The five cleaners whose redundancy led to nearly 100 workers walking out at Belco were celebrating yesterday after getting their jobs back.

Confirming the u-turn after meeting union officials, Belco said the jobs had been reinstated under a ?new set of performance expectations and standards? that would help to cut costs.

A statement said the new arrangement would be reviewed by management and the Electricity Supply Trade Union (ESTU) in six months. Whether it continued would hinge on ?performance and economic results?, the statement added.

The decision to make the cleaners redundant sparked angry scenes on Tuesday, when nearly 100 union members walked out in support and marched through Hamilton.

Labour Minister Randolph Horton appeared to criticise the walkout ? described by Belco as illegal because insufficient notice was given ? in a statement issued last night.

The Minister said he pleaded ?with all parties in the collective bargaining process to adhere to the provisions set out in the Trade Union Amendment Act 1975 when dealing with labour issues?.

He added: ?The country would be better served as a result.?

Striking power staff raised fears more experienced workers at the utility company could be axed, with more jobs contracted to outside companies as Belco looked to cut high operating costs.

Workers gathered outside Belco headquarters less than two hours after the cleaners were handed the news that they had been made redundant. They were told their posts would be contracted out.

Belco and the ESTU yesterday both welcomed the ?compromise agreement?.

Belco president and chief executive officer Garry Madeiros said: ?We are pleased that this issue has been resolved.

?The experience over the last day has contributed to establishing a clear path forward for both parties to work together for the benefit of the entire organisation.?

ESTU vice president Robin Richardson said: ?The union and management worked tirelessly to late last night to come to what the ESTU believes is a reasonable and fair agreement.

?We look forward to working in the future with management to resolve any issues that may come up, before they escalate to the level they did this week.?

Belco confirmed a ?tentative agreement? was reached late on Tuesday night, preventing the walkout continuing into Wednesday.

Union members were back at work as normal from 8 a.m. yesterday and will see the confirmation that the cleaning jobs have been restored as a victory in the wake of the walkout.

Power supplies were not affected by Tuesday?s industrial action as unionised workers involved in power generation carried on working.

Mr. Horton commended the representatives of both teams for their participation in the discussions. ?The agreement is a celebration of the collaborative process, an outcome governed by good faith and reason,? he said.

?Happily the parties have been able to overcome those circumstances that were initially causing division and have jointly committed to work closely to foster a relationship that will benefit the whole organisation and, therefore, the rest of the community.?