A GROUP of campaigning women have blasted Scottish Secretary David Mundell after he failed to meet them to discuss pensions.

Members of Glasgow’s Women Against State Pension Inequality (WASPI) group held a demonstration in the city on Saturday.

They then hired a bus and travelled to Moffat to visit Mr Mundell’s office, only to find the Tory MP wasn’t there.

Around 23,000 women in Glasgow alone are thought to be affected by the Department of Work and Pensions changes to the age at which you can claim state pension.

Women who were born in the 50s say they have not been given enough notice about the amended retirement age which has risen from 60 to 66.

They also say some women are unaware they will have to work until they are 66.

The change was fast-tracked by the Tory government in 2011 and will bring women’s retirement age in line with men’s by 2020.

Around 200 women, including the Glasgow and Lanarkshire WASPI group, marched through George Square on Saturday and met in Moffat later that afternoon as part of a nationwide day of action.

In Moffat, SNP and Labour candidates signed a pledge in support of their campaign, and the Lib Dems also sent a message of support.

However Mr Mundell, the only Tory MP in Scotland, did not attend the meeting and has now been criticised by campaigners.

A spokeswoman from the Glasgow group said:” We’re really frustrated that David Mundell couldn’t or wouldn’t meet with women who had travelled from across the country this weekend.

“He’s supposed to be Scotland’s voice at Westminster but how can he truly represent us without meeting us to understand our concerns or to listen to our ideas.

Rather than meet us face to face he sent a letter full of inaccuracies and excuses.

“He even suggested that the Scottish Government could clean up the mess he and the Tory Government have caused.

“But we woman have paid our taxes to the UK government over many decades, it’s up to them to give justice to the WASPI Women.”

Mr Mundell claims the event was organised by the SNP, and said he was “very clear” he could not meet campaigners.

He said: “The organisers were well aware that I wasn’t able to attend their event they had organised in Moffat.

“This was an event that it has emerged the SNP in Moffat had organised and there certainly wasn’t an expectation that they would meet me specifically on the day.

“I had outlined my position on this issue to the event organisers ahead of the event by sending them a letter detailing my views and saying that I wouldn’t be able to attend.

“It was made very clear that there wouldn’t be a meeting with me.”