BRANCH secretary Adrian Gregson, of Worcestershire County UNISON, today (Wednesday)defended the two-day national strike of council workers.

Members of two unions in the council sector are on strike today and tomorrow (Thursday) because the pay offer from the employers is 2.45% when inflation is running much higher than that.

Because of rising prices workers faced a pay cut over the next year of at least £700 for the lowest paid staff.

This came at a time when there is £3,127billion in unallocated reserves in English councils, he said.

Worcestershire alone made £7m more in efficiency savings than its target but none of this was coming back to pay staff for providing care and services to the young, the old and the vulnerable.

He added: "UNISON members are the victims of inflation, not the causes of it. It is they who are being held to ransom, by the employers. Recruitment and retention of staff is very difficult."

5:10pm Wednesday 16th July 2008

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