UP to 30 metal workers at an Clayton-le-Moors engineering firm have gone on strike over pay.

The staff at Allspeeds, Royal Works, Atlas Street, are angry after being offered only a 2.5 per cent pay increase.

The offer was made in March but the dispute has been rumbling on because workers claim the increase would only leave them with enough money to buy "two pints and a packet of crisps".

Shop steward David Eccleston, of the general manufacturing union Amicus, said: "The pay claim which we have been offered is only a low increase, it equates to £7.50 a week but after deductions we would only be left with about £4.50. That is about £1 a day and is ridiculous."

Allspeeds manufacture hydraulic parts for the oil exploration industry.

The management who took over the firm 15 months ago have made six redundancies since the pay dispute started in March but claim that managerial staff have seen the majority of the losses.

Managing director Mike Hollyhead said: "The directors made an offer in March to increase wages by 2.5 per cent or £7.50 per week, whichever was the most acceptable to the workforce. This offer of £7.50 was accepted by the staff including the directors but rejected by the shop-floor union with a counter demand for £10.

"After following recognised procedure with no improvement in the offer the union conducted a ballot resulting in a majority vote for strike action. The union subsequently informed the directors that they now required £12 instead of the £10 per week and they would strike each week on Mondays and Fridays. Overtime would be banned and they would cease to book completely work operations.

"The directors are unable to increase the offer and the action being taken by the workforce is unhelpful and regrettable at a time when engineering manufacturing is facing difficult trading conditions."

Former site convenor Miles Hilton, who has worked at Allspeeds for 33 years, said: "All the lads that work here are long service lads and deserve better. We would like to continue negotiations but the management have shown a lack of will on their part. We don't want to be on strike because we are losing enough money as it is, so this is the last thing we want.

"I can see the dispute going on for quite a while longer. They seem to be unconcerned that they are losing money through production but we are of the conclusion that we would rather return to work sooner rather than later."