THE West Dunbartonshire Branch of UNISON has launched a consultative ballot of admin members seeking their views on taking industrial action- including strike action.

Their move comes in response to the Council creating a 'Corporate Administration Service' which brings together virtually all admin staff in the local authority in to one team on generic job descriptions.

The move to a centralised team has, according to union leaders, left members feeling their skills and experience are "devalued" and created "alienation" at work.

They also claim that morale has further plummeted as some staff face a £5k drop in their wages which is over 20 per cent of their pay.

It is hoped the consultative ballot will give a clear indication of the strength of feeling of members and lead the council to rethink and remove the pay cuts.

UNISON Branch Convenor, Val Jennings said: "Our members at mass meetings expressed such anger at the handling of the Central Admin Service and the cuts to wages that they indicated they wanted to strike.

"We’ve raised this with management and continue to meet them.

"We’d have to acknowledge that steps have been taken to improve communication but they are still sticking to the £5k cuts.

"It is unacceptable that when we see the number of staff earning over £50k a year increase from 107 to 116 in a year the Council is asking low paid predominantly female staff to swallow a £5k cut.

"The whole branch is behind our admin workers and is well aware that there are similar huge cuts to wages facing care workers who are again mainly women."

Val continued: "These and other cuts are part of needless austerity.

"We welcome the launching a joint trade union and community based campaign against austerity in West Dunbartonshire and will be contacting Councillors to call on them to start exercising political leadership.

"You can’t claim to be part of an anti austerity party if you will stand by and let low paid women receive an over 20 per cent cut in wages."

West Dunbartonshire Councillor Jim Bollan is backing the union's fight.

He said: "This is happening in other sections for example, care sector and libraries.

"The Community Party are totally opposed to these draconian back door cuts in wages for workers and will support Unison and the members in any way we can.

"We have to overturn this direct attack on the pay of Council employees by this part time Labour Council, who are determined to increase the numbers of the working poor which in turn will increase the already high poverty levels in West Dunbartonshire."