ANGRY bakery workers are set to go on strike next month in a row over pay and conditions.

About 70 staff from Park Cakes, in Bella Street, Bolton, packed into a meeting at Rumworth Hall, Daubhill, on Saturday and voted to walk out for four days — November 11, 14, 22 and 30.

Members of the Bakers, Food and Allied Workers Union (BFAWU) say the company, which makes cakes and desserts for customers such as Marks and Spencer, Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Asda, is trying to undermine permanent employees’ pay and conditions.

It comes after new Agency Workers Regulations were introduced in October, designed to give the same rights to temporary workers after 12 weeks in employment as permanent staff.

Ian Hodson, national president of BFAWU, told the meeting: “We do not want to take strike action but the company is forcing us into it.

“We want to meet with the company and resolve this action. People in the community of Bolton should get behind this, it takes bottle in this day and age. A clear message has been sent to the company, they are wrong, wrong, wrong and you are right, right, right. Right to take action, right to stand up and right to fight.”

Workers at the meeting said the changes could mean they lose up to £4,000 a year in pay.

Yasmin Qureshi, Bolton South East MP, attended the meeting and told workers she was backing their cause. She said: “I find the behaviour of Park Cakes reprehensible. I am going to try to campaign as much as I can in whatever way I can to help the union.”

The company, which employs 250 people at the Bolton site, was unavailable for comment.