Pensioners are being urged to join a York campaign to win back the link between old-age pensions and average earnings.

A meeting was held in the Priory Street Centre, York, last night to debate the is-sue of pensions following Chancellor Gordon Brown's decision not to take up a Labour Party conference motion to re-store the link.

The meeting was attended by around 20 people, but those there said they believed many more would support a campaign to raise the pension.

It was decided to hold another meeting in a city centre location, probably one lunchtime, and ideas for future action in-cluded a march around York and lobbying York MP Hugh Bayley.

Mr Bayley, and Selby MP John Grogan, came in for criticism from several speak-ers for their votes against restoring the link.

The meeting heard that pensioners in Bury had blocked a road in the town in a protest about pensions in a similar move to the recent fuel protestors.

George Pogmore, 72, from Bishopthorpe, who organised the meeting, said another step would be to get as many pensioners as possible to attend a national lobby in London on November 7.

He blamed the Tory administration in the 1980s for breaking the link, but said that Tony Blair's New Labour party had not lived up to expectations.

"We need a decent health service and a decent pension. We're not asking for the moon, we've worked all our lives and paid into National Insurance for this."

He also called on future pensioners to join the fight.

"We should not confine this campaign to existing pensioners. Young people of to-day will face a far worse situation than us today," he said.

Joan Merryweather told the meeting that she was constantly being asked if the old York and District Pensioners' Association would be re-formed.