LONG-running bitter industrial disputes are rare on the streets of Ilkley but supporters of sacked Darlington strikers were spotted outside the house of a director who lives in the town.

The object of their campaign, Magnet Limited managing director David Williams, was away from his Grove Road home at the time.

Six or eight peaceful supporters assembled outside the house chanting and handing out leaflets before leaving.

They were protesting about the sacking of 300 workers formerly employed at a Magnet kitchen factory in Darlington.

The workers, with an average service of 24 years, were sacked in September 1996 after going on strike over pay and conditions.

Strikers' secretary Ian Crammond said after a three-year pay freeze which saw a massive rise in profits, employees had asked the company for a three per cent pay rise across the board. It was refused.

A spokesman for the company said it was not the first time protestors had turned up at Mr Williams's home.

"They turn up, chant a bit and go away again," said the spokesman.

She said that the pay freeze had been agreed between management and unions before Magnet's parent company Berisford had taken over the business.

In order to boost the business, the pay freeze was introduced to bring wages into line with the average in the industry and in the area.

The dispute arose because the complicated agreement resulted in only 60 per cent of the workforce being offered the three per cent basic pay rise in August 1996.

Other workers were offered increases based on increased productivity but the union negotiating team turned the offer down, said the spokesman.

After holding a ballot the workers went on strike but were subsequently sacked for breach of contract.

The sacked workers were gradually replaced by other staff and the factory continued production.

Fresh negotiations have been taking place in what has become Britain's longest running official industrial dispute after the recent settlement of the Liverpool dockers strike.

The Magnet workers are pressing for a similar financial settlement but the most the company has offered so far is a £300,000 retraining package on condition that picketing ceases.

Strikers' supporters have also been handing out leaflets at the Magnet kitchen showroom in Keighley and at the company's head office, also in Keighley.

Mr Crammond said that between 1996 and 1997 the directors of the company had awarded themselves pay and bonus rises totalling more than half-a-million pounds.

If the dispute is not settled soon, the stikers and their supporters could be turning up in Ilkley again.

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