RHODIA staff staged another strike in their groundbreaking dispute over pension rights, last Friday.

Staff fear the closure of the pension scheme to new employees could lead to the erosion of existing rights, and an end of fund coming from new contributors.

Senior GMB Steward, Stephen Kelly, said: "This is a national issue, there's no grievance against local managers."

Mr Kelly, a 48-year-old process technician from Moorfield Road, said other unions were 'keeping their eye' on the strike.

Rhodia HR director, Bob Tyler, said: "I think from words that we have heard the unions see it as a test case."

He said Rhodia was trying to right a £80m deficit in the pension scheme brought on by an 'almost unprecedented' three-year down in share prices.

"This is not a short term cost saving measure, it's just trying to stabilise the fund over the medium to long term," he said.