STRIKING staff at Huddersfield Technical College will "stick it out for as long as it takes" according to union bosses.

Caretakers at the New North Road and Holmfirth campuses have walked out after pay talks broke down.

The 17 staff said that their pay at the college had fallen behind that of council caretakers who earned around £40 a week more.

Trade union Unison represents the strikers.

Branch secretary Paul Holmes said: "The Tech used to be council-owned and council caretakers were regraded two years ago and this is what our members want."

He added: "They are angry because they put a pay claim in during August 2004 and then it was only on Monday that they were made an offer by the Tech.

"The offer was from April 2006.

"If you are going to make an offer the day before a strike you should make it a meaningful offer."

Mr Holmes claimed a number of cleaners at the site had refused to cross the picket line this morning.

He added: "They have a lot of support and their morale is high."

But college principal Chris Sadler said he was disappointed by the decision to strike.

He added: "From our point of view they put in a claim on what another employer was doing and we are an individual employer."

Mr Sadler claimed senior managers had been covering the work of the caretakers.