A resolution to the Visteon car factory dispute appeared close tonight after sacked workers were offered a redundancy deal that union bosses claim is worth 10 times their original package.
Union leaders hailed the renewed offer from the employers as a great victory for the workforce.
Visteon, a Ford spin-off company, closed three loss-making components plants in Belfast, Basildon, Essex, and Enfield, north London at the end of March. The 610-strong UK workforce was laid off.
Sacked staff have been staging protests since the announcement, with workers at the Belfast plant continuing a sit-in occupation at their former factory. Ford showrooms have also been picketed.
Tonight Unite joint general secretary Tony Woodley said Visteon had offered workers a much-improved offer. Staff will now ballot on whether they want to accept it. A vote in the Belfast plant is expected on Sunday.
Visteon was set up in 2000 as a Ford spin-off and took over factories formerly owned by the car giant.
PA