UNION bosses have promised to investigate after employees were told they could not join in with a three-minute silence to remember those who perished in the terrorist attacks in America.

Around 180 workers from across East Lancashire were told the switchboard feeding calls to their call centre at Express Gifts, in Clayton-le-Moors, would not be turned off during Friday's tribute.

An estimated one billion people across the world took part.

Employees angered at missing out contacted the Lancashire Evening Telegraph and Hyndburn MP Greg Pope said it was "regrettable" that the company did not take part.

Some have now called for their own three-minute tribute to be held.

And Barbara Lee, who represents the company's USDAW union members, said she would investigate.

Mrs Lee, who deals with a range of North West companies, said Express Gifts was the only one she knew which did not take part.

She said: "I have had calls from our members about this and I am investigating. I have already spoken to the company about this and they said it was not possible to close the call centre.

"I deal with a lot of companies and this was the only one that did not hold the tribute."

Express Gifts - which has a warehouse department in Church employing in excess of 1,000 people that did take part in the silence - said that the decision was made to keep the call-centre running because customers "might have forgotten about the three-minute silence and some may not have wanted to observe it."

Clayton-le-Moors councillor Tim O'Kane said he was disgusted.

He said: "I take a dim view of any company that puts profit before compassion, especially when the rest of Europe and indeed the world was showing solidarity."

Nobody at Express Gifts was available for comment today.