STAFF at a Hyndburn chemical plant have gone on strike in a dispute over working hours.

Employees at William Blythe Ltd, Church, had been in negotiations with the firm's bosses over plans to introduce a new shift system over the past week.

But yesterday the 52 staff, are all members of the Transport and General Workers Union, rejected the company's final offer and today took to the picket line for a 24-hour strike starting at 6am.

Two further one-day strikes are planned for Thursday, September 9, and Thursday, September 16, unless an agreement is reached.

The union said the dispute started when the firm asked workers to commit to working 304 hours a year to cover sickness and absence, for an increase in their salaries. They are currently paid overtime to cover these.

But last week TGWU members at the company voted against this.

An offer of 264 hours a year for the same pay increase was offered following negotiations with the union, but yesterday staff voted unanimously to reject that offer.

TGWU shop steward Charles Wallace said: "We had a four-hour meeting with the managers yesterday and they came back with a final offer of 264 hours.

"I took that back to members who rejected it overwhelmingly.

"The strike has gone ahead as planned today and we are planning two further days of industrial action. We have also brought in a full ban on overtime."