Council workers to strike over pay

More than 1.2 million council workers will stage a national strike for the first time since the 1979 winter of discontent after voting in favour of action over pay, it was announced on Friday.

Local authority staff in England, Wales and Northern Ireland will walkout for 24 hours on July 17 and are set to stage further action.

Schools, leisure centres, housing and environmental services will be hit by the stoppage, which is in protest at a 3% pay offer.

Members of three unions representing workers ranging from school caretakers to social workers voted in favour of strikes.

The biggest union, Unison said its members voted by 56% in favour in a 40% turnout, while members of the Transport and General Workers' Union voted by 80% in favour and the GMB by 66% in favour.

The unions are seeking a 6% pay rise, arguing that council workers have "had enough" of low pay.

Heather Wakefield, national officer of Unison, said: "Our members have voted for industrial action because they are sick of being treated as the poor relations of the public sector."

The workers' case for a realistic pay rise was "indisputable", said Unison, adding that local government was facing a recruitment and retention crisis.

Ms Wakefield added: "The employers should be left in no doubt that our action will continue until they return with a realistic offer."

Jack Dromey, national organiser of the TGWU, said: "Over a million public servants have had enough. All they want is fair pay, better treatment and, quite simply, respect from their managers in town halls and ministers in Whitehall."

GMB national secretary Mick Graham said: "Our members have sent a very clear message that enough is enough. Local government workers delivering a quality service deserve quality pay."

Employers had described the 6% claim as "completely unrealistic" and said that if it was accepted, thousands of workers would have to be laid off.

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