WORKERS who were sacked in a bitter industrial dispute which started in 1996 have received a boost in their campaign for workers' rights.

Former staff at Magnet, in Darlington, who took part in the dispute, will attend a fifth anniversary reunion on Saturday when Shirley Winter, secretary of the Women's Magnet Support Group, will announce "some good news".

Mrs Winter has been a leading campaigner to create a Parliamentary Bill to overturn Britain's trade union laws.

The Bill, backed by retired Labour MP Tony Benn, would make it an offence for workers to be sacked if they are legally undertaking strike action.

Mrs Winter, who still tours the UK to speak on the battle to change the law, attended last week's TUC conference where the organisation gave its backing to the campaign.

She said: "The TUC has given its official backing to the repeal of the anti-trade union law to bring us into line with the rest of Europe.

"We've now got the weight of the TUC behind us, as well as the International Labour Organisation."

The reunion takes place at St Mary's Club, Raby Terrace, Darlington, at 7.30pm.