Waste collections, parking enforcement and council offices could be hit by a summer of strikes over below-inflation pay rises.

Unison, the biggest union in the public sector, has given the green light for members to ballot on strike action. If workers choose to go ahead with action, then the first strike is set to take place in early July, and last for two days.

The current ballot will only affect England, Wales and Northern Ireland, but similar action is expected in Scotland, after 80% of members rejected a 2.5% rise each year for three years deal.
The union warned that because the increases on the table had been declared final, that ‘solid and sustained’ industrial action would be required.

Brian Baldwin, chair of the Employers’ Side of the National Joint Council, which decides on pay scales, said settlements had to be affordable to the taxpayer and councils. ‘If the pay settlement is set too high, councils will be forced into making unpalatable choices between cutting frontline services and laying off staff.
‘Neither unions nor employers want either of these options,’ he said.