SCIENTISTS and office workers staged a walk-out over pay while raising thousands of pounds for charity.

About 50 staff at the government agency Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science in Weymouth took a half-day holiday yesterday in a dispute over wages.

Members of trade unions Prospect and Public and Commercial Services (PCS) voted for the industrial action in protest against the widening pay gap between themselves and staff at the Department for the Environment, Food And Rural Affairs in Whitehall.

The workers are donating half a day's wages - which is estimated to be more than £2,000 - to Macmillan Cancer Relief.

They chose the charity because one of their colleagues is suffering from prostate cancer.

Prospect representative for Weymouth Keith Way said: "Most of the staff took leave so that just a skeleton staff were left on.

"Defra has created a number of agencies and our pay and pay progression has slipped way behind the core Defra department. Cefas is the worst paid."

He added that union members are lobbying local MPs and sending postcards to Margaret Beckett, the secretary of state for Defra, and the department's permanent secretary Brian Bender to highlight their wages plight.

Mr Way said that Defra agency workers are paid up to £7,000 less than Whitehall colleagues on similar grades. Prospect member David Stone added: "We have had strikes before that have not achieved a great deal.

"All that happens is you give money back to your employer but this time we wanted to benefit others.

"In order to bring us back in parity with core Defra staff some people would need a wage rise of 25 per cent. We are looking for some long-term pay strategy to bring us back up to their pay level."

There are about 60 Prospect members at Cefas and 10 administrative and clerical staff belong to PCS.

Mr Way said the walk out is part of an Injustice in Defra campaign and more protest action is planned later this month.