The final meeting of a local trade union committee was held last night.
The Accrington and Blackburn District Committee of the Amalgamated Engineering Union is being abolished from May 1 as part of a reorganisation within the union.
Shop stewards from factories across the area attended the final meeting at St Paul's WMC, Blackburn.
"We are very concerned that 150 years of local democracy in our union will be wiped out today," said Peter Billington, committee president.
"District committees were set up to fight for good wages and decent conditions for local engineering workers.
"The local full time official of the union was accountable to the district committee and we regret that this tradition of local control is to be ended."
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