A long-running dispute at Wade Ceramics has been settled on the eve of the Easter holiday.
The 700 shop floor employees have been on strike for eight days since January.

The row blew up after the company tried to introduce new contracts, meaning some of them could lose up to £90 a week.

Reaction among the workforce was mixed, with those standing to gain saying they were satisfied with the deal.

But others who would lose money were not so happy. One employee said: ''I will lose £30 a week for the remaining four-and-a-half years I have to work with the company.

''I stand to gain £1,000 as a lump sum payment, but that does not go anywhere near compensating for all the money I will lose.''

Enameller Julie Middleton, aged 24, was pleased with the settlement.

She said: ''It is good for those of us on lower wages and I am pleased the dispute has been settled.''

Janice Fenton, aged 39, who works as a selector and packer, also stands to gain from the deal.

She said: ''To be honest, it was quite surprising to disc-over just how much some of our colleagues were actually earning.''

The row was settled after meetings at the industrial peacemaker ACAS between the Burslem-based company and the pottery workers' union CATU.

The deal includes agreements on holiday pay, overtime rates and shift allow-ances.

It also includes an agreement for lump sum payments to those workers who will lose money under the new agreement.

Those losing less than £30 a week will be given compensation amounting to 35 times the amount they will lose each week.

Those who lose more than £30 each week can choose to take a lump sum calculated in the same way.

But they can also opt to quit the company and have redundancy payments along with cash in lieu of notice.

A third option is to accept a wages freeze for the next three years until the general pay rate among the workers catches up.

CATU general secretary Geoff Bagnall said: ''The majority of the workers are satisfied with the outcome of the negotiations and I believe most will accept the offer and stay with the company.

''What we need now is to get back to normal working after the holiday, build the fortunes of the company and make it more prosperous.

''As a union we are more than satisfied with the way we handled this long-running dispute and the delicate negotiations needed to agree the settlement.''

Happy to be back at work - Janice Fenton and Julie Middleton (pictured above).