about the WASPI campaign and the impact on women born in the 1950s of the increase in state pension age.

In this episode we talk about how and why the WASPI campaign started

Which women are affected by the increase in state pension age and how.

What progress has the  WASPI campaign made so far

Are transitional pension arrangements likely?

What can be achieved by the judicial review as a result of the Back to 60 campaign

Next steps in the fight for justice for women affected by the increase in state pension age

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Full episode transcript:

[00:00:04] I'm Ceri Wheeldon. Welcome to the Fab after Fifty podcast. Leading the pro age conversation, talking about all things life after 50.

 

[00:00:16] Hello. And welcome to this week's episode of the Fab after 50 podcast and I have with me today Anne Keen, who is the founder of the WASPI Campaign. Hello and welcome to Fab after 50.

 

[00:00:27] Oh, hello Ceri. Thanks very much for this. For giving me this opportunity to raise  further awareness of the WASPI campaign, very much appreciated. For those that perhaps don't know what is the WASPI campaign?

 

[00:00:42] Well, WASPI as  women against state pension injustice. Initially, I'm the co-founder, one of five. The campaign was co-founded and was founded in 2015. And that was three years after I was informed of the changes to my state pension age. I'm basically campaigning for justice for women born in the 1950s who have been affected by the changes to the state pension age.

 

[00:01:12] It was quite sudden, wasn't it? I mean, we're told it was signed  some time ago, but I don't think it was communicated that well.

 

[00:01:19] No, it wasn't. And that was one of the key crux of the campaign. Basically, I found out in 2012 that my pension age had been increased by two years, eight months and six days. And that was through the second letter I received from the DWP. And it was sent believe the whole not so long story. I'll keep it short and to increase. My husband and I were very fortunate to have a year off from our work in 2009. Increase was like a sabbatical because our plans were to retire to Greece. And obviously you're in a different mindset when you're on holiday. So we were in Greece 2009. Back to 2010. We continue to holiday in the same place in Greece 2012. There was a letter waiting for me from the DWP of your and it just said to notify you of your new state pension age. Well, Ceri, I was absolutely shocked. It was like a blow. I was in shock. I really was. I'm so sick I thought they'd made a mistake. So anyway, when I got back home from holiday I rang the DWP, I was in a serious state and they said no that's your new state pension age. I said, well, I've never, ever been notified. And they just said, well, all letters were sent out. So anyway, from there,  me being me, I abhor injustice. I really do. I then started a petition through 38 degrees called Reverse the State Pension Age because I was oblivious to the 1995 and  the 2011 acts. So the letter, by the way, I received and it was dated January 2012 and it was May 2012, I read it, and that was 13 months before I expected to receive my pension payments.

 

[00:03:16] I know from personal experience, I mean, a number of times I've had meetings with no financial advisors since 1995. And then yet it always seemed to be that women retire at 60. So they never asked me. Oh, it's all based on your birthday. You'll be retiring later. It was always way given that 60 was the retirement age.

 

[00:03:36] Absolutely. You make a good point there, because even judges in divorce settlements. They  didn't know and  settlements based on women retiring at 60

 

[00:03:49] It's been very recent that that's been happening. And, you know, I said the same about when I found out I started a petition. 38 agrees. 2012, just carrying on and carrying on, In 2014, the end of 2014 one of the co-founders contacte