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From classroom assistants to social workers, and from gardeners to engineers, up to a million local government workers are voting on strikes over the next few weeks after employers awarded them a pay rise of just 1 percent. Socialist Worker explains why Unison and GMB union members should vote Yes

The possibility of more than a million workers striking together in July has moved a step closer. The GMB union announced on Friday of last week that it is balloting 220,000 of its members in local government and schools over whether to strike over attacks on their pay.

Some 200 people gathered at Sandwell Council in the West Midlands to lobby against significant cuts to youth services on Wednesday of last week.

Unison, Unite and GMB, the local government unions, are to begin an immediate consultation of their members over employers’ lousy 1 percent pay offer.

Local government workers in Unison, GMB and Unite unions are furious at bosses’ failure to make a pay offer for this year.

Unison has given local government bosses until 1 April to respond to unions’ pay claim or they will begin a national branch consultation.

Local government workers across Britain joined protests for a decent pay rise on Tuesday of this week.