Refuse workers, customer service assistants and planning officers at Huntingdonshire District Council have voted to strike over pay, UNISON said today.
The Cambridgeshire council has imposed a pay rise of 4% plus a one-off payment of £1,000. As the strike ballot opened last month, bosses made money available for a further one-off lump sum but workers say this will still leave them struggling to make ends meet.
Three in four staff (76%) backed strikes and reps are now urgently seeking meetings with bosses to avert a walkout.
UNISON Eastern regional organiser Cameron Matthews said: “Staff would much rather be out providing vital services to Huntingdonshire residents than out on picket lines, but they just can’t cope with the ballooning cost of living.
“A 4% rise won’t even touch the sides as rents, mortgages, food and other essential items keep getting more and more expensive.
“Staff can see higher rises being paid by other employers. Unless things change large numbers of them will look for better-paid work elsewhere.
“We hope council bosses take workers’ concerns seriously and come up with a pay rise that protects staff and the services they deliver so that we can avoid strikes.”