Unite the Union has announced that its members working at 22 local authorities across the UK will be balloted on strike action later this month, with South Tyneside Council and Durham County Council among those included. The ballot follows the rejection of a 3.3% pay offer from national employers, which workers say fails to address years of below-inflation pay offers and pay freezes.
Background to the Dispute
Workers believe the proposed offer represents a real-terms pay cut and was made without any negotiations with the union. Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Council workers are struggling to keep their heads above water after over a decade of pathetic pay deals. Employers are again trying to cut the real terms pay of workers instead of investing in our members, who do vital jobs in our communities. Unite will not stand by and allow our members to have another paltry pay deal inflicted on them. They have our full backing in their fight for fair pay.”
Roles Affected and Potential Impact
Workers being balloted include those in waste and bin collections, street cleaning, street lighting, teaching assistants, and home care staff. While thousands of workers are balloted nationwide, the extent of strikes in the North East is currently unknown. Unite national officer for local authorities Clare Keogh stated: “After years of real term pay cuts imposed without negotiations, council workers have had enough and see no option but to take action to make their voices heard. Strike action will have a huge impact on the council services communities depend on, but this is entirely the fault of national employers refusing to negotiate.”
Council Responses
A South Tyneside Council spokesperson said: “Local government pay is negotiated nationally between trade unions and employers through the National Joint Council (NJC) process. We are aware that Unite has announced a ballot of some of its members regarding the current national pay offer. No industrial action has been announced and it would be inappropriate to speculate on the outcome of the ballot process. South Tyneside Council values the important contribution made by all of its employees and will continue to work constructively with our recognised trade unions while maintaining services for residents.”
Paul Darby, Durham County Council’s corporate director of resources, said: “We are aware that a number of local authorities across the country are being balloted for targeted strike action linked to the national pay dispute. The ballot is expected to close in August, after which we’ll have a clearer understanding of how or whether we will be impacted.”
Broader Context
Unite's announcement follows fellow union Unison's announcement that 200,000 school workers and binmen could walk out on strike after receiving the same pay deal of 3.3%. The full list of councils being balloted includes Great Yarmouth, North East Lincolnshire, South Tyneside, Blackburn with Darwen, Bolton, Cumberland, Knowsley, Liverpool City, Liverpool City Region, Oldham, Sefton, Warrington, Westmorland and Furness, Wirral, Bristol, Cardiff, Durham, Haringey, Leeds, Hampshire County, Portsmouth, and Southampton. The ballots are of a targeted nature, meaning more local authorities could join the dispute at a later date. The ballot opens on July 16 and closes on August 17.
