23.07.14
Second day of strike action called for local government workers
Local government and school support workers in England, Wales and Northern Ireland are to hold a second day of strike action later this year.
Following the industrial action taken on 10 July, which saw about a million public service workers walk out in an increasingly bitter dispute over pay, Unison has announced further action for Tuesday 30 September.
However, the union is still calling on the Local Government Association to engage in further talks to resolve this year's pay dispute.
As the current pay offer stands, 90% of local government and school support workers would receive a 1% increase, but this is on the back of three successive years of pay freezes and below inflation rises in 2013 and 2014.
Heather Wakefield, head of local government, said: “The strike on 10 July sent a strong message to the employers that local government and school support workers are fed up and angry with being exploited.
“No local government or school support worker should be paid below the Living Wage. It's time for the employers to come back to the negotiating table and work with us to secure a decent offer for our members and end this damaging dispute.”
PSE has contacted the Local Government Association with regards to the strike action, but at the time of publication a response had not been received.
Tell us what you think – have your say below or email [email protected]