BOSSES at Stockton's Visqueen plant have threatened to move work away from Teesside if staff strike over pay, it emerged last night.

The threat came in a letter sent to about 200 employees at the Yarm Road plant of British Polythene Industries (BPI), also known as Visqueen, which came amid negotiations over pay.

In a ballot this week, workers rejected a 2.8 per cent pay offer by a majority of two-to-one.

BPI said it wanted to avoid a strike. A meeting between management and union representatives has been ar-ranged for next week.

However, after talks broke down earlier this month, employees were sent a letter telling them that any industrial action would result in the company reviewing all aspects of employment at the Stockton site.

In the letter staff were also told: "(industrial action) will force the company to consider relocating significant volumes of work currently manufactured at Stockton to other BPI sites."

Union officials described the company's comments as inflammatory and said they had contributed to the vote to reject the pay offer.

A spokesperson for the Visqueen plant said that during a period of industrial action, production could be moved away from the Stockton site to safeguard the business' customer base.

The spokesman said: "We must keep our customers supplied in what is a very competitive market."

This week's ballot came after weeks of talks, some involving conciliation service Acas. It also follows a 2.5 per cent pay offer rejected by workers in July.

The latest 2.8 per cent offer included a 0.3 per cent self-financing element, which would have resulted in the loss of Christmas hampers and other staff benefits.

Workers at the plant, which makes polythene sacks and packing materials, have received two pay rises in the past five years.

Joe Keith, of the TGWU, which represents staff at the plant, said: "The expectations of workers are in no way outlandish."