7:00am Wednesday 25th June 2008
By Steven Smith
COUNCIL chiefs in Dorset and the New Forest are steeling themselves for a summer of discontent, with workers on the verge of a mass walkout.
Industrial action could begin with a two-day strike next month and continue with more stoppages later.
Rubbish could pile up and schools could close, but authorities say they will pull out all the stops to keep services running normally.
The strike by Unison members will see a host of council employees down tools, including waste collectors, school meals staff and teaching assistants, as they battle for a better pay deal as the cost of living rockets.
Members voted on Monday to take action over a below-inflation 2.45 per cent pay offer. They want six per cent.
A union spokesman told the Daily Echo that the strike was likely to take place on July 16 and 17.
A final decision will be taken on Friday and further strikes could be on the cards if the stand-off continues.
Dorset councils have moved to reassure residents that they can cope.
Pam Donnellan, chief executive of Bournemouth council, said: "As part of our preparations, all managers have been sent the guidance for strike action, should this situation arise. Relationships with the trade union at a local level continue to be positive and we anticipate having further information after the national meeting on Friday."
Colin Hague, head of personnel and training at Poole council, said plans were in place "to try to minimise the impact of this ind-ustrial action on the public".
"We will work with the trade unions to seek exemptions from the action, which may be appropriate to avoid problems for particularly vulnerable members of the community," he said.
A Purbeck District Council spokesman said all services should operate, but response times could be hit. Our ref-use and recycling contracts are with private companies so we would expect them to continue as normal."
Christchurch council chief executive, Michael Turvey, said management would be meeting "soon" to discuss strike ramifactions.
East Dorset District Council said it was reviewing its contingency plans to keep critical services going and to minimise disruption to other services.
Dorset County Council said it would seek to operate as normal. Local negotiations with Unison would be considered in a bid to exempt union members working with vulnerable adults and children from strike action.
Dorset County, North Dorset and New Forest councils had yet to confirm their plans when the Echo went to press last night.
A Unison spokesman said the strike was regrettable but necessary, saying members had suffered "year-on-year below inflation pay increases". Nearly 600,000 members were balloted across the country, but the numbers still do not rival the famous winter of discontent of 1978-79, when 1.5 million workers went on strike, leaving rubbish in the streets and bodies unburied.
© Copyright 2001-2012 Newsquest Media Group
http://www.bournemouthecho.co.uk