English: Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. I'm pleased to move this motion today, tabled in the name of my colleague Neil Hamilton. I have to declare an interest at the outset, Dirprwy Lywydd: I am a woman unfairly affected by state pension age changes, and one of the women against state pension inequality. In 1995, the then Conservative Government introduced a new Pensions Act, which would have raised the age of retirement for women to 65 - the same age as men - by 2020. This would have given women at least 15 years to change their retirement plans - 15 more years of savings to help meet the shortfall in their pension funds. However, the Conservative-Lib Dem coalition Government changed these plans. The Pensions Act 2011 sped up the changes, meaning that women's state pension age would increase from 63 in 2016 to 65 in November this year, and on it goes. The Act also stated that both men and women's state pension age should increase to 66 by 2020. I, like thousands of my compatriots, was not personally notified of these changes. I received no letter; I received no explanation. No-one told me my retirement plans would have to change, but, unlike many other women in this situation, I am lucky: I am still in employment; I am not facing destitution. Sadly, many women have been badly affected by these changes, and I have heard of at least one woman who took her own life as a result of the financial black hole she found herself in. No-one should be treated this way - no-one. Nobody disagrees that men and women's retirement ages shouldn't be the same. However, these changes shouldn't have been introduced without decades of notice, years to plan and time to make additional financial arrangements. As it stands, the changes to women's pensions were introduced too fast, too haphazardly. I only learned of the changes via an offhand remark made to me one day, and my situation is far from unique. Women are being made to suffer because of a lack of foresight and planning by successive UK Governments. Women are being made to suffer because of the Tory and Lib Dem pursuit of austerity. And women are being made to suffer because of Labour's mishandling of public finances and their failure to repeal the 1995 Act. I ask those Labour politicians who support the WASPI movement - you were in Government from 1997 until 2010 - why did you not take action then? Unfortunately, we can't correct past mistakes, but we can mitigate the effects those mistakes are having on women born in the 1950s. Our motion before you today calls for a bridging pension that supplies an income until state pension age that is not means-tested, compensation for the absence of a bridging pension to those women who have already reached their state pension age, compensation to all those who have not started to receive a bridging pension by an appropriate date that would be sufficient to recover lost monetary interest, and compensation to the beneficiaries of the estates of those who are deceased and fail to receive a bridging pension. This is not too much to ask, and I hope that Members here will support this motion today. I hope the Welsh Government will fight the WASPI women's corner, and I hope that the UK Government will see sense. There are things we can do here in Wales without waiting for the UK Government to acknowledge the pain and suffering the policies have created. Women born in the 1950s now find themselves having to work for another six years and the Welsh Government can assist them in both finding work and ensuring that employers take on employees close to retirement age, whilst at the same time fighting for the women of the 1950s to receive what they are owed. They were robbed. I have been told of numerous examples of women being denied employment because of their age. A lady contacted me and stated, 'I'm 62, I receive no pension as I was promised. I'm rendered unemployable due to my age. I'm destitute and depend on friends and family.' This should not be the case, but I doubt it's unique. We have to encourage employers to see the benefits of employing people in the final years of their working life. These women will bring with them a lifetime of experience, a wealth of knowledge, and a work ethic forged through decades of hard graft. I urge the Welsh Government to do all they can to encourage employers to invest in WASPI women, to work with employers to ensure that there is meaningful employment for those forced to work longer, but who are also fighting to survive and want what they are owed. I urge Members to show their support for WASPI women by supporting this motion before you today. Show your support for WASPI women by telling the UK Government that it is unacceptable how these women are being treated. The pension changes wouldn't have had much impact on women in their 30s and maybe 40s, but have had a devastating impact on women in their 50s and 60s. The UK Government clearly don't care about the impact these policies are having, as evidenced by their blank refusal to roll back the changes. It is now up to each and every one of us here today to ensure the impact these changes are having are mitigated and that the people have what they're entitled to. I don't want to see any other woman forced to make a choice between living in destitution or taking their own life. These women have worked hard for decades, they shouldn't be facing poverty in retirement. They should be receiving the pension they were promised for decades of hard work. No Government should have the right to break these promises and put these women in poverty. These women planned their retirement according to these promises, and these promises were broken. No-one has the right to take their money from these women. It's worth noting, some women, after 43 years of hard physical work, unable to work physically anymore, are now left without their pension. So, we have to act. The Welsh Government has to act. The UK Government must be forced to act. I urge you all to support the motion I've put before you today.
Welsh: Diolch, Ddirprwy Lywydd. Rwy'n falch o wneud y cynnig hwn heddiw a gyflwynwyd yn enw fy nghyd-Aelod, Neil Hamilton. Rhaid imi ddatgan buddiant ar y dechrau, Ddirprwy Lywydd: rwy'n fenyw yr effeithiwyd arni'n annheg gan y newidiadau i oedran pensiwn y wladwriaeth, ac yn un o'r menywod yn erbyn anghydraddoldeb pensiwn y wladwriaeth (WASPI). Yn 1995, cyflwynodd y Llywodraeth Geidwadol ar y pryd Ddeddf Pensiynau newydd, a fyddai wedi codi oedran ymddeol i fenywod i 65 - yr un oedran â dynion - erbyn 2020. Byddai hyn wedi rhoi o leiaf 15 mlynedd i fenywod newid eu cynlluniau ymddeol - 15 mlynedd yn fwy o gynilion i helpu i ateb y diffyg yn eu cronfeydd pensiwn. Fodd bynnag, newidiodd Llywodraeth glymblaid y Ceidwadwyr a'r Democratiaid Rhyddfrydol y cynlluniau hyn. Cyflymodd Deddf Pensiynau 2011 y newidiadau, a olygodd y byddai oedran pensiwn y wladwriaeth i fenywod yn codi o 63 yn 2016 i 65 ym mis Tachwedd eleni, ac mae'n parhau. Roedd y Ddeddf hefyd yn datgan y dylai oedran pensiwn y wladwriaeth i ddynion a menywod godi i 66 erbyn 2020. Fel miloedd o fy nghydwladwyr, ni chefais fy hysbysu'n bersonol ynghylch y newidiadau hyn. Ni chefais lythyr; ni chefais unrhyw esboniad. Ni ddywedodd neb wrthyf y byddai fy nghynlluniau ymddeol yn gorfod newid, ond yn wahanol i lawer o fenywod eraill yn y sefyllfa hon, rwy'n ffodus: rwy'n dal mewn gwaith; nid wyf yn wynebu tlodi. Yn anffodus, effeithiodd y newidiadau hyn yn ddrwg ar lawer o fenywod, ac rwyf wedi clywed am o leiaf un fenyw a gyflawnodd hunanladdiad o ganlyniad i'r twll du ariannol roedd hi ynddo. Ni ddylid trin neb fel hyn - neb. Nid oes neb yn anghytuno na ddylai oedran dynion a menywod fod yr un fath. Fodd bynnag, ni ddylid bod wedi cyflwyno'r newidiadau hyn heb ddegawdau o rybudd, blynyddoedd i gynllunio ac amser i wneud trefniadau ariannol ychwanegol. Fel y mae pethau, cyflwynwyd y newidiadau i bensiynau menywod yn rhy gyflym, ac yn rhy ar hap. Digwyddais glywed am y newidiadau drwy sylw didaro a wnaed wrthyf un diwrnod, ac mae fy sefyllfa ymhell o fod yn unigryw. Gwneir i fenywod ddioddef oherwydd diffyg rhagwelediad a chynllunio gan Lywodraethau olynol y DU. Gwneir i fenywod ddioddef oherwydd polisi cyni'r Torïaid a'r Democratiaid Rhyddfrydol. A gwneir i fenywod ddioddef oherwydd bod Llafur wedi camdrin arian cyhoeddus a'u methiant i ddiddymu Deddf 1995. Gofynnaf i'r gwleidyddion Llafur sy'n cefnogi mudiad WASPI - roeddech yn Llywodraeth rhwng 1997 a 2010 - pam na roesoch gamau ar waith bryd hynny? Yn anffodus, ni allwn gywiro camgymeriadau'r gorffennol, ond gallwn liniaru'r effeithiau y mae'r camgymeriadau hynny yn eu cael ar fenywod a anwyd yn ystod y 1950au. Mae ein cynnig sydd ger eich bod heddiw yn galw am bensiwn pontio sy'n cyflenwi incwm hyd at oedran pensiwn y wladwriaeth nad yw'n ddarostyngedig i brawf modd, iawndal am absenoldeb pensiwn pontio i'r menywod sydd eisoes wedi cyrraedd oedran pensiwn y wladwriaeth, iawndal i bawb sydd heb ddechrau cael pensiwn pontio erbyn dyddiad priodol a fyddai'n ddigon i adennill llog ariannol a gollwyd, a iawndal i fuddiolwyr ystadau'r rhai sydd wedi marw a heb gael pensiwn pontio. Nid yw hyn yn ormod i'w ofyn, a gobeithio y bydd yr Aelodau yma'n cefnogi'r cynnig hwn heddiw. Gobeithio y bydd Llywodraeth Cymru'n ymladd dros fenywod WASPI, a gobeithio y bydd Llywodraeth y DU yn gweld synnwyr. Mae yna bethau y gallwn eu gwneud yma yng Nghymru heb aros i Lywodraeth y DU gydnabod y boen a'r dioddefaint y mae'r polisïau wedi eu creu. Mae menywod a aned yn ystod y 1950au bellach yn gorfod gweithio am chwe blynedd arall a gall Llywodraeth Cymru eu cynorthwyo i ddod o hyd i waith a sicrhau bod cyflogwyr yn cyflogi gweithwyr sy'n agos at oed ymddeol, gan ymladd dros sicrhau ar yr un pryd fod menywod y 1950au yn cael yr hyn sy'n ddyledus iddynt. Cafodd arian ei ddwyn oddi wrthynt. Soniwyd wrthyf am enghreifftiau niferus o fenywod yn methu cael gwaith oherwydd eu hoedran. Cysylltodd menyw â mi, a dywedodd, 'Rwy'n 62 oed, nid wyf yn cael pensiwn a oedd wedi'i addo i mi. Rwy'n anghyflogadwy oherwydd fy oedran. Rwy'n dlawd ac yn dibynnu ar ffrindiau a theulu.' Ni ddylai fod fel hyn, ond yn sicr, nid yw'n unigryw. Rhaid inni annog cyflogwyr i weld manteision cyflogi pobl ym mlynyddoedd olaf eu bywyd gwaith. Bydd y menywod hyn yn cynnig oes o brofiad, cyfoeth o wybodaeth ac etheg gwaith a ffurfiwyd drwy ddegawdau o waith caled. Rwy'n annog Llywodraeth Cymru i wneud popeth yn ei gallu i annog cyflogwyr i fuddsoddi mewn menywod WASPI, i weithio gyda chyflogwyr i sicrhau bod gwaith ystyrlon ar gael ar gyfer y rhai a orfodir i weithio am gyfnod hirach, ond sydd hefyd yn brwydro i oroesi ac eisiau'r hyn sy'n ddyledus iddynt. Rwy'n annog yr Aelodau i ddangos eu cefnogaeth i fenywod WASPI drwy gefnogi'r cynnig hwn sydd ger eich bron heddiw. Dangoswch eich cefnogaeth i fenywod WASPI drwy ddweud wrth Lywodraeth y DU fod y modd y mae'r menywod hyn yn cael eu trin yn annerbyniol. Ni fyddai newidiadau pensiwn wedi cael llawer o effaith ar fenywod yn eu 30au a'u 40au efallai, ond maent wedi cael effaith ddinistriol ar fenywod yn eu 50au a'u 60au. Yn amlwg, nid yw Llywodraeth y DU yn poeni am effaith y polisïau hyn, fel yr amlygwyd gan eu gwrthodiad pendant i ddiddymu'r newidiadau. Bellach mae'n fater i bob un ohonom yma heddiw sicrhau bod effaith y newidiadau hyn yn cael eu lliniaru a bod pobl yn cael yr hyn y mae ganddynt hawl iddo. Nid wyf am weld unrhyw fenyw arall yn cael ei gorfodi i ddewis rhwng byw mewn tlodi dybryd neu gyflawni hunanladdiad. Mae'r menywod hyn wedi gweithio'n galed ers degawdau, ni ddylent orfod wynebu tlodi wrth iddynt ymddeol. Dylent gael y pensiwn a addawyd iddynt am ddegawdau o waith caled. Ni ddylai fod gan unrhyw Lywodraeth hawl i dorri'r addewidion a gorfodi'r menywod hyn i fyw mewn tlodi. Cynlluniodd y menywod hyn eu hymddeoliad yn ôl yr addewidion, a thorwyd yr addewidion hynny. Nid oes gan neb hawl i fynd â'u harian. Mae'n werth nodi, ar ôl 43 mlynedd o waith corfforol caled, na all rhai menywod weithio rhagor, a chânt eu gadael heb eu pensiwn. Felly, rhaid inni weithredu. Rhaid i Lywodraeth Cymru weithredu. Rhaid gorfodi Llywodraeth y DU i weithredu. Rwy'n annog pawb ohonoch i gefnogi'r cynnig a gyflwynais ger eich bron heddiw.