BOSSES at Vosper Thornycroft in Southampton are braced for more disruption as 600 ship-workers at the Woolston site step up industrial action.

An overtime ban comes into force at noon today and the five unions involved have announced a schedule of one-day stikes in the coming weeks.

The dispute surrounds the company's pay offer to workers, with both sides adamant that they will not budge.

Company chief executive Martin Jay said that he was disappointed that staff involved had announced further strikes and said that although he was open to discussion, the pay offer was final and not negotiable.

The company's offer is a two-year deal which gives workers 3.3 per cent from the beginning of April and a further 0.3 per cent from July 1. Next April workers will receive inflation plus 0.5 per cent.

"The first-year offer is more than twice inflation, and in the second year there is a guarantee of inflation plus 0.5 per cent," said Mr Jay.

He says the company is keen to settle the dispute and concentrate on building up shipbuilding orders for the company.

Currently employing 5,000 in total and 1,200 in shipbuilding Mr Jay said that although the company was in good shape its shipbuilding turnover and profits are currently declining and it is dependent on new contracts to bolster the order book.

"Overall the company has a fat order book but not for the ship-building division," said Mr Jay.

"We have got some super prospects, including the new destroyer work, but that is still at the discussion stage."

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