By IRNA,
London : Over half-a-million local council staff were expected Wednesday to join in the biggest bout of industrial action in Britain for years, forcing schools to close and affecting a host of other services.
The 48-hour strike action, which began at midnight Tuesday, was being led by three trade unions, Unison, Unite and PCS, whose members also include driving test examiners and coast guards.
Council workers were planning to stage rallies in towns and cities across the country during the strike, after rejecting a 2.45 per cent pay rise.
The industrial action follows a spate of strikes, including by teachers, tanker drivers and London transport over pay in the midst of rising inflation.
Dave Prentis, general secretary of Unison, said that the value of pounds in local government workers’ pockets was being devalued into just pennies.
“The cost of everyday essentials like milk, bread, petrol, gas and electricity are going through the roof – our members cannot afford to take another cut in their pay,” Prentis said.
United national officer Peter Allenson put the blame for the industrial dispute and the disruption of essential services on the shoulders of local government employers.
“The public will ask why a pay cut is forced on some of the country’s lowest paid workers while their employers hoard multi- millions in savings,” Allenson said.
Local government employers have reiterated that the 2.45 per cent rise was the final offer, warning that a bigger increase would have to be funded through higher council taxes or cuts in services.