The GPMU is hopeful of resolving its pay dispute with St Ives' web division by the start of next week, and St Ives directors are "optimistic" about the outcome.


GPMU president Ray Williams said he was encouraged
with the progress that had been made, with improved deals agreed at the group's Peterborough and Plymouth plants.


The union has also called off its industrial action over job losses at St Ives Caerphilly and normal working resumed there on Monday (13 November).


St Ives made 15 staff redundant six weeks ago in a "response to market conditions" (PrintWeek, 6 October), but in a joint statement with the GPMU, it said four staff had been reinstated after a settlement was reached on "flexible working".


A further six staff were redeployed on weekend shifts, four took voluntary redundancy, and one took early retirement.


Williams said he was "happy with the outcome", although it was "a shame we had to go as far as we did". Overtime bans and one-hour stoppages were in place at Caerphilly.


A meeting at Caerphilly to discuss the pay terms
was planned for yesterday (Thursday) morning. Meetings were also scheduled to take place at Andover and Roche.


Williams said the GPMU had "achieved what it set out to achieve" at Plymouth and Peterborough. "We wanted to get a pay rise as close as possible to 4% and we got 3.85%," he said.


A ballot was taking place at Peterborough this week. Pressroom staff at Plymouth have accepted the deal, but some details had to be worked out for their bindery colleagues.


Story by Gordon Carson