Union leaders have given the go-ahead for a 48-hour strike
involving 640,000 local government workers in England, Wales and
Northern Ireland on 16 and 17 July.
Local authority staff from Unison and Unite will join the picket
lines after both unions rejected the employers’ offer of a 2.45%
pay increase.
Unison’s industrial action committee today approved the
negotiating body’s recommendation for a “sustained and escalating”
programme of strike action involving 600,000 workers.
The decision came after Unite members voted three to one in
favour of striking in a ballot, giving 40,000 workers the green
light to strike. A statement from the union said the offer
represented a “real-terms pay cut”, because inflation was now
4.3%.
"Pitiful"
Heather Wakefield, Unison’s head of local government, said the
2.45% offer would mean a “pitiful” £7.50 increase per week for 60%
of members.
She warned local authorities and central government to expect a
“sustained and escalating” programme of industrial action this
summer after
members voted 55% to 45% in a strike ballot.
Unison’s general secretary Dave Prentis said: “This decision has
not been taken lightly, but years of pay cuts and recent hikes in
fuel, food and housing costs has left them with little
choice.
“The employers must realise that we mean business. They must also
understand they can resolve this dispute by coming up with a decent
offer. Our members are loyal public service workers and our case
for fair pay is strong.”
Defending living standards
Peter Allenson, national secretary for the public sector at
Unite, said his members “have voted for sustained action to defend
their living standards”.
Both unions said the settlement failed to take into account
recent rises in living costs, which have left workers out of
pocket.
"The recent rise in living costs has meant that the average
household has had to find an extra £1537 from the family budget in
2008, compared to 2007, to cover basic costs such as food and
petrol,” said Allenson.
Final offer
Local Government Employers, which represents councils in England
and Wales on employment issues, reiterated its assertion that 2.45%
was “our final offer”.
Strike action would have “serious implications for some of the
most vulnerable in society”, a spokesperson said.
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