News

A national one-day strike over pay by council workers is likely to affect the provision of social care services, according to Unison.

The union's national officer for social services Owen Davies, said that the action planned for 17 July will lead to "substantial disruption" of services, but stressed that branches are being urged to talk to employers about implementing emergency cover locally.

He added that the intention was not to endanger clients but to "bring home to employers the intolerable pay situation".

Local government workers in England, Wales and Northern Ireland voted to take strike action in support of a 6 per cent or £1,750 increase. This rise would bring the minimum wage in local government to £11,017 a year.

The strike by members of Unison, TGWU, and GMB, will be the first national strike since 1989 and will affect social services, residential care, home care and education.

Last week the London Assembly recommended that public sector workers in London should be paid London weighting of up to a third more than workers who lived outside the capital.