Arun striking over pension plans

In a national ballot, almost 250,000 UNISON members voted in favour of strike action against the plans, which could see council employees working longer hours and paying more for their pension.

It is not yet known which services will be affected by the action, scheduled to take place on Wednesday, November 30.

Speaking before the ballot result, which was announced on Tuesday (November 8), Arun UNISON branch secretary, Brain Walter, said: “The amount the government wants to take out of the scheme, almost £1bn, is a direct and unfair tax on local government staff and will not be used to make the pension scheme even more sustainable in the long term.

“It will go to pay for rescuing the banks, while bankers who got the country into this mess in the first place continue to take enormous bonuses and contributions to their own pension pot.”

The proposals would mean local government employees earning over £15,000 would pay an additional 1.5 per cent of their salary into the pension scheme and those earning over £21,000 paying up to six per cent more.

A council spokeswoman said that the authority would be hosting talks with UNISON officials, adding: “We will work to ensure the impact on our residents, especially the most vulnerable in our community, is kept to a minimum.”