Purple-clad women born in the 1950s from all over Salford and Eccles congregated at Buile Hill Park yesterday to reaffirm their demand for the compensation due to them.

Almost a year ago, on 20th July 2021, the Ombudsman announced that there had been maladministration in the way that changes to the State Pension Age for women born in the 1950s were implemented. Since then the Ombudsman has been investigating whether this maladministration led to injustice and, if so, to recommend compensation.

Judith Robertson, Co-ordinator of the Salford & Eccles Women Against State Pension Injustice (WASPI) campaign, organised a special picnic in the park. “This month WASPI women all over the country are holding events to show we are not going away,” she said. “5,000 women in Salford and Eccles are victims of DWP maladministration. We need fair and fast compensation. Failure to give 1950s women proper notice of the changes to our pension age had disastrous results.

“All our financial planning for life after 60 went out of the window. Some had to sell or re-mortgage their homes, others had to continue working despite ill health, and others had to abandon commitments they had made to their families to provide care for grandchildren or elderly relatives.”

The women also collected toiletries and hygiene items for the local food bank.

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