Denby Pottery pay vote puts strike on hold

Staff had picketed the firm's Derbyshire factory

Strike action at Denby Pottery in Derbyshire has been called off after a new pay offer was made.

A dispute between the Unity union and Denby Holdings had seen a series of one day stoppages during the summer.

Staff objected to a pay freeze but managers said tough trading conditions had limited the options to a performance-linked £100 bonus.

Two more days of action were due this week but union officials have started a ballot of members.

Managers at Denby Holdings, which owns the Denby Pottery on Wayzgoose Drive, Chaddesden, and the Burleigh Pottery in Stoke, had said industrial action would "create further hardship".

But now further talks have produced a new offer, the terms of which have been kept confidential.

In a statement the union said: "Unity believes the offer not only takes into consideration the company's current trading position but also gives its members an improvement in pay in what is being put forward as a two-year deal.

"If accepted this will bring an end to the recent industrial action taken by members."

The ballot will close on 30 September.