THE GMB trade union is stepping up its campaign for official recognition at Time Computers' head office in Simonstone.

North West official Neil Holden said the company had rejected the union's latest bid to win negotiating rights over pay and working conditions for its members.

And as the union planned to step up its factory gate recruitment sessions, he revealed that the union had prevented a wildcat strike planned by disgruntled employees among the company's 1,000-strong workforce.

Mr Holden said a group of workers, calling themselves the Independent Time Employee Forum, had planned a one-day strike for February 3.

"The GMB is a responsible trade union and we did not want anyone to think we were behind the strike call," he said.

"We managed to make contact with the group by e-mail and they have agreed to suspend their call for strike action to allow the GMB to continue its campaign."

Mr Holden said the Forum was now urging all Time workers to join the GMB's official campaign for recognition.

He said the GMB now represented a "large percentage" of the sales staff and was continuing to sign up new members.

A team of regional officials is planning to continue the 'factory gate' recruitment sessions to put pressure on the privately-owned firm.

Providing it can sign up more than half of the workers, the union can use Government legislation to force the company to the negotiating table.

Following its takeover of Tiny Computers last year, Time is now one of Britain's leading computer manufacturers and it also has a national chain of retail stores that trade under the Computer World brand.

A spokesman for Time said the Independent Time Employee Forum represented only a "very small minority" of call centre staff at the company.

He said the company did look after its staff, but declined to comment on the dispute with the GMB.