HUNDREDS of North-East steelworkers have voted to strike over pensions, sparking fears the industry will be hit by its largest national dispute in more than 30 years.

Staff at Tata Steel are poised to walk-out over proposed changes to the British Steel Pension Scheme (BSPS).

The row centres on Tata’s plans to close the BSPS to new members, which furious union officials say will force people to work until 65.

If it goes ahead, the strike will be the first nationally across the steel sector since the early 1980s, when British Steel bases were shutdown in a pay dispute.

However, Tata has defended the proposals, saying its pension scheme faces a crippling £2bn deficit owing to the tough economic climate.

Workers in the Community union, the largest in Tata, as well as those in the GMB and Ucatt unions, voted by almost 9-1 to down tools, with Unite members expected to follow suit next week.

Tata employs about 750 people across the region at its Teesside Beam Mill, near Redcar, the Hartlepool Pipe Mill, and a special profiles plant, in Skinningrove, east Cleveland.

Unions have warned the plants will be crippled by the walk-out unless steel bosses sit down for more talks.

Roy Rickhuss, general secretary of Community, which has about 600 members in the North-East, said Tata only has itself to blame.

Mr Rickhuss, who is also chairman of the National Steel Trade Union Co-ordinating Committee, said: “We stand on the brink of the first national strike in the steel industry for over 30 years.

“This is not where we wanted to be, but Tata now has an opportunity to end this dispute by removing the threat of scheme closure and discussing alternative measures.

“Our members have spoken loud and clear and have voted overwhelmingly for their pensions, their families and their futures.

“Any action we take will aim to cause maximum disruption to the company, though we hope this can be avoided if Tata return to the negotiating table.”

The BSPS had 143,000 members as of late last year, with assets of about £13.6bn, and Dave Hulse, national officer at GMB, said it was angry at Tata’s handling of the scheme.

He added: “Our members will not sit back and let the company take away their hard-earned pensions.

“Tata needs to take the threat away of closing the final salary scheme and come back around the table before this is taken out of their hands.

“We have lost faith in the company and its leadership and believe it is putting the business at serious risk.”

The ballot results came just hours after Dr Karl-Ulrich Köhler, Tata’s European operations chief executive, wrote to staff, appealing for them to vote against a strike.

Reacting to the ballot, a company spokesman said it was disappointed, adding it hoped workers would steer away from actions that could damage the firm.

He said: “The shortfall of up to £2bn faced by the pension scheme is not the fault of the company or its employees, but it can only be addressed if we and staff work together.

“The company has already stated to the trade unions and employees it intends to mitigate the impact of the proposed changes.

“We remain hopeful employees will see these proposals represent the most fair and balanced way of dealing with the deficit.”