Council strikes in Wales to be extended by three weeks

Council workers in Cardiff and Wrexham will strike for an additional three weeks as a dispute over pay deepens.

Unite union members in the two local authorities are currently in the middle of two weeks of industrial action which is set to end on 17 September.

They will now also strike from 25 September to 15 October.

The strike will affect refuse collections and recycling centres in particular.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: "There has been silence from local authority employers during this strike action.

"Our members are not backing down and we will now escalate the industrial action until local authorities start negotiating with us."

Workers at Gwynedd's council has also started one week of strike action which runs until 17 September.

The union said the local authority employers' pay rise for 2023-24 - a total of £1,925 for those earning less than £49,950 - was a poorer offer than that of last year and represented a pay cut in real terms.

Peter Hughes, Unite Wales regional secretary, said: "It can't be acceptable for council workers who provide essential public services to be earning salaries that are barely above the national minimum wage.

The National Employers for Local Government Services has previously said the pay offer for 2023-24 was "full and final".

They also defended the offer as "fair in the circumstances" and said it "equates to an increase for the lowest paid of 9.42% this year; meaning their pay will have increased by £4,033 [22%] over the two years since April 2021".

The GMB union also said more than 4,100 school and council workers in Wales would begin voting on strike action on Tuesday 12 September after rejecting a pay offer.

Ballots will take place at almost 700 schools and local authorities across Wales, the union said.

School workers such as teaching assistants, lunchtime supervisors, caretakers and administrative staff and council workers including social workers, refuse collectors, grounds staff and care workers will take part the ballot which closes on 24 October.

If workers vote to strike, walkouts at schools and councils could begin from 9 November.

The Welsh government and the Welsh Local Government Association have been approached for comment.