Thomas Bridge 23 July 2014

Strikes to hit councils again

Council and school support staff will strike again later this year as part of continuing demonstrations over pay.

Around a million public service workers are thought to have taken part in national protests on 10 July against the 1% increase in pay offered by local government employers.

Unison has now revealed a further walk out will take place in England, Wales and Northern Ireland on Tuesday 30 September.

Following demonstrations earlier this month, the union affirmed that its ‘overwhelming priority’ was engaging in negotiations with employers.

However, Unison’s head of local government Heather Wakefield said previous action had ‘sent a strong message to the employers’ that council staff were ‘fed up and angry with being exploited’.

‘It is a disgrace that so many workers and their families are forced to live on poverty pay,’ she added.

‘There was widespread public support for our members, the majority of whom are low paid and part-time women workers whose good will has been taken for granted for too long.’

The trade union called on the Local Government Association (LGA) to engage in further talks ahead of the protest date. Unison argues that current offers would see 90% of council and school support staff receiving a 1% increase following successive years of pay freezes and below inflation rises in 2013 and 2014.

‘No local government or school support worker should be paid below the Living Wage,’ Wakefield said.

‘It's time for the employers to come back to the negotiating table and work with us to secure a decent offer for our members and end this damaging dispute.’

The LGA has previously said the pay rise offer was ‘‘at the absolute limit of what local authorities can afford’.

The latest announcement follows a recent survey of council staff undertaken by LocalGov, which found 57% of respondents did not want to strike again even if the pay offer is not increased.

Responding to the announcement, a Local Government Association spokesman said: 'Most local government staff did not vote to strike and the vast majority did not take part in strike action earlier this month. Both GMB and Unite have confirmed that they will not take part in this further strike. We urge Unison to reconsider.

'This year’s offer would increase the pay of most of our employees by one per cent while those on the lowest salaries would receive increases of between 1.25 per cent and 4.66 per cent. This is at the limit of what councils tackling the biggest cuts in living memory can afford.

'The sooner Unison, Unite and GMB accept this pay offer, the sooner this money can reach our employees who have been waiting for it since April.'

SIGN UP
For your free daily news bulletin
Highways jobs

Young Person's Advisor

Durham County Council
Grade 8 - £32,597 - £36,363
X1 Young Person’s Advisor (out of area) – Full-Time Temporary for 12 Months An exciting opportunity has become available within the Unaccompanied Asy Spennymoor
Recuriter: Durham County Council

Deputy Head Teacher

Durham County Council
£75,049 - £82,654
Deputy Head Teacher L16-L20, £75,049 - £82,654 Permanent, Full Time Required from 1 September 2026   Evergreen Primary School is a specialist primary Durham
Recuriter: Durham County Council

Social Work Assistant

Durham County Council
Grade 6 - £28,142 - £31,022
The Team provides an effective and efficient Assessment and Care Management service to adults 18 years and over with a physical disability, older peop Seaham
Recuriter: Durham County Council

HGV Class 2 Driver

Wyre Borough Council
£13.47 - £13.68 per hour
Wyre Council is seeking a hardworking and reliable HGV Class 2 Driver Poulton-Le-Fylde, Lancashire
Recuriter: Wyre Borough Council

Environmental Protection Administrative Assistant

Wyre Borough Council
Grade 3/4 £13.05 - £13.68 per hour
Are you organised, proactive, and passionate about delivering excellent customer service? Poulton-Le-Fylde, Lancashire
Recuriter: Wyre Borough Council
Linkedin Banner