Social workers and benefits advisers in Derby are willing to strike if the city council scraps an allowance they receive for using their own cars for work, the Derby Telegraph has reported.
Staff are angry about the plans to take away a monthly payment of £98.25 given to more than 2,000 employees on top of mileage claims.
Derby City Council wants to remove the payment and encourage staff to use pool cars instead in an effort to save £800,000 a year and reduce carbon emissions.
But public sector union Unison says the move will leave workers out of pocket, make people’s jobs more difficult and impact on council services.
And it is threatening to ballot members about industrial action – which would see them refusing to use their cars for council business – if negotiations do not have a favourable outcome.
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Nicole Beresford, assistant branch secretary for Unison in Derby, said: “We have been inundated with e-mails from angry and anxious members expressing their concerns over the financial implications for them and their families. They are saying they would be willing to engage in action if the authority does not come back with a more favourable offer.”
Councillor Mike Carr, Cabinet member for direct and internal services, said: “Those people who need to use their own cars will still be able to; it is just that, under these plans, they would be getting the mileage rate recommended by HMRC, which is deemed to be enough to cover wear and tear.”
