Action! More strikes on way, warn unions

Schools closed and council services were disrupted as thousands of workers across the borough walked out for 24 hours.

The strike is mainly over a one per cent pay rise offer after years of pay freezes for public sector staff.

It was the biggest stoppage since the public sector strike in 2011, with around 1.5 million workers walking out nationally.

Mick Stowe, joint branch secretary of Rotherham Unison, which had more than 3,000 members on strike, said: “All our members need a pay rise.

“A pay freeze in 2010, 2011 and 2012 and below inflation rises in eight of the last 17 years has sent the pay packets of local government and school workers plummeting back to the level of the 1990s.

“It’s likely there will be more strikes in September and a national TUC march and demonstration in October.”

Teaching assistants, refuse collectors, teachers, home helps, social workers, catering workers, environmental health officers and many more joined the walkout.

Civil service workers and firefighters — who have staged a series of strikes over pensions — also joined the action.

Unions say Government spending cuts, including more than £70 million in Rotherham,  have decimated services. They say workers’ income has fallen by 15 per cent.

A GMB spokesman added: “Members serving school meals, cleaning streets, emptying bins, looking after the elderly, helping children in classrooms and in all the other vital roles serving our communities are fed-up with being ignored and undervalued.”

Ian Stevenson, NUT regional secretary, said: “Our members on strike are proud to stand up for teachers, for education and for pupils and parents.”

Firefighters are planning to take action on eight consecutive days this month.

A Local Government Association spokesman said the pay offer was the “fairest possible deal”. The Government says the walkouts cannot be justified and has threatened to tighten employment legislation.