Council strike will close schools, ground ferries and cancel bin collections
THOUSANDS of striking council workers are expected to march
down Royal Parade tomorrow in protest at their pay rises.
Everyone from refuse collectors to teaching assistants in the
Unison and Unite unions will complete a circuit of Royal Parade
at 11am.
Local authority workers are joining a two-day national strike
which will close a couple of schools in Plymouth and leave the
Torpoint Ferry grounded. Bin collections will also be hit.
Unison branch secretary David Young said: “It will be a big
demonstration. We are expecting thousands of people to be
there.”
He added that he did not expect police to close the road for a
long period.
More than 2,000 city council workers, who are members of the
Unison trade union, and about 600 who are members of Unite are
joining the national strike in protest over pay.
They are angry at a 2.45 per cent pay rise offer from the
Government. Members of the GMB union will carry on working.
Strikers will man picket lines including one at the council’s
Prince Rock depot before joining the protest.
The march will be followed by a rally with speakers between the
Civic Centre and the Guildhall.
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by Suzannah, Stoke
Wednesday, July 16 2008, 10:13PM
“G - I can only speak from my own experience. My friends in the private sector doing a similar job to mine (PA/Secretary) have had very generous pay rises. But of course I have made my choices and work for the NHS because I love my job.”
by G, Plymouth
Wednesday, July 16 2008, 5:24PM
“I think everyone deserve inflation pay increases ... BUT when we are seeing increasing levels of unemployment a credit crunch and companies starting to go bankrupt because of the ever increasing costs .... individuals should ask themselves this question... the government doesn't have a never ending pot of money it has what it has any additional money would be raised by taxes from all of us ! what would they rather all have a job or less have jobs but at greater levels of pay ... I know what my answer would be ..... do you think private sector workers are getting above inflation or even at inflation increases ... I know plenty of people that have had no cost of living increase for the past 2 years and think themselves luck to be employed .....”
by DrT, Plymouth
Wednesday, July 16 2008, 5:12PM
“Suzannah, Stoke, don't EVER think of yourself as "ONLY" anything. You are not defined by what you do but by who you are! The city/country/world forgets this at its peril.”
by Suzannah, Stoke
Wednesday, July 16 2008, 4:32PM
“We had to wait from April to October for our NHS miserable pay rise and they didn't even have the decency to pay us interest on it, despite the fact that it was our money. I may only be a clerical worker at Derriford but if I went on strike, it would hold up appointments, ongoing treatment and all sorts. The clerical staff on the NHS are the most undervalued of the lot but we would not strike and put people at risk.”
by Dave, Devonport
Wednesday, July 16 2008, 10:15AM
“I wonder how many people traumatised by having their bins emptied a day late or a bit of inconvenience could manage on the money some of these people earn? In a rich country like this people having to strike to get a fair deal is a disgrace.So those of you whose cosy lives will be mildly disrupted I feel your pain,I'm wiping the tears away as I type.those who are striking will not be paid,many can only be described as poor in the first place.The decision to strike is never taken lightly outside of the pages of the Daily Mail.With less waste and proper management every council could afford to pay it's workers properly.”