One FT Adviser reader, a Waspi woman campaigner, has written to the editor in relation to the opinion piece ‘Why the Waspi issue is a political, and touchy, subject’.
She writes:
"How very dare you write such an insulting piece on Waspi women?
You were probably not born when we went out to work and got paid less than men. Had little maternity leave and certainly no help from the state to bring up our children.
We didn't join the workforce in our 20s as most do today; we started work in our mid-teens.
We were told to expect to be able to retire at 60 but lost two-thirds of a decade of our lives, that cannot be got back because our pension pots were robbed.
This being over £50,000 taken from most of 'these people' you very rudely describe us as!
For the record you are wrong. I worked on benefits for almost 30 years and just because the DWP decided to use the term 'benefit' for the state pension it is not.
Benefits are 'given' to claimants. State pension is paid in full after 35 years contributions have been made from workers.
Most Waspi women have contributions for longer than 35 years.
I, and I imagine all Waspi women, have been insulted by your written comments that you would be glad 'if I never heard the word Waspi again'.
It's about time your generation did their homework and had some respect for the older generation that have paid their money and want what is rightfully due to them. You are currently paying in for your pension not ours as we have already paid for ours.
For the record it is an absolute insult to take £50,000 from us and think the grey haired fools will be happy with the peanuts offered in compensation.
Well we won't, so it's very likely that you will have to get used to hearing the word Waspi for a very long time.
And let's all hope that when you get to your pension date. you are treated with more respect than you have shown to us.
I am surprised that such a piece has got past the Editor in a paper like the Financial Times."
The Editor's response from Simoney Kyriakou
"Thank you for taking the time to write to us.
As you may know, FT Adviser has followed the plight of the 50s women for many years now, with Waspi commentators regularly invited to take part in video interviews, podcasts and offer opinion pieces on the subject. As always, we strive for fair and balanced reporting on all issues.
Relating to this comment piece, I note your concerns around the last paragraph in particular, and I will come back to that shortly.
First, having read the blog a few times now since coming back from annual leave, it is clear to me that Amy has presented both sides of the arguments fairly and dispassionately, seeking to summarise the main arguments for financial adviser readers of FT Adviser.
