Thousands of council staff to vote on strikes

Surrey County Council staff are to be balloted for strike action in a dispute over pay

Thousands of Surrey County Council (SCC) staff are to be balloted for strike action in a dispute over pay, says Unison.

Refuse collectors, social workers, teaching assistants and librarians are among those being asked to vote for industrial action over a pay offer from the council that falls short of price rises, the union says.

Unison’s Paul Couchman said: “After years of below-inflation pay increases and with the soaring cost of living, staff are struggling.”

SCC leader Tim Oliver highlighted the importance of keeping any pay offer “within our means”.

The current pay offer would mean the lowest paid staff would receive between £1,300 and £1,700, Unison said.

It represents a 5% increase in the council's overall pay bill, but is below the 12% asked for by the union.

Almost nine out of 10 staff represented by Unison recently voted in a consultation to reject the offer.

'It's not too late'

Mr Couchman, Unison’s Surrey branch secretary, added: “There’s still no end in sight to spiralling bills and staff feel strongly that enough is enough.

“It’s not too late for the council to think again and improve its pay offer.”

Mr Oliver said the offer was between 7.8% for the lowest grades and 4.5% for the highest, with a minimum wage of £11.05 per hour – 15p per hour higher than the Real Living Wage.

He said: “It’s disappointing that the offer has been rejected, however we absolutely recognise the impact of the current cost of living pressures on our hard working and dedicated staff.

“However, it’s imperative that the offer is within our means. The council is not immune to the challenges of the current economic landscape, rising costs and inflation pressures.”

The ballot opens from next week.