THOUSANDS of local women who have had their retirement 'cruelly' snatched away from them and lost out on up to £50,000 in pension payments hope a new ruling will compensate them.

The Inverclyde branch of the WASPI movement have battled for justice, after women born in the 1950s saw their state pension age rise by six years.

Now, seven years on, parliament's own watchdog has ruled that the Department for Work and Pensions failed to notify those affected of the life-changing decision.

The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman will now set out a recommendation for compensation due to all those who were affected.

But the inspirational group of women who refused to give in warn their fight is far from over and say they will continue to speak for all 5,600 women who have been affected locally.

Retired classroom assistant Jean Ramsay, 65, said: "There are some women we know who have died since this all began.

"We will never get back the years taken from us.

"We have all worked hard and contributed in so many ways and we look after our grandchildren.

"But we don't know if it could change again and it could rise."

Wilma Cunninghame, who worked as a carer, 62, says she is living on her savings to get by and that the move to equalise the state pension age was handled unfairly.

She said: "There are some jobs that you just can't keep on working and there may be all kinds of reasons for that.

"This is all because of a decision taken by the UK Government."

Liz McCarron, who worked as a medical secretary before retiring, said: "We all worked for 40 years, looking forward to the day we retired - this is our money, we paid our pension contributions.

"We are not asking for money that isn't ours.

"I would like to know where the money has gone."

Retired civil servant Rosemary Kelly told the Tele: "It is so sad because we have lost so many women along the way fighting this for so many years.

"But we have to keep going and we won't give up."

Inverclyde Waspi group co-ordinator Elizabeth McQuarrie says the campaign has 'united women together across the length and breadth of the UK'.

She said the women are fighting the injustice of two hikes in the state pension age for 1950s-born women.

Elizabeth said: "Many started work and paid national insurance since 15 years of age, then had their expected retirement cruelly snatched from them at the last minute, with no chance to make alternative arrangements.

"Since the start of the campaign we have seen these women actually reach their new retirement age, pushing many into ill health and even losing some along the way.

"And we don't even have any assurances that it won't rise again."

Another woman involved in the campaign Sandra Reynolds added: "This is set against a background of decades of inequality and injustices on women which have a particular knock-on effect of those born in the 50s - including unequal pay, little or no maternity pay/leave, reduced NI contributions/final pension and lack of opportunity to further careers and income.

"The government also fails to take into account the huge contribution of free labour made by pensioners who volunteer on many fronts including childminding, especially in the early years.

"Personally, I was unable to give up the income from my employment and make any of these types of contributions in the years when I should have been retired."

Inverclyde MP Ronnie Cowan today paid tribute to the local campaigners as he vowed to continue fighting their corner at Westminster.

He said: "It is clear that the WASPI campaign deserves justice now, with no more delays.

“The Waspi women deserve better and the UK Government must respect all the WASPI campaigners across the UK and pay them what they are due.”