THE ACTION group fighting for workers hit by the APW Electronics pension crisis is demanding to attend a crunch meeting with company management and fund trustees to make their voices heard.

Unions, APW bosses and pensions fund trustees meet up on Wednesday to discuss the winding up of the pension fund, which has seen the value of workers pensions' cut by 80 per cent.

Employees have formed their own action group and are demanding the right to air their views at the face-to-face session.

A letter sent to pension fund trustees and APW bosses says the group wants to send six members to the meetings - all drawn from the 1,259 people hit by the winding up of the pension scheme.

Action group spokesman Allen Beard, who lost about £9,000 in the winding up, said: "There's an awful lot of pension fund members who no longer work for the company and we need to be at the meeting to represent them. They are all pretty angry and are wondering if the right decisions have been made by the company and the trustees.

"People thought their pension was safe as houses and it's turned out that it's not and they're a bit confused."

Terry Edwards, regional officer of union Amicus, which is attending the meeting with the T&G union, said he backed workers' right to be there.

Trustee and scheme member Alison Duffin said: "It is a company meeting on company property on company time and therefore who attends is the company's decision."

A spokesman for Chandler's Ford based APW, which employs 285 people, said the company was yet to receive the letter but felt staff would be well represented anyway.

"At this stage no formal request has been made but the meeting will involve the unions who will be representing their members, the management and the trustees will also be there. Scheme members' interests will be represented by the trustees."