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Strike hits services

Mark Hesford
18/ 7/2008

COUNCIL services have drawn to a halt as thousands of workers walked out of schools, care homes and offices in north and east Manchester in a two-day national pay strike.

Schools and nurseries across the city were closed, bins remained uncollected and some care services were seriously disrupted.

Recycling, bulky and clinical waste collections went ahead as usual yesterday, and are set to continue today (Thursday), but wheelie bin collection has been postponed until the weekend.

Residents who normally have their wheelie bins emptied on Wednesday are advised to put them out on Saturday 19 July while those with Thursday collections are asked to put their bins out on Sunday 20.

Members of the Unison and Unite unions voted to take industrial action after rejecting a 2.45 per cent pay offer.

It is the first two-day strike staged by public sector workers since the 1980s and up to 600,000 staff are expected to have taken action across the country over the course of the two days.

One Unison picket took place at Victoria Mill, on Varley Street, Miles Platting where workers said they felt they deserved no less than a six per cent pay rise to help prevent low paid workers such as cleaners, teaching assistants and care workers from struggling.

John Humphries, 49, who works at the mill as a social care trainer, said: "I feel it's been years of pay cuts because of below inflation pay rises, and we've just found out that inflation has grown yet again. The time has come where enough is enough.

"There's nobody out here protesting today who can afford to be here, losing two days pay, but it's a matter of principle for our low paid workers.

"We feel a six per cent pay rise isn't asking a lot."

Chris Waring, 60, a social worker at Harpurhey District Centre, said: "We understand from Unison that councils do have money they could utilise to fund a pay rise bigger than what has been offered. Given the inflation, that seems a reasonable use of the money.

"A lot of Unison members on low pay are suffering a great deal, especially with price rises in petrol and everything else at the supermarket.

"We just want to receive a fair wage, and to get that means at least a six per cent pay rise."