Council staff renew strike threat over pay dispute

Staff at a council have threatened to go on strike over a pay dispute, a union representative has said.

Employees of Peterborough Limited, which is owned by Peterborough City Council, have threatened strike action after claiming they were yet to be offered a suitable pay increase which reflected their work.

The company provides services including waste management, street cleaning and for libraries, museums and leisure centres.

Previously, Peterborough Limited told the BBC it "highly values its staff and the work they do to deliver services in the city and we remain committed to continuing talks with the unions".

GMB union said many of its members were struggling on low pay and 78% of them voted in favour of industrial action.

It said a previous offer from Peterborough Limited would mean a 2.25% rise above the increase required to meet the National Living Wage.

Yet workers employed directly by the council have received a more generous pay award, the union said.

The union claimed that staff members were frustrated as Peterborough Limited was "supposedly pointing to Peterborough City Council, blaming them for the lack of funding".

Gordon White, the regional organiser at GMB Union, said: "The employer has indicated that there is another offer to be put on the table, but the early indications are that it's not going to be much more money than was already discussed.

"We will be meeting with the employer to see exactly what it is that's on the table that we can put to our members.

"The members' patience is already at breaking point.

"The next step will be a formal ballot, but we're doing everything we can to avoid that."

A spokesperson for Peterborough Limited said: "Our funding is predominately driven from Peterborough City Council, who like all local authorities continue to see unprecedented pressure on its resources and finances, as such we are committed to support Peterborough City Council through delivering a balanced budget."

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