MOTOR giant Ford has called on Unite the union to call off a proposed strike ballot over pension proposals and return to the negotiating table.

Unite said it will ballot 11,000 members at Ford plants throughout the UK, including about 700 staff at its transmissions manufacturer, Getrag Ford, in Halewood, over proposed changes to Ford’s pension plan.

The company plans to change the way inflation is calculated to affect pensions by using the Consumer Price Index (CPI), instead of the retail price index.

The CPI does not include housing and council tax costs and will, says Unite, result in lower pensions for staff, including around 30,000 ex- Ford workers who draw a company pension.

Unite claims that, if pensions had been linked to CPI for the past 20 years, they would now be 14% lower.

A Ford spokesperson said: “The Ford Pension Funds are required to pay pension increases in line with provisions that cross-refer to the relevant legislation.

“The agreed forum for discussing matters of this nature would be the pay talks scheduled for later this year.”