600,000 public sector staff to strike

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LONDON (Reuters) - Around 600,000 local government workers voted to strike over pay deals which they say do not reflect the rise in the cost of living, leading public sector union Unison said on Monday.

"This is a solid vote for action and a clear message to the local government employers that our members are willing to fight for a decent pay rise," Unison general secretary Dave Prentis said in a statement.

Unison said workers in England, Wales and Northern Ireland had voted by 55 percent to 45 percent for a programme of sustained strikes.

The government and Bank of England policymakers have stressed the importance of wage discipline as worries grow about rising inflation, which hit its highest in May since Labour came to power in 1997.

Finance minister Alistair Darling is keen to sustain the government’s unpopular policy of keeping public sector pay deals pegged to the 2 percent inflation target, even though inflation hit 3.3 percent last month.

Labour, which gets much of its financial and grassroots support from the trade unions, faces the risk of losing power to the resurgent Conservatives opposition at the next election due by May 2010.

(Reporting by Matt Falloon)

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