British BMW staff vote for strike action over pensions

London (dpa) - Staff at British plants run by German carmaker BMW have voted for strike action in a dispute over a company pension scheme, a trade union said on Friday.The strike action could affect up to 3,400 union members among BMW‘s 5,000 workers at four plants making engines, Mini and Rolls Royce vehicles in Britain, said the Unite union, which balloted its members at the sites.Unite said the closure of the BMW pension scheme for British staff from June could cause some workers to lose up to 160,000 pounds (200,000 dollars) in benefits.Ninety-three per cent of staff voted for strike action, as 72 per cent of Unite‘s members at the four plants voted in the ballot, it said."BMW needs to reflect on this extraordinary vote in favour of industrial action and the real possibility that its UK workforce will strike for the first time under its ownership in the coming weeks," Len McCluskey, Unite‘s general secretary, said in a statement."It won‘t be a step which will be taken lightly, but the vote in favour of action shows a determination by workers who have contributed massively to BMW‘s record revenues to stand up for their pensions," McCluskey said.The BMW Group made no immediate comment on the strike ballot.