Around 1,000 people, 95% of staff, took part in a one-day strike at Park Cake Bakeries in Oldham on Monday - the first strike since 1976 at the bakery.

The Bakers’, Food and Allied Workers’ Union organised the 24-hour strike over redundancy plans.Some 400 staff are currently on a 90-day redundancy notice to the start of May, following the take-over of the bakery by Vision Capital. Roy Streeter, the union’s regional officer, said he was waiting to meet senior management and see how the debate could be moved forward. He said: "We do not want to put Park Cake at risk.We want to protect our members’ terms and conditions."

It is understood the dispute centres around the redundancy terms offered by the new owners, which, it is claimed, compare unfavourably with those previously in place with former owner Northern Foods. "Some members could lose as much as £20,000," said Streeter.

Park Cakes said in a statement: "The company was disappointed by the action taken by the Union. It was a 24-hour strike, which is now finished and our service to our retail customers was not affected."

Plans to make 90 job losses at Park Cakes’ second bakery in Bolton, which makes slab cakes for the major multiples, have been called off. The Oldham bakery’s main customer is Marks & Spencer.

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