Selby's 3,500 miners are set to take their first industrial action for 14 years after pit delegates recommended all-out strike action in a dispute over pay.

The National Union of Mineworkers will now ballot pitmen in the new year.

Delegates meeting at the NUM's national headquarters in Barnsley yesterday voted for a postal ballot with a recommendation for full scale strike action.

Resolutions for 24-hour selective strikes and an overtime ban were rejected in favour of an all-out strike after RJB chiefs said their latest pay offer was "final".

RJB offered an inflation-linked pay rise starting in January plus a one-off payment of £175, with no further increases for 18 months.

Union leaders are looking for a £26,000-a-year salary based on coalface workers' average earnings. Their current basic wage is £215 a week.

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