Strike action looms at Calderdale Council after GMB members vote for ballot over industrial action

Workers say they are angry after the authority refused to shift position on an equal pay review, fire and re-hire and an anti-trade union facilities agreement.

GMB members say they were asked if they would be prepared to move to a strike action ballot if the council stuck to its position - and last week’s indicative ballot result confirmed they would.

Peter Davies, GMB Senior Organiser, said: “We have seen this council becoming increasingly aggressive with our reps.

“In meetings they try to force through cuts and extra responsibilities in various departments and use threats to fire workers if they fail to agree.

“They refuse to give our reps adequate facilities.

“Their willingness to ignore calls for a review of terms and conditions for their own employees - whilst they pour hundreds of thousands into their out-sourced partners’ contracts to do the same work - is an absolute scandal.

“When we consider the fact that this is a Labour-run council, it's even more shocking.

“We are sick of hearing the same lame excuses from management when we try to raise these issues and have called for urgent talks with the council leader, Tim Swift, to intervene in the hope we can avoid a strike.

“If he refuses, we will ballot.”

Calderdale Council’s Cabinet Member for Resources, Coun Silvia Dacre, said: “We have been notified that the GMB Union has held an indicative ballot. The details of the dispute as stated by GMB do not accurately reflect the council’s position.”