ANGRY workers at Hampshire cable factory held a 48-hour strike, despite the fact that their employer has agreed to begin negotiations which could end a long-running pay row.

The first of two 48-hour strikes at Prysmian Cables & Systems in Eastleigh was due to go ahead from midnight on Wednesday say the union Unite.

However, talks between Unite and management at conciliation service, under the umbrella of Acas, are set to take place later this week.

Unite regional co-ordinating officer Debbie Watson said: “The strike is going ahead as we were unable to get a firm offer of talks from the management in time to suspend the industrial action.

“The company finally contacted Acas yesterday (Monday 29 October) and we are now waiting for Acas to give us a date for talks.

“It’s a shame the company didn't do this last week, as we have been standing by since then in the hope that the management will sit down and negotiate constructively over the paltry pay offer – and this now looks like it is going to happen.”

The second 48-hour stoppage is scheduled for November 7/8.

Unite, which has 162 members at the company, said the workers had rejected a two per cent pay offer for the year starting January 2018 – when the retail price index (RPI) is currently running at 3.3 per cent.

Members voted by 83 per cent for strike action and by 96 per cent for industrial action, short of strike action.

Prsymian workers have staged five days of strike action since September 26 disrupting production at the Chicken Hall premises of Italian-owned Prysmian which manufactures energy cables.

Earlier in the dispute Ms Watson said her member's action would bring the factory to a "grinding halt".

So far management at Prysmian have refused to comment on the dispute.