More than half of council staff want further strike action to be ruled out following the dispute last Thursday, according to new research.
The survey of local government workers, conducted by Local Government News magazine, found that 57% said staff do not want to strike again if the pay offer is not increased.
However, it did reveal that 71% thought the strike helped raise the profile of low pay in local government. This is a significant increase from before the strike took place, with our previous survey showing only 49% believed it would have this effect.
Of those surveyed, 58% reported public services were reduced or closed as a result of the strike action in their council area.
When asked about concerns that more staff would be made redundant if the pay offer was increased, council staff had divided opinions. Half of those surveyed said this was a genuine concern for them, but the other half said this would not be a consequence of a pay rise.
A spokesman for the Local Government Association said: 'Most local government staff did not vote to strike and did not take part in strike action. We urge the unions to accept the pay offer so that this money can reach our employees who have been waiting for it since April.'
UNISON's head of local government, Heather Wakefield, said: 'There was a strong majority vote for this action in a secret ballot. It was a massive step for local government workers, many of whom are paid barely above the minimum wage, to sacrifice a day's pay and walk out.
'There is no doubt that the strike was an enormous success in raising the profile of low pay in local government in both the media and amongst the general public, and we are urging the employers to recognise the depth of feeling that council workers showed on the strike day by coming back to the table to settle this dispute.'
Click here to read a selection of comments made by council staff on last week’s strike.
