WORKERS at Hereford's second biggest company, Special Metals Wiggin walked out at midnight last night after a last-minute pay deal was rejected by union members.

The 400 members of the GMB Union were set to start a five-day strike after rejecting a two per cent deal with reduced overtime pay and limited sick pay.

Senior shop steward Phil Cogzell said: "All we want is to maintain a stable income. The company stated this was their final offer when all we want to do is negotiate. The offer was rejected by an 82 per cent majority."

Managers at the company, already facing a buy out after a massive downturn in trade over the last year, reaffirmed their willingness to negotiate the deal.

Personnel manager Robert Hunt said: "It is extremely disappointing that neither the GMB area official nor the GMB negotiating committee is prepared to suspend the planned action to allow some breathing space for negotiations to continue."

Stand off

With emergency measures in place to deal with the strike both management and workforce are set for a week's

Work at the Hereford plant is being out-sourced to workers across the UK and Europe and material from the parent company is being requisitioned to support the firm's European customer base.

l Hereford MP Paul Keetch is to meet representatives from some of Hereford's top employers to discuss job prospects in the county.

Mr Keetch will speak to both Sun Valley and Bulmers today and hopes to arrange a meeting with bosses at Special Metals Wiggin in the near future.

He said: "There has been a great deal of speculation about the future of jobs with some of the big employers in Hereford.

"Companies like Bulmers, Sun Valley and Special Metals Wiggin are so important to the city, and indeed the whole county, and I will do all I can to support them."