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Embargo: [Immediate Release]                                  Date: 12 August 2008

Perth & Kinross Council staff to strike on 20^th August

1400 staff of the Perth and Kinross council will strike on Wednesday 20 August. The largest council union UNISON, and colleagues from GMB and Unite unions have all voted to down tools as part of the campaign against the below-inflation pay offer made by Scotland’s councils.

 The 24 hour stoppage will affect all council services which include schools, cleansing and environmental protection, housing, leisure and recreation services, home and residential care, libraries, etc. etc will all be disrupted as around 200,000 staff take action across Scotland.

 Wilma Armstrong, UNISON local Branch Secretary] said: “This strike will be well supported. Members are angry that the employers want to lock them into 2.5% increases for the next three years, while inflation is still rising and is set to continue. The 2.5% pay offer is already a pay cut. Food is up 6%, transport 7%, mortgages 8%, electricity and only recently gas up by an additional 35%. Pay in the private sector is rising by 4%.”

Wilma Armstrong said: “Local government workers are amongst the lowest paid in the public sector. At the lowest level staffs on current hourly rate of £5.99 stand to gain the princely sum of 46p after three years. Three-quarters of the workforce are women, but there’s a 40% gap between part-time women’s and full-time men’s hourly pay.”

 

UNISON dismisses employers’ claims of affordability too. Mrs Armstrong said: “The employers locally have said that they can’t afford a better rise. But they agreed that they didn’t need to raise council tax, and they have saved £3.162million over the last year in efficiency savings – efficiencies that have been delivered by our members. They also have £10.197million in unallocated reserves. It is time for members to share in the savings that they have made.”

 

UNISON House 14, West Campbell Street, Glasgow G2 6RX Tel 0870 7777 006 Fax 0141-331 1203.

Matt Smith Scottish Secretary matt.smith@unison.co.uk Mob 07771 548997 Home 01294 601652

Chris Bartter Communications Officer chris.bartter@unison.org.uk Mob 0771 558 3729 Home 0141-959 7165