Women affected by controversial state pension rulings and their supporters gathered at Christie Park last week ahead of a landmark week for the campaign.
Members of the West Dunbartonshire WASPI (Women Against State Pension Inequality) group laid a wreath at the workers’ memorial in honour of the thousands of local women who died before reaching state pension age.
The event was supported by Martin Docherty-Hughes MP, Councillor Jim Bollan, Margaret Wood from Unite and Jean Halliday from Unison, as well as interested members of the public and some local WASPI members.
The event also coincided with the birthday of suffragette Emmeline Pankhurst.
The hearing, at the Court of Appeal today (Tuesday) and tomorrow, is crucial for the group of women, born in the mid to late 1950s in West Dunbartonshire who have been denied up to six years of state pensions they paid into throughout their working lives with little notice.
In June last year, the case was heard for the first time in the High Court.
Last October, coordinator Liz Daly, represented West Dunbartonshire WASPI at the Royal Courts of Justice for the announcement of the findings from the judicial review.
The court announced that the women’s case of sex and age discrimination had been rejected “on all grounds”.
A fresh hearing will now take place in the Court of Appeal.
Liz from Dumbarton said: “We are very hopeful that this time the judgement will go in our favour.
“They have been treated very unfairly. They paid into the National Insurance fund for decades, only to be told at the last minute that they would have to wait several more years for the pensions they were relying on from age 60, many dying before they reached pensionable age.
“I really hope that this time 1950s women will get the justice they deserve.”
For more information contact waspiwestdunb@gmail.com or follow @WDunbartonshireWASPI on Facebook or @westdunwaspi on Twitter.
