THE boss of a furniture firm which sparked one of Britain's longest running industrial disputes is himself out of a job.

David Williams has resigned as chief executive of Enodis, parent company of kitchen firm Magnet, after falling sales.

Mr Williams was managing director of Magnet when the company sacked 320 people from its Darlington factory in 1996.

The workers were dismissed during a strike over pay and conditions. It led to a bitter 19-month dispute, which ended in April 1998 when the sacked workers accepted an £850,000 settlement.

Mr Williams took over as chief executive of the parent company shortly after the strike ended. It changed its name to Enodis, from the Latin for solution, in the wake of the dispute.

But share prices in Enodis have slumped following poor trading conditions in the US, prompting Mr Williams' resignation and a cull of 900 jobs.

Shirley Winter, who set up the Magnet Women's Support Group during the dispute, said few tears would be shed for their former boss.

She said: "I don't like to knock anybody when they're down or see anybody out of work, but I'm sure sacked workers and their families will take great satisfaction in seeing David Williams falling on his own sword. I'm not being vindictive, but what goes around comes around and this has gone full circle."

Mrs Winter, who still gives speeches around the country on workers' rights, added: "If you treat people badly when they've given you loyal service for up to 42 years, you deserve what you get. For me this is a warning to employers everywhere that there must be mutual respect between them and employees."