More than 500 angry workers marched on Downing Street

Around sixty former workers at the Allied Steel and Wire(ASW) plant took part in the demonstration which also handed in a petition to No 10 demanding compensation.

Altogether more than 500 people converged for the march which was organised by workers from the ASW sister plant in Sheerness, Kent which went into receivership eleven months ago.

Many of the 1300 former steelworkers who were employed in both plants have lost up to 90% of their pension with their employers' collapse.

Under current laws, workers nearing retirement and often with decades of pension contribution have to wait before other creditors before getting their pension.

But when it comes to looking after the people who've worked hard all their life, paid all their taxes and saved for their retirement, we don't seem to care Chris Keating

"Many of the workers have paid for 30 years into their pensions," said former ISTC official at ASW Cardiff, Chris Keating, who is taking part in Sunday's protest.

"It's shambolic.

"As a country we can fight for injustices in foreign lands and we can show compassion for asylum-seekers"

"But when it comes to looking after the people who've worked hard all their life, paid all their taxes and saved for their retirement, we don't seem to care," said Mr Keating.

Sunday's march which started at Westminster Abbey at 1200 BST, before going to Downing Street and then Whitehall Place, was addressed by the former social security minister Frank Field.

The MP is putting forward a new bill at Westminster later this month on pension scheme wind-ups.

State benefits

He said the bill called for two further key measures: the introduction of an insurance scheme to protect workers if their company went bust, and fairer distribution of assets between people who have retired and people who have not.

Last week it was announced that Spanish firm Celsa, which has bought the ASW operation, is providing around half of the 800 steel jobs lost when the Tremorfa works shut last July as it restarts productuion.

Mr Keating said that will undoubtedly be good news for the Cardiff employees who lost their jobs last year, many of whom have not found new jobs and are surviving on state benefits.

The former ASW workers in Cardiff are making separate moves to try to take the UK government to court over the loss of the pensions.

The action has cross-party support from Cardiff West Labour MP Kevin Brennan and the Plaid Cymru MP Adam Price.