Council walk-outs hamper services (From Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard)

Council walk-outs hamper services

COUNCIL-run services across the Cotswolds ground to a halt this week as hundreds of staff staged a one-day walk out.

Libraries, day care services and schools were all affected by the one-day strike by public sector workers as the row over state pensions escalated.

The staff were striking to defend their pensions against what they claim is unfair treatment by the Government over pensions.

Hundreds of workers from Cotswold District Council and Gloucestershire County Council took part in the one-day action with many forming picket lines outside their places of work.

At CDC's Trinity Road offices members of the trade union UNISON made it clear why they were striking.

Colin Davies, chairman of UNISON at CDC, said: "We really want to highlight the fact that local Government staff are being treated unfairly."

He explained the Government's proposal to end the '85 year rule', whereby workers can retire if their age plus the number of years they have worked totals 85, will directly affect many CDC workers.

Colin said: "In personal terms we do have members of staff who are in the position where they will have to work 50 percent longer. They have been in local Government all their lives and now they will have to work five years longer."

Pensions for CDC and Gloucestershire County Council are final salary schemes which are not fully funded.

At CDC several departments such as environmental health and planning were severely affect by the strike.

Refuse collections across the Cotswolds were also affected.

Meanwhile at the county council, schools, libraries and social services were hardest hit.

Outside the social services offices in Lewis Lane, Cirencester a group of care workers held strong on their picket line.

Irene Saunders was one of them. She said: "The Government wants us to work to 65 and if we retire at 60 our pensions will be reduced. At the moment we can retire at 60 if we want. They want to force everyone to work to 65 for a full pension and we are not happy."