HUNDREDS of tractor plant employees in Basildon have suspended their 12 day strike half-way through to ballot on a new pay offer.

More than 500 workers at the CNH Industrial tractor factory halted industrial action scheduled for 18, 19, 20, 25, 26 and 27 June to allow a vote on the new offer.

Unite regional officer Michelle Cook said: "As a sign of good faith, Unite has suspended strike action at CNH to allow workers to vote on the new offer.

"If rejected, industrial action will resume until an acceptable offer is put forward."

The workers had initially downed tools at the beginning of June, following ten days of strike action in May at the New Holland Tractor Factory.

The committed strikers, deeply frustrated over a perceived "pay betrayal", formed picket lines and announced fresh strikes which began early in the month.

Workers previously have accused CNH of breaking an agreement signed in 2022 that pay increases would be calculated by the average rate of inflation over the previous year.

According to Unite, CNH has offered a four per cent increase for 2024 but "should have offered 7.4 per cent".

Unite also claimed the strikes have put significant pressure on CNH, as the sixty-year-old factory is a key supplier of New Holland tractors, which are shipped all over the world.

It was predicted that the strikes would severely compromise the supply of these globally-demanded tractors.