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A grandmother who has worked for the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) for decades said she was unaware of the state pension age change and described the organization’s actions as a “tremendous mess”.
Michelle Jones, whose name has been changed to request anonymity, said: I That she is one of the 3.8 million Waspi (Women Against State Pension Inequalities) born in the 1950s who were affected by the change in the pension age from 60 to 66.
Michelle, who is married with children and grandchildren and lives in the West Midlands, said this was the second time the DWP’s actions had affected her life, and despite taking the DWP to court and winning, 54 He said he felt he was medically forced to retire at his age.
“As a Waspian woman who worked for DWP for 36 years and was affected by this age change, I can only say that this is a monumental disruption by them.
“We all know that there are not enough funds to pay for what each woman loses as a result of non-filing, and worse, that women within 10 years of retirement have no protected rights. I know.
“Those affected deserve fair compensation for the mismanagement, and the government needs to do just that.”
Michelle, now 69, started working for DWP at the age of 18 and held a number of positions there over the years, including several senior positions.
she said I She started working from home in 1999, working three days from home and the other two days in the office. She has a spinal condition and she had surgery in 1994 and was problem-free for the next 10 years, but in 2005 her problem flared up and she ended up spending 6 months in her bed. became.
Michelle said: “By the time I finally got back on my feet, my condition had worsened. But my job was definitely something I could do from home, so after that I worked from home four and a half days a week, Half of my work now goes to the office.”
Michelle said the arrangement worked well for about two and a half years, but then a new manager decided no one wanted to work from home and gave everyone working remotely a 90-day contract change. It is said that
Michelle explained: “My illness affected my bowels and bladder, and I was on opiates, so I couldn’t go to the office to work. But I managed to cope by working from home, and I was very productive. improved.”
Michelle said she ended up contacting a lawyer and suing the DWP. It took two years, but she won her case. However, at this point all of her work equipment had been removed from her home and she says she was told she would need to undergo 12 weeks of training before she could resume her job.
Furthermore, she added: “I felt overwhelmed and as if I had no choice but to retire on sick leave because I felt they were doing everything they could.
“My husband and I talked it over, and since I was 54 and a half years old at this point, we calculated that I could manage for just over five years before receiving the national pension.
“My husband, who is 10 years older than me, had retired from the civil service at this point, so I went to the local government to get a job to keep us afloat.
“I thought by the time I was 60 he would be 70 and we would both be done. But when I was 59, a friend told me that by the time I was 60, I would no longer be eligible for the state pension. I learned that I couldn’t get it and would have to wait until I was 66.”
Michelle said she was shocked by the devastating news. At this point, her husband has quit his job and her elderly parents, who are in poor health, live with her and also take care of her grandchildren.
“It was a huge shock to suddenly find out that I wouldn’t be able to receive the national pension for another six years after all this had happened,” she recalls. “My father had heart disease so he had to pipe oxygen into the house and keep the heat on even in the summer, so the bills were huge.
“I finally got my pension when I was 66, but by then I had pretty much given up on it. We were both very lucky because we both had good civil service pensions.
“But it means we have to work a lot more years than we intended, which causes us a lot of stress and I’m angry about that.”
Michelle said she has no problem with making women’s retirement age the same as men’s because she feels ambiguity about women’s early retirement is outdated. However, she strongly believes that this response was inappropriate and that the woman should have been properly informed and given time to prepare for the changes.
“You should have had time to prepare and plan what you are going to do to prepare for the state pension age change,” she says. She said, “She may not have made the decision to retire because of her illness.”
She further added: “Having worked for the DWP for many years, I know there have always been disasters, not just those of our own making.
“But one of the biggest failures was communication issues, and that’s definitely what happened to me and all the Waspi women.”
Angela Madden, campaign chair for Women’s Movement Against Inequalities in State Pensions (WASPI), said: “Tens of thousands of women across the country have lost their lives because the government has not properly communicated the increase in the state pension age. It ruined my retirement plans and disrupted my retirement plans.”
“That even those who have worked at DWP for decades were unaware of these changes shows how incompetence and sheer arrogance combined to prevent ministers from communicating with staff. .
“The very sector for which ‘Michelle’ has worked so diligently all her life is now heeding the call from MPs across the House of Commons to provide fair and prompt compensation to those affected. There is an urgent need to present clear proposals.
“As soon as Parliament reconvenes, MPs must be given the opportunity to debate and vote on these proposals.”
A DWP spokesperson said: “We are reviewing the Ombudsman’s report and will cooperate fully throughout this investigation and take appropriate action.”
“The Government has always been committed to supporting all pensioners in a sustainable way that allows them to live a dignified retirement, while being fair to pensioners and taxpayers.
“The National Pension is the basis of retirement income and will remain so until we increase the National Pension for 12 million pensioners with a further 8.5% increase in April. The full price would rise by £900.