Aerospace pay row resolved

The unions agreed to cancel their planned strikes

Industrial action at Belfast aerospace company Shorts was halted by trade unions after they agreed to put a new pay offer to workers ballot.

After day-long talks at the city's Labour Relations Agency, the management put forward an increased four year pay offer and the unions agreed to put it to members.

A Shorts spokesman said the "revised offer" amounted to 3.75% in the first year, 3.2% in the second, 3.1% in the third and 3.35% in the fourth - with inflation protection in years two, three and four.

In return, the unions agreed to cancel next week's planned 24-hour weekly strikes, and to end their overtime ban and Friday half day strikes which have been running for weeks.

'Big move forward'

The previous offer, which had been rejected by the unions, was 3% a year with inflation review in the fourth.

A Shorts spokesman described the move as "a big step forward".

He said the company recognised the efforts of the trades union negotiators and hoped they could all go forward to re-establish credibility and customer confidence.

He said the unions had been warned again of the consequences of continued industrial action would be loss of work and job losses.

Extra workers

The Canadian company Bombardier Aerospace, which owns Shorts, announced in July that they had secured the biggest ever order for regional aircraft and that the company planned to take on more staff.

The order, for 104 planes with options for another 400 aircraft, was placed by two subsidiaries of Delta Airlines.

It was for the Canadair Regional jet, sections of which are built at the plant in east Belfast.

Shorts announced that it was taking on more than 1,000 extra workers as a result of increasing orders.