Dairy Crest has been in emergency talks with unions to avert strike action since it revealed a plan to close its final salary pension scheme to new employees after April 6.
A planned strike of 2,000 workers on that day, after a consultative ballot confirmed that staff were willing to strike, was now unlikely as a full ballot had not yet taken place when Food Manufacture went to press.
Workers feared that the pension change would lead to Dairy Crest closing the scheme altogether, said the T&G union.
The pension scheme is believed to have liabilities of £652M and a £100M deficit.