My 'council', what about 'my pay'

(02/07/08) UNISON today attacked the Local Government Association (LGA) for launching a 'My council' public relations exercise, as 600,000 local government workers prepare to take strike action.The LGA is using its annual conference in Bournemouth to trail a series of posters telling people about the many services provided by councils.UNISON general secretary Dave Prentis, said: "The LGA poster campaign shows just how difficult working for the council can be. What it doesn’t tell you is just how little those people get paid for doing jobs that most people would run a mile from."These are the very people who are being asked to take a pay cut. These are the people who will be out on strike on 16 and 17 July."The LGA is happy to boast about what excellent value for money council services provide, but they won’t share those £16bn efficiency savings with the people who made them - council workers."It’s time for the employers to tear themselves away from publicity seeking and concentrate on settling the current pay dispute so that council workers can continue keeping the streets clean and people safe.UNISON members also leafleted local government leaders attending the LGA conference, calling on them to come back to the table to negotiate a fair deal on pay.