Union puts pressure on councils to end strike

9:25am Monday 14th July 2008

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Public sector union UNISON is stepping up the pressure on local councils to settle this week’s two day strike over pay.

Top level talks have been held at the union’s North West headquarters in Manchester in an attempt to break the bosses’ silence.

And local branches are calling on councillors to demand employers return to the negotiating table.

Regional union leaders have accused employers of being irresponsible by digging in their heels and refusing to negotiate.

UNISON North West’s Head of Local Government Ray Short and leading union representative Pat McDonagh met with employment chief David Campbell from the North West Employers Organisation to make UNISON’s position clear.

Mr Short said: “We are determined to do everything we can to make this strike as effective as possible. The employers must make a better offer – 2.45 percent is not enough.”

Mr McDonagh added: “We have been driven to this point because we’ve had a below-inflation pay rise for four years in a row and our members cannot afford to take another pay cut.”

UNISON’s North West Regional Secretary Frank Hont said local councillors had a responsibility to step-in and encourage employers to settle the dispute and avert the inevitable disruption the strike will cause local people.

He said: “Local councillors cannot shrug off their responsibility in this dispute. They should step-in now and put pressure on the local government employers to deliver a fair deal.

“Local communities deserve quality services and for that you need decent pay. The 2.45 percent offer goes no-where near covering the hikes in food, fuel and energy bills. We are talking about basics such as bread going up 9 percent and butter up 38 percent.

“I am appealing to councillors across the north west to get the employers back round the negotiating table and come up with a fair pay offer to avoid disruption to local people and the need for strike action by our members.”

The strike is planned for Wednesday and Thursday this week.