STEEL workers from Sheppey who lobbied government ministers and officials over their future pension rights say their meetings were "constructive".

Six men from from Allied Steel & Wire's plant at Sheerness joined workers from ASW's Cardiff plant in London to call for greater protection for workers whose pensions are jeopardised when firms fail.

Keith Plowman, chairman of the ASW Sheerness Pension Action Group formed to campaign for changes, said: "The meetings were very constructive." Peter Holsten, another delegation member from Sheerness, said: "It was a very good day. We did not get any promises, but there were some very good discussions."

During the day the lobbyists met Iam McCartney, Minster of Pensions, Ruth Kelly, who is Chancellor Gordon Brown's deputy, the Pensions Ombudsman, and Geoff Norris, pensions advisor to the Prime Minister.

A petition signed by 300 workers at the Sheerness plant was also handed in. ASW's final salary schemes at Sheerness and Cardiff automatically began being wound up when the firm went into receivership in July.

Secret talks are being held with a potential buyer by KPMG, ASW's receivers.

Workers were then told by Pinsent, an independent trustee company called in to oversee the process, that they would not get the pensions they were due. Under current law, the fund can only guarantee the pensions of those already retired. It cannot guarantee pensions for current employees.

Sheppey MP Derek Wyatt, who accompanied the delegation, said what had happened to this group of workers could happen to many others.

"There is a green paper coming out on the future of pensions and we want to make sure the law is changed," he added.

Mr Wyatt said the Sheerness and Cardiff workers had lost their pension rights and he wanted the Government top up their pension funds to ensure their futures.

Mr Wyatt, whose early day motion condeming the current arrangements for pension wind-ups has been signed by 42 MPs, said a mass lobby of Parliament by all the steel workers affected and by North Kent MPs was planned before Christmas.