Staff at one of Wolverhampton’s biggest employers this afternoon voted to strike after a pensions shake-up closed a final salary scheme to new workers.

Workers at Goodrich Actuation Systems, which was Lucas Aerospace until 2002, fear changes to their pension scheme, including all 3,000 members paying an extra 3.5 per cent, will leave them worse off.

Around 1,600 workers around the country employed by Goodrich, which has 500 members at its factory on Stafford Road, were balloted over a walkout today and 66 per cent have voted in favour.

Unite regional officer Andy Taylor said: “This is outrageous behaviour from an aerospace company which has a well-funded pension scheme and a £7 billion order book.

“Our members will not accept the decision to close the final salary pension scheme to new entrants and are calling for watertight assurances concerning the scheme for existing members.”

Goodrich spokesman Martin Butler insists the changes are due to volatile interest rates.

The new defined contributions scheme will mean a set level of pension is not guaranteed.