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16-Jul-08 11:30 [Pay and Reward]
Over half a million council workers start strike Both Unison and Unite have backed the 48-hour strike action which is expected to take 600,000 out of work, closing libraries, schools, town halls and civic centres across the country as well as disrupting key facilities such as rubbish collection.
Picket lines have featured bin collection staff and school canteen workers in a united stand-off that Unison general secretary Dave Prentis believes will be the largest walkout since 1926's general strike.
With complaints from the trade unions that wages have been consistently under the rate of inflation, Mr Prentis commented that the current economic crisis brought about the situation.
He said: "The pounds in local government workers' pockets are turning to pennies.
"Strike action is always a last resort but we have been left with no choice."
On 24th April the NUT went on strike over low pay in the face of rising bills, demanding a pay rise of 4.1 per cent instead of the proposed 2.45 per cent.
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