A BALLOT on a pay deal to end industrial action at Southampton City Council closes today.

Around 2,400 union members have been voting on a deal that would restore most of the mass pay cuts brought in under threat of dismissal last July. The rest will be dependent on savings being found.

But the deal would mean a union legal claim worth up to £12m for a failure to consult would be dropped. Union legal support would also be withdrawn for around 1,000 unfair dismissal claims.

The Labour-run council, which has hailed the offer as a major step to repairing relations with staff, must find up to £2.8m to fund the proposed pay restoration.