PENSIONERS vowed to fight for the “workers of the future” today as they descended on the Scottish Parliament to demand dignity in retirement.

The Unison and Unite unions joined trades councils and the Scottish Pensioners Convention to lobby MSPs against austerity in the run-up to the United Nations International Day of Older Persons, which will be marked on Monday.

The demonstration, mainly attended by women, heard calls for the reversal of losses suffered by retired people due to the increase in the female state pension age.

The Waspi (Women Against State Pension Increase) campaign has made waves across Britain as it raises awareness of a generation of women losing out.

Labour MSP Daniel Johnson told the rally that “elements which are fundamental to human decency” were falling by the wayside in the face of cuts.

John Mason of the SNP also addressed the crowd, arguing that older citizens should not be forgotten amid a “fashion at the moment to fill the Parliament with young people.”

He also highlighted statistics published earlier this week showing that life expectancy in Scotland has fallen for the first time in 35 years.

Unison Scotland retired members secretary Marie MacRae told the Star: “We care about what’s happening to pensioners, we care about what’s happening to workers and we care about what’s happening to the workers of the future.

“We need a fairer and better future for everyone.”

The International Day of Older Persons aims to raise the visibility of the elderly. It also marks the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which emphasises elderly people’s right to live in dignity.