TOBACCO industry workers from across the country will descend on Westminster next week to highlight their fight against new EU proposals on tar levels.

The employees of all the major tobacco companies in the UK, including around 100 from the North-East, will hold what they describe as a "day of action" in the capital in a bid to show the strength of feeling against the new legislation.

The workers will be joined next Wednesday by many suppliers and contractors, who have agreed to show their solidarity, and highlight what they see as the indirect effect the changes will have on them.

The tobacco industry claims the cuts in the maximum tar content of cigarettes from 12mg to 10mg, planned by Brussels, will hit more than 10,000 UK jobs because the rules will apply to exports as well as to cigarettes made and sold in Britain and the rest of the EU.

Ron Elstob, of the engineer's union, AEEU, at British American Tobacco's Rothmans plant in Darlington said: "We're hoping to get as many as 100 workers from the Darlington and Peterlee factories going along next week, shifts permitting, along with a number of our suppliers and contractors.

"Everyone concerned has written to their local MPs, and we're hoping to have the chance to put our views to every one of them."

The Tobacco Workers Alliance (TWA) is taking the action with the EU's health council expected to meet early in December to discuss the issue.

Ian Coverdale of the MSF union at Darlington said: "This is our last real chance to change our MPs' minds and to get them to lobby their euro colleagues.

"We feel the issue has been overlooked to a certain extent and next week we are aiming to put that right."

The Easington MP, John Cummins whose constituency includes BAT's Peterlee plant, will attempt to put an early day motion during Prime Minister's question time, highlighting the workers' fears.

Last week the European Commission dismissed the industry's claims, with consumer affairs commissioner David Byrne saying there was no evidence that the new measures, due to come into force in 2003, will have any ''serious negative economic or employment consequences''.

The industry says the tar cut would make more than 65 per cent of cigarette production at the Darlington BAT plant illegal, with the company almost certainly switching to manufacturing abroad, to continue to be able to supply non-EU markets with higher tar cigarettes.

Mr Coverdale added: "The Darlington factory is the second largest private employer in the town pumping around £15m into the local economy.

"What effect would it have on the town if that revenue was removed. All we're asking is to be able to compete on a level playing field.

"There would be no problem with a worldwide ban on cigarettes above 10mg. The problem is that we're competing against other countries where there are no restrictions."

The TWA wants the 10mg tar ceiling to apply only within the EU, enabling British manufacturers to compete equally with the rest of the world to supply other markets.

The only concession given by the EU so far is to consider extending the 2003 deadline to give companies more time to adjust their marketing and manufacturing processes.

As well as lower tar and nicotine content, the EU crackdown includes bigger health warnings on packs and bans on terms like ''mild'' and ''light"