Council’s social workers vote to strike

Social workers in Shropshire will strike on 22 September in protest at proposed pay cuts, Unison has confirmed.

Two-thirds (66%) of Unison’s members at Shropshire Council have voted in favour of strike action over plans to slash salaries by up to 5.4%.

Current contracts are to be terminated and replaced with new terms and conditions in October.

Unison said it had set up strike committee and would be liaising with members.

A rally and march to the council offices will take place on 22 September, when a full meeting of the council is also scheduled.

A statement on the Shropshire Unison website urged local social workers to bring their family and friends on the march.

Kim Ryley, chief executive of Shropshire Council, responded: “We are very unhappy about the possible disruption of public services that this industrial action poses and will do all we can to reduce the impact on local people.

“We would again urge Unison to return to the negotiating table to discuss how to reshape the council and make it stronger and more effective in the future to meet the needs of local people.”

He added that the proposed changes to contracts were “designed to avoid making 500 staff redundant”.

This latest action in Shropshire follows a one-day walk out by social workers in Southampton in August over similar pay cuts.

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