WORKERS at Swindon’s BMW plant have voted to reject an offer aimed at resolving a long-running dispute over pensions.

Members of the Unite union based at sites in Cowley, Goodwood near Chichester, Hams Hall in the West Midlands and Swindon turned down an offer with 56.6 per cent voting against and 43.4 per cent for.

Unite shop stewards from BMW plants will be meeting today to discuss the next steps in the dispute over the company’s plans to close the final salary scheme.

John McGookin, Unite’s Swindon representative, said there was still a mandate for further strike action and that company bosses should not be surprised that the offer was rejected.

He said: “It wasn’t a great offer, especially when you see what people are going to be losing overall.

“Representatives will be meeting this afternoon and we will decide upon the best course of action from there.

"A lot of people are still quite angry with the situation and still feel as though they have been short-changed.”

Over previous weeks, workers have taken part in a series of 24-hour strikes as part of Unite’s campaign against the closure of a final salary pension scheme.

Workers last week were given a choice between taking a £25,000 tax free payment, split over three years, which would be placed into a defined contribution scheme. Or they could accept a payment of £22,000, which would be subject to tax and national insurance deductions.

Three 24-hour strikes scheduled in May were suspended while workers considered the offer.

Unite national officer Fred Hanna said: “While Unite did not recommend the offer, as it would have different outcomes for different people and their pensions, it is clear that it did not go far enough or deal with the concerns many of our members have over BMW’s pension plans.

“We would urge BMW bosses to reflect on the result and listen to the workforce by further engaging in meaningful talks with Unite.”

In response, a BMW spokesman said: “We are disappointed that Unite members have voted to reject the company’s best offer designed to support employees during the proposed move to its new UK pension arrangements.

"We are now considering the implications of the ballot result and we will be meeting with the union in due course to discuss next steps.

“We believe the offer, which resulted from lengthy negotiations with the union since September last year, was fair. It was designed to improve competitiveness, which is in the long-term interests of all our employees in the future.”