UNISON to ballot for strike action at Cardiff County council

UNISON members at Cardiff county council are to be balloted members on industrial action after the council announced its intention to cut the working week, resulting in a loss of almost seven days pay over the period of a year.

Cardiff County branch secretary Spencer Pearson said: “It is with regret that we have to resort to industrial action in order to defend our members’ terms and conditions.

“We will be recommending to our members that they vote for industrial action following the council’s attack on its own workforce.

“This attack will not only result in a significant loss for all of our members, but inevitably a reduction in the quality of the services that they deliver.

“It is not our members’ fault that the council is in such a financial mess, yet it is them who are expected to pick up the bill for it.”

And Mr Pearson explained: “UNISON presented a plan to the council in January of this year which would have got them through the next 12 months without impacting on our members’ pay, but they weren’t prepared to listen.

“This morning, we met with the new leader, Councillor Bale, who while being keen to resolve the dispute did not put anything concrete before us that we could put to our members.

“It is disappointing to note that this was the first meeting – despite there being a 45-day consultation period during which UNISON requested a meeting with the leader.

“A strike will cause significant disruption to council services and is not a decision taken lightly by our members.

“We are the only trade union in Cardiff that is fighting the council’s attacks on its staff and our members can be assured that we will do all that we can to resolve the issue. There just needs to be a willingness from the council to resolve it.”

UNISON is the largest union in the council.

UNISON in local government

UNISON Cymru/Wales