Old enemies of Robert Maxwell are planning a final revenge - by partying in the late fraudster's living room, writes Reg Little.

Former Maxwell employees will dance the night away in the tycoon's old home at Headington Hill Hall.

The Maxwell Bash is being held to mark the tenth anniversary of the long and bitter strike at Pergamon Press, the Oxford publishing company on which his business empire was built. Maxwell's old trade union adversaries will take over the ground floor of the newspaper baron's old home from 2pm until 11pm on June 6. In the rooms where Maxwell once lavished hospitality on ministers and world leaders there will be a belated ten-hour celebration, in a mood of unabashed triumphalism.

Organiser and Pergamon strike veteran Anna Wagstaff said: "The Maxwell Empire has been wiped out but we are still here. In fact we are in his living room.

"It is symbolic we can celebrate in the front room of Robert Maxwell's house. It was a David and Goliath battle. But it was the Maxwell Empire that got blown apart." As well as dancing to a local band, there will be left-wing comedians, videos of old rallies and the unveiling of a plaque. The 120 guests will include Pergamon strikers, academics who took part in a boycott and unionists involved in the GCHQ and Tilbury Dock disputes.

Many Maxwell employees will be gleefully exchanging stories of the grand fancy dress parties hosted by the tycoon, who would guzzle large amounts of champagne dressed as Ali Baba. But organisers say the event also has the serious purpose of marking Labour's Fairness at Work legislation, which is now imminent. Headington Hill Hall, which Maxwell rented from Oxford City Council, is now part of Oxford Brookes University. The ground floor is rented out for conferences and wedding receptions.

The Pergamon strike over union recognition by the National Union of Journalists lasted from 1989 to 1992. The scientific publishing company, which was based in the grounds of his home, was sold by Maxwell to the Dutch group Elsevier shortly before his death.

Story date: Friday 30 April

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.