WORKERS at Cowley's Mini Plant will hold five 24-hour strikes over a pensions dispute. 

Last month, members of Unite backed walkouts by 93 per cent.

A series of eight 24-hour strikes, combined with an overtime ban and work to rule, involving up to 3,500 BMW workers, will start on Wednesday, April 19, Unite announced today.

Workers in Cowley will take part in five of the strikes. 

The walkouts over BMW’s plans to close the final salary pension scheme will be the first ever by the company's UK workforce.

It is expected that production will be significantly disrupted by the action, which involves workers from across the four sites who are members of BMW (UK) operations pension scheme: Cowley, Swindon, Hams Hall and Goodwood.

Cowley workers will strike on April 19 and 23 and May 16, 18 and 21. 

Workers have expressed alarm over BMW’s plans which could see some UK workers lose up to £160,000 in retirement income.

Last week a delegation of BMW UK workers headed the carmaker’s headquarters in Munich to protest and hand in a petition accusing bosses of ‘pension robbery’.

BMW’s plan to close the pension scheme by 31 May 2017 comes as figures last month showed a surge in BMW Group’s net profit of eight per cent to €6.9 billion, as well as a record year for Mini sales and a six per cent rise in Roll-Royce sales.

Unite general secretary Len McCluskey said: “BMW’s refusal to talk about affordable options to keep the pension scheme open means a sizable chunk of its UK workforce will be taking strike action for the first time in the coming weeks.

“Bosses in the UK and BMW’s headquarters in Munich cannot feign surprise that it’s come to this point. Unite has repeatedly warned of the anger their insistence to railroad through the pension scheme’s closure would generate and the resulting industrial action.

“BMW’s bosses need to get their heads out of the sand and recognise their pension pinching plans will not go unchallenged. BMW’s UK workers have contributed significantly to a record year in revenues and sales for the carmaker. They deserve better than broken pension promises and the loss of tens of thousands of pounds in retirement income.

“I urge BMW to step back from its May deadline for the pension scheme’s closure and negotiate seriously to find a settlement which is good for the business and good for the workforce.”

In response, BMW said it was 'disappointed' that strike action had been called and added it was open to discussion.

Spokesman Steve Wrelton said: "A number of planned meetings have taken place since the start of consultation on the proposed pension changes and the Company is disappointed by Unite’s notification of industrial action.

"The Company has put a number of options on the table to help employees transition to the proposed new pension arrangements and it remains open to negotiation.

"BMW Group has always prided itself in providing excellent pensions for its staff and wants to act now to protect future pension provision and to help improve the cost competitiveness of the UK as a manufacturing base."