A STRIKE among Swindon Council workers could be on the cards if a pensions row is not resolved.

Staff are said to be very angry about changes to their pension schemes, being proposed by Government.

It could cause a nationwide walkout among Unison members.

The prospect of a strike moved closer yesterday when members of Unison supported holding a ballot on industrial action over plans to increase their retirement age and change their pension scheme.

Unison's 2,500 members at Swindon Council are spread across all departments and if this action went ahead it would bring many frontline services to a halt. The strike would be on a similar scale to the one in July 2002.

Swindon branch secretary Bob Cretchley said the national mood was reflected in Swindon.

"The feedback I am getting is that members are very angry," he said.

"In local government pay levels are not brilliant but a reasonable pension has always been one of the pluses. People feel rightly angry.

"Hopefully, the pressure of even the threat of a ballot will make the Government back off."

Mr Cretchley said he would be meeting with both Swindon's MPs in the next week to ask them not to support the proposals.

About 2,500 of Swindon Council's staff are members of Unison but other unions representing council workers could follow the lead of Unison, raising the threat of huge disruption to council services.

Nationally, Unison said a majority of its 850,000 local government members who took part in a consultative ballot supported a full vote on whether to take industrial action.

Union leaders will meet later this week to decide their next step, which could lead to a nationwide strike.

General secretary Dave Prentis said: "Despite strong union opposition, the Government is intent on pushing through these changes a year early for local government workers.

"This is not a fight we can afford to give up when the average pension for a local government worker is just £3,800 a year.

"If the Government won't listen then we have no option but to call for strike action."

Unison said changes to the pension scheme were coming into force a year ahead of other public sector schemes and would increase the retirement age to 65.

Other changes included a move to a basic pay scheme rather than final salary resulting in a smaller pension, while employees would pay more.

Local government workers faced pension cuts of up to 30 per cent if they retired at 60, said Unison.

Factfile

PARTS of Swindon ground to a halt for a day during a one-day strike in 2002

Many of the council's frontline services were hit when more than 2,000 council workers walked out on July 17, 2002 as part of the biggest national strike since 1979

Rubbish was not collected, one school was forced to close and Spring Gardens and Brunel North car parks as well as Wroughton park and ride had to shut down

Swindon Museum and Art Gallery, West Swindon Library, Lydiard House, the Safer Swindon Shop and all council offices except the Civic Offices were also closed

Many other services operated with skeleton staff. Workers in key sectors, such as care of the elderly, were exempt from taking part in the strike

That strike was organised by three unions Unison, GMB and T&GWU after they rejected a three per cent pay rise offer. The unions wanted a six per cent, or £1,750 rise, for all council workers to bring the minimum wage in local government to £11,170

After the strike Unison's Swindon branch thanked residents for their support of the striking workers.

Isabel Field