UNION officials today began the fight to free frozen pensions and unpaid wages for 177 sacked workers at a crisis-hit wallpaper plant.

Tony Burke, the deputy general secretary of print union GPMU, which represents hundreds of redundant workers at Crown Wallcoverings in Darwen, was due to meet legal advisers in Blackburn today.

Tearful workers who spilled out of the factory without their jobs yesterday said they were in shock, left to work out how they were going to pay bills, holidays and mortgages.

Others said the loss of their job may have cost them thousands in redundancy pay, which they were due to take months ago, before the factory decided to keep them on.

Today the GPMU began the push to free pensions, which have been frozen until people reach 65. The Union will also push for a redundancy pay package, payment of holiday pay and a week's unpaid pay for workers at the plant, which employed 400.

It is understood workers will have to claim any redundancy pay off the government.

Mr Burke said: "How the receivers went about this has been absolutely dreadful. They dismissed people in an appalling manner.

"We believe this has been contrary to the law, in dismissing people in an arbitrary fashion without any consultation."

It is understood there could be as few as 60 staff left at the firm when job cuts, blamed on falling sales, are complete.

John Danson, 38, of High Bank Crescent, Darwen, had to tell his wife Sue and two young boys that he had lost his job. He said: "It's shocking. They got 40 in one room, called six names out, and the rest of us were fired."

Thirty five out of 212 workers employed at other sites in Morecambe and Middleton also lost their jobs.

Receivers Ernst & Young were unavailable for comment.

Mark Winstanley, 36, a father-of-three of Durham Road, Darwen, said: "They sat us down and told us 'see you later'. It was that short notice."

Phil Young, 25, of Lightbown Street said: "I've been accepted as a firefighter. It's no compensation for losing a full time job though."

Roy Morris, 34, from Roman Road estate in Blackburn, said: "They've frozen the pensions. I hope they can sort it out for us."

David Berry, 43, of Newfield Drive in Blackburn, has been working for the company for 11 years.

He said: "I tried to hand in my redundancy two months ago but they convinced me to stay on, saying that they needed me.

"I've now lost £7,000 in redundancy pay and I'm gobsmacked."

Michael Hurley, 28, of Livesey Branch Road , Blackburn, said: "We didn't know it would be this big. We've all come away with nothing."

Kevin Nelson, 34, of Radfield Road in Darwen, said: "They may as well put the flag at half-mast. I was meant to go three months ago but they asked me to stay. As a result I've lost £10,000 redundancy pay."

TV licensing looking to recruit

MORE than 300 people applied for jobs at the TV Licensing service in Darwen at a jobs fair organised by Blackburn Jobcentre Plus on Saturday.

Capita, which already employs 250 people in Darwen on the service provided for TV Licensing, is looking for 60 full-time customer service advisors and four team leaders for its centre at India Mill.

The roles involve dealing with customer enquiries, setting up TV licences and taking payments, with team leaders ensuring excellent customer service.

Anyone interested in an interview for these positions should contact Blackburn Jobcentre Plus on 01254 343620.Crown history

l DARWEN is the birthplace of the wallpaper industry with a history stretching back more than 160 years.

l In 1839 Charles and Harold Potter adapted their calico printing machines to mass manufacture wallpaper.

l The world's first machine-printed wallpaper came off presses at Belgrave Mills and by 1874, sales had reached 32 million rolls.

l Other wallpaper factories sprung up in the North West and organised themselves into the Wall Paper Manufacturers Ltd (WPM). By the 1920s, the WPM held more than 90 per cent of the wallpaper market and the common brand was Crown.

l During the second world war, Belgrave Mills was put on to a war footing, with ammunition, ammo cases and refurbishing searchlights replacing wallpaper production.

l The WPM was acquired by Reed International in 1965 who sold it 20 years later to Borden Inc.

l After Borden's takeover in the USA by KKR, the wallcoverings business was amalgamated with The Imperial Home Decor Group in 1998 to create the world's biggest wallpaper company.

l Belgrave Mills is still known locally as 'Potters', in memory of the founding fathers of the wallpaper industry.