Elizabeth Robertson on the latest blow to WASPI campaigners

"And yet, here we are. I wonder, as time moves on, how many more of these columns I will need to write?"

That was how I signed off my last Tele column two weeks ago.

Well, it would seem, I need to write at least one more.

Two child benefit cap: retained. Winter Fuel Allowance: removed from many pensioners. Now we have compensation for WASPI women: not likely any time soon.

In some ways the women I know who were born in the 1950s, and who are affected by state pension injustice, do have the ‘broadest shoulders’. They are our sisters, our mothers, our grandmothers, our carers, our teachers, our neighbours, our leaders, the rocks that families, businesses and communities rely on daily.

In that sense, yes, the WASPI women have very broad shoulders indeed, and their fight to address their injustice is also proof of this.

However, If the Government expects me to agree that WASPI women fall into the category of the ‘broadest shoulders’ who should be carrying the heft of the burden to help the country out of a financial black hole, then the Government will be very disappointed in me, because they are not, and they should not.

Compensation – remedial action recommended by the Ombudsman – seems yet to be some way off from becoming a reality for women and their families who still suffer from the decision to change the state pension age without any forward notice or planning for women born in the 1950s.

These comments by a Parliamentary Secretary in the Treasury were retweeted, or re-Xed if you like, by the BBC’s Paul Lewis: “The Government believes the best way to support people, including women who have been affected by the change to state pension age, is to help them to retrain, return to or progress in work.”

Elizabeth Robertson says the Treasury's position on compensation for WASPI women is unacceptable. (Image: Archive) I know many WASPI women who will be either laughing in disbelief or apoplectic with anger reading that quote.

These comments spectacularly fail to understand the context of WASPI women, who are now reaching the end of their 50 year long working lives. They have been the most disrupted in terms of juggling working life and caring responsibilities. They have had to work longer than expected already in an economy which has underpaid many of them in relation to their male colleagues. And their balancing of work and care has often impacted on their career progression and development opportunities.

The comments from the Treasury representative show no appreciation or even basic knowledge of any of this.

During the recent general election campaign, we had a local hustings at Lyle Kirk in Greenock. Five of the eight candidates participated in the debate. After the – very interesting – question session, I had cause to speak to two of the candidates, because, when asked a question from the floor about WASPI women, it transpired that they did not know who WASPI women were, and had to be told by the moderator of the hustings.

Not good enough, if you want to be MP.

But when you do know about WASPI women, as the new Labour Government does, then you should understand the issue, the need for compensation to be forthcoming, and the imperative that an injustice such as this be resolved.

It has been a significant time since the Ombudsman recommended action, and a suggested quantum of finance to pay back to women.

Ceasing to talk, to negotiate and to realise that this must be concluded soon is simply yet another failing of a Government who should know better.