LONDON (AP) -- Workers at Honda's U.K. factory have voted for a temporary pay cut to protect 490 jobs, their union said Friday.
Autoworkers are due to return to duty at the Honda plant in Swindon, southern England, on June 1 following a four-month layoff intended to work off the company's inventory of unsold cars.
The Unite union said workers voted by a 9-1 margin to accept the pay cut, which will last for 10 months. As part of the deal, managers are taking a 5 percent pay cut.
During the four-month break, Honda paid workers their full salary for two months and half pay for the rest of the time. Workers agreed to pay the company back by working extra hours when they returned.
Unite regional officer Jim D'Avila said the agreement "sets an industry benchmark for protecting jobs during this recession."