Workers walk out over ‘low’ pay offer (From Dorset Echo)

Workers walk out over ‘low’ pay offer

10:55am Thursday 17th July 2008 in

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STRIKING council workers kicked off a spate of industrial action that is set to sweep across the county over the coming days.

Members of trade unions Unison and Unite began a two-day walkout over pay yesterday and other organisations are set to follow suit.

In Dorchester Unison members marched from their picket lines outside Stratton House and County Hall to a rally at the Corn Exchange.

Marchers carried banners, cheered and blew on whistles to attract attention from shoppers.

Unison regional organiser Alan Martin said he was pleased with the turnout and thanked people for striking before he read messages of support from other unions.

He said: "We are pleased members have stayed away from work. I would guess there are about 70 here."

Mr Martin said Unison members from Dorset County Council, Weymouth and Portland Borough Council and West Dorset District Council had attended the rally.

"I think people here are angry about pay. Nobody wants to be on strike but equally they know they can't afford not to," he said.

Bermy Parkes, assistant manager for Dorset County Council's children's service, spent the morning picketing in Weymouth before attending the rally.

He said: "There are a lot of people on strike today who haven't been on strike before.

"People are angry with the council and angry with government."

Secretary of Weymouth and Portland Branch of Unison Chris Moscrop said the action is an unfortunate' result of an unacceptable proposal to increase pay by just 2.45 per cent, below the rate of inflation.

Mr Moscrop said: "This offer should be set in the context of 10 years of below-inflation pay awards which have resulted in a significant pay reduction.

"The scenario has left staff with no alternative but to stand up and take action.

"The national employer's approach is to say that theirs is a final offer and that they are not prepared to meet and discuss solutions."

The strikes, which have caused disruption at schools and forced library closures, are expected to continue today before members return to work tomorrow.

Members of the Public and Commercial Services union will be following the lead of their public sector colleagues as they also launch a series of strikes over below-inflation pay increases. These will include a 48-hour strike by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency starting at 7pm tomorrow and a walk-out by workers at Weymouth Land Registry.

A spokesman for the MCA said the operations centre at Portland would remain open but will only be covered by a skeleton staff for emergency purposes.

She added that response services such as the rescue helicopter, RNLI lifeboats and coastguard rescue teams will remain unaffected.

The spokesman said: "All of the actual rescuing resources will still be there. It's the co-ordinating functions that will be affected but there will still be emergency response.

"However, we are warning people they need to be even more aware of their own safety than they would be on a usual summer weekend."

PCS members at the Land Registry have been in dispute over pay since last year and have already staged two walkouts in April.