Unison
has again warned local government employers that industrial action over a
proposed pay increase will go ahead unless the offer is increased.
This
week Unison, the UK’s largest trade union, sent out notices to more than 400 UK
councils confirming that its members will strike on 17 July.
The
unions are demanding double the 3 per cent the employers have offered for the
annual pay increase.
The
one-day strike will affect education, social services, residential and home
care, environmental health, housing, planning, refuse collection, catering and
cleaning.
Heather
Wakefield, Unison national secretary for local government, said: "While
the employers bury their heads in the sand, there is a retention and
recruitment crisis in local government which is getting worse. This is having a
detrimental effect on service and staff, who are having to work more unpaid
overtime and cope with growing staff shortages.
"The
employers should be left in no doubt that our industrial action will continue
until they return with a realistic offer."
