Repairs and maintenance staff at Stoke-on-Trent City Council have voted to go on strike as part of a national pay dispute.
Trade union Unite balloted more than 1,000 members at seven local authorities following an ‘unsatisfactory’ pay offer of 3.2 per cent from the Local Government Association (LGA), which handles council workers’ pay nationally.
The affected workers are primarily involved in housing maintenance work, such as plumbing and heating engineering.
The city council has said it aims to reduce the impact on tenants.
A council spokesperson confirmed the outcome of the ballot and added: “We have been preparing for this outcome through the ballot process and our aim is to avoid a negative impact on the services we provide for residents.
“Sadly, this is a national dispute and we look forward to the issue being resolved at a national level as soon as possible.
“In the meantime, we will continue to work with the local workforce to seek to ensure a positive working relationship going forwards.”
Unite is also opposing proposals to remove apprentices from the national red book agreement and put new entrants on the same pay scale as qualified craft operatives.
Daily Focus has contacted the union for comment.
