DISGUST at a 'derisory' low pay offer has led a band of workers at Lancaster Farms to take industrial action.

Local members of the Public and Commercial Services Union vowed to 'work to rule' this week to keep up pressure on bosses to reconsider the offer.

The action follows a two-day strike from last Thursday, which saw a dozen staff picketing outside the institute.

Training workshops for young offenders were cancelled during the action as part of a national campaign, with union members at 15 North West prisons walking out.

The Home Office says the pay offer amounts to 5.6 per cent.

A spokesman said: "We have already paid staff 3.1 per cent of the pay package announced in July 2003. There is 2.5 per cent still to pay. We think it is one of the better packages in Whitehall this year."

But PCS union members say that figure has been reached by including performance-related pay increases and argue that the basic pay offer amounts to just one per cent.

Wearing winter woollies, the group huddled together outside Lancaster Farms last week with simple banners to highlight their pay dispute.

A passing postal worker yelled out support while clients leaving the young offenders' institute looked on bemused.

A branch spokesman said members were 'outraged' at the below inflation offer.

"We wanted to picket to raise awareness that we are not prepared to accept the derisory pay offer that has been imposed on us. As of Monday we are working to rule. I imagine it should have a lot of impact on the regime but time will tell."