A LONG-RUNNING pay dispute at a York sweet factory appears closer to being resolved.

The Tangerine factory in Low Poppleton Lane - which makes boiled sweets including humbugs, sherbet lemons and bonbons - was hit by a series of strikes late last year.

The dispute involved about 90 members of the GMB and centred on a pay offer by the company which the union refused to accept.

Fresh talks were held earlier this month, with proposals for further industrial action put on hold, and now GMB organiser Ben Kirkham has revealed that a fresh deal is under discussion.

He said he could not confirm details at this stage, and some details still needed to be ironed out, and the deal would require ratification at board level.

However, he was hopeful that the union would shortly be able to put a proposal to members in a ballot, with a recommendation for approval.

He added that both sides were keen for the dispute to be resolved by the end of January..

A spokesman for Tangerine said simply that talks were ‘ongoing’ and declined to make any further comment at this stage.

In November, the GMB said its members felt they had been ‘backed in to a corner’ and were faced with no other option than to strike, although this was a last resort, and the action went ahead.

The union claimed it had witnessed a long list of attacks on paid breaks and hand washing time, with pension contributions reduced and provider changed,and training money and bonus payments pulled.

Mr Kirkham said the company’s failure to offer an improved deal had ‘left a sour taste in the mouth.’

In December, the union said Tangerine had threatened to take a ‘grudging’ pay offer off the table unless it was swiftly accepted, and said further strike action was inevitable over an offer of a 1.25 per cent pay rise, backdated to April with a 15 minute break..

Tangerine confirmed then that workers had been given their final opportunity to accept the 2016 pay offer, and said it would otherwise no longer be valid because the company was heading into a new year.

It said it had been disappointed by the strike decision, because its enhanced pay and break time offer had been a “positive step forward” for the factory’s long-term future.

It stressed that the factory, where a total of 219 people were employed, had remained operational and it had been able to supply all its customers despite the strikes.

Mr Kirkham said earlier this month he was optimistic an agreement could be struck.

The recent discussions between union and management have been assisted by officials from ACAS (the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service) acting as conciliators.