Public services to go on strike (From Gazette Series)

Public services to go on strike

PUBLIC services run by Stroud District Council look set to descend into chaos after staff voted overwhelmingly in favour of strike action.

More than 80 percent of staff affiliated with public sector worker's union UNISON, which represents over half of the council's 615 employees, agreed to the possible walk out on Tuesday.

UNISON members are now set to decide the details of the action. They will consider continuous overtime bans, withdrawal of goodwill, refusal to use cars for work and strike action in either a series of one-day strikes or all out continuous action.

The row over pay and conditions began when council chiefs demanded workers sign new contracts or lose their jobs as part of a drive to improve efficiency.

Christina Cook, UNISON's South West regional officer, said: "This is an overwhelming vote in favour of our position and against the proposals of the employer and is all the more remarkable in the face of the bullying tactics employed by the council against its own staff.

"We will be shortly issuing the council with notice of proposed action and we can only hope that at last they will see sense and seek a negotiated w3settlement."

She added: "To date they have ignored all calls for common sense and responded instead by misleading staff and councillors about UNISON's position. The employer said they didn't know what our demands were - when these had been presented to them time and time again.

"They said we'd never asked for three year pay protection - when we'd requested this since August 2005. It is now time for them to swallow their pride and talk sensibly to their staff representatives to avoid strike action - and time for them not only to talk, but to listen."

UNISON members have now written to council chiefs urging them to start "meaningful negotiations" to avoid the need for action. While similar attempts have previously not even had a response, the union hopes that as the threat of action looms, SDC will be prepared to listen.

Chief executive of the council David Hagg said: "UNISON's ballot involved only 40 percent of council staff. Less than 45 percent of UNISON members voted to strike. This is less than one in five of all the workforce.

"We are waiting at the negotiating table and have been since October last year when they broke off from talks."

He added: "Our responsibility is to all council staff, not just UNISON members, and our proposals bring a benefit to two thirds. No more than 79 out of 610 staff would see a pay reduction after a year of salary protection which compares favourably with changes in other councils."