Further Strike Dates Announced in Welsh Local Authorities as Dispute Escalates
- Tuesday 12 September 2023
Cardiff & Wrexham Local Authority Workers to strike for a further 3 weeks
Unite, the UK’s leading union, has announced that its members in Cardiff and Wrexham local authorities will strike for a further three weeks from 25th September to 15th October. Workers at the two councils are currently in the middle of their first round of industrial action which end on September 17th. In addition, workers at Gwynedd Council have today started one weeks continuous strike action which runs from September 11th to September 17th.
Unite members have overwhelmingly rejected the local authority employers’ pay offer of just £1,925, a poorer offer than last year and a real terms pay cut.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Local Authority workers in Wales have seen their pay decimated in recent years. Despite this, their employers think its acceptable to propose what amounts to real terms pay cut, when workers increasingly can’t make ends meet.”
“There has been silence from local authority employers during this strike action. Our members are not backing down and we will now escalate the industrial action until Local Authorities start negotiating with us. Unite will be providing our members with its complete support during this dispute.”
Unite has members across every department within Welsh Local Authorities. The strike action will have a major impact on refuse collections and recycling centres, in particular. Councils are not legally bound to follow the local government pay increase and can pay a higher rate to workers if they wish to do so.
Peter Hughes, Unite Wales Regional Secretary said; “These strikes are about the scourge of low pay within local authorities. It can’t be acceptable for council workers who provide essential public services to be earning salaries that are barely above the national minimum wage.”
“Welsh councils must stop hiding behind the position of the Local Authority Pay Body and see what they can do to improve our members terms and conditions at a local level. Until they do this our industrial action will continue”.