Crunch talks as Hula Hoops workers reject strike

Jonny ManningBBC News, North East and Cumbria
News imageBBC Bags of Hula Hoops piled together. The packets of the "original" flavoured Hula Hoops and are red with a large gold logo in the middle and images of the ring-shaped snacks around the packaging.BBC
Workers at KP Crisps had been balloted in a pay dispute with the company

Workers making Hula Hoops, Pom-Bear and Disco crisps have voted against striking in a dispute over pay.

GMB union members working at KP Snacks' factory in Billingham, County Durham, were balloted on whether to take industrial action after declining a salary rise of 77p per hour.

GMB said its workers had asked for an increase of £1 per hour, but when the ballot votes were counted on Tuesday there was not enough support for strike action.

A KP Snacks spokesperson said the company would meet with union officials to "progress any next steps as swiftly as possible", while GMB organiser Fiona Hill said the union had now "re-entered negotiations with the company".

The KP spokesperson said: "We recognise and appreciate the role the union has played in ensuring the process was conducted professionally and constructively."

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