BRITISH Telecom could come grinding to a halt if a strike by Preston computer staff goes ahead.

The 35 troubleshooters, who man the help-desks and solve computer problems throughout the company, are locked in a bitter pay wrangle with their bosses. They are balloting this week for all-out strike action. Union negotiator Alan Harley said some staff - who do a highly skilled job - were earning as little as £3.50 an hour while BT were ringing up profits of £3 billion a year.

He said: "The Preston workers are agency staff employed by Manpower. They do the same job and sit alongside BT staff - but earn half the pay. The vast majority take home around £100 a week and earn so little many have to claim state handouts.

Mr Harley, national organiser with the Communication Workers Union, was confident of a big vote in favour of a strike after Manpower offered just 14p an hour increase. A walkout by Preston staff - and two other BT computer centres in Exeter and Thurso - could bring computerised telephone exchanges and billing computers crashing to a halt.

Mr Harley said: "They should be paid the rate for the job. BT won't take them on the payroll because it's far cheaper to exploit them through the Manpower agency.

"There's no doubt BT is responsible for these appalling pay rates. A fair wage won't break the bank, particularly when BT can afford to pay its chief executive £1 million a year in pay and dividends." Ian Herbertson, Director of Manpower, said: "I don't know where the union gets its figures from - but they're rubbish. We pay the market rate for the job. £3.49 is the starting rate for clerical staff.

"I don't know what our individual staff in Preston are paid and BT don't tell us how much their workers get paid."

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