Royal Courts of Justice and women’s pension rights

CHERRY MORGAN will be in the Royal Courts of Justice on December 7 with a pension appeal against Her Majesties Revenue and Customs that could affect over four million women. 

Cherry´s pension appeal is based on the UK government implementing a reduced State Pension for over four million women on what is termed as ‘rolling legislation’.

The reduced rate contribution and pension was great if you were a woman who elected to sign up to the lower rate contribution, but Cherry is adamant that she never did, arguing that her National Insurance records are incorrect.  When she asked for a copy of the form she allegedly signed back in 1972, she was told by the Pensions Office that the documents had all been destroyed as they were only kept for six years.

Cherry wrote, “I commenced employment in 1965 aged sixteen.At that time all women were treated as second class citizens, paid considerably less than men doing the SAME jobs, purely on the fact that they were women, regarded as being worth less.

I entered the work place at a time women were fighting for equal rights and pay, to be judged on their merit not their sex.

I joined the fight, demonstrated, petitioned, marched, obstructed traffic, lobbied, put up with male abuse, ridicule and violence in the face of government, the public and employers alike

However history shows that the country did not collapse, men were not left unemployed and children did not go hungry.  

We succeeded in bringing in the Equal Pay Act and the Sex Discrimination Act. 

This formed a lifelong ethos for me I was worth EQUAL to any man and would deal with employment on the same terms.”