THIRTY workers yesterday downed tools at a North-East pharmaceutical plant to help safeguard better pay for the 10,000 construction workers in the region.

Avecia, based in Billingham, Teesside, is building one of the biggest bio-pharmaceutical plants in the region, but contractors working on the project say they are not being paid enough.

Workers employed by contractors Jordan say the company has not adhered to new national guidelines which set out pay parameters for building contractors on large-scale jobs.

They claim that if they lose this dispute, it will set a precedent for other contractor employers in the North-East.

Demanding the agreed basic rate of £10.05 an hour, the Billingham workers say they are only getting £9. The basic rate went up on Monday this week to £10.80 an hour, but the contractors say they are still only on £9.65.

Billy Coates, GMB North-East representative, said: "There must be at least 10,000 construction workers in the North-East and this could have a bearing on them.

"Basically, the national engineering agreement has been drawn up to separate contract workers into four categories, from category four general engineering to category one for new build work. Jordans have been contracted to build this new pharmaceutical site so it is clearly new build work, but they are paying us category four pay which is worse."

A spokesman for Jordan, based in Bristol, refused to comment on the dispute.

Ian Davis, Amicus' regional officer with responsibility for construction, said: "This will have repercussions for workers all over the North-East. Every Wednesday for the next eight weeks these men will down tools and take part in industrial action."

A spokesman for Avecia said the firm was talking to both sides hoping to solve the despute in a timely manner.