July 17, 2008	Thursday	Rajab 13, 1429

LONDON, July 16: Tens of thousands of UK’s council workers and civil servants went on strike on Wednesday in bitter disputes over pay.

The walkout has led to the closure of schools, libraries, museums and civic offices across England, Wales and Northern Ireland on Wednesday morning, while refuse collections have also been cancelled and a host of other services disrupted.

More than half a million workers are expected to join the 48-hour walkout on Wednesday and Thursday in protest at a rejected 2.45 per cent pay offer.

The recent jump in the Consumer Price Index to 3.8 per cent and the Retail Price Index inflation to 4.8 per cent seemed to have forced workers to demand a bigger pay rise this year.

The government had planned to keep the rate of inflation, already double the year’s target, from getting out of control by keeping wage increases within ‘reasonable’ limits. This seems impossible now.

The employers are warning that a bigger rise would have to be funded through higher council taxes or cuts in services. On the other hand a rise of more than 2.45 per cent is expected to trigger a new wave of all-round price escalation.

Meanwhile, in a separate pay row, members of the Public and Commercial Services union, including driving test examiners and coastguards, are also expected to take industrial action in the next few days. And they are likely to be joined by London Underground cleaners and their supporters. They staged a protest outside the City Hall.

The Rail Maritime and Transport union said the cleaners were receiving rates as low as £5.50 an hour despite backing from Mayor Boris Johnson for public sector workers to receive the so-called London Living Wage of £7.45 an hour.