Council staff on strike in Dorset

Unions have rejected what council employers say is their final offer

Schools and libraries have closed for a second day in Dorset with staff on strike over pay.

At least 500,000 staff in England, Wales and Northern Ireland are expected to join the second day of the 48-hour action, Unison and Unite say.

All libraries in Bournemouth and five others in the county have shut while 25 schools are affected by the action.

Weymouth and Portland, West Dorset and Poole councils said waste should be put out but collections could be missed.

It said any missed collections would be picked up on the next usual date.

East Dorset council said its housing and council tax counters would be closed on both days.

Union members at North Dorset District Council voted not to take part in the strike action.

Purbeck District Council and Christchurch councils said services should continue as normal.

Dorset County Council said Brackenbury First school, Portland, was partially closed.

We hope to keep disruption to all services to an absolute minimum Elaine Taylor, Dorset County Council Is your council hit by the strike? Send us your comments

Fourteen other schools in Bournemouth and 10 in Poole were affected and people should contact schools directly, the councils said.

The Dorset History Centre and Christchurch Library were to be closed on both days.

Corfe Mullen Library and Upton Library were closed on Wednesday with Blandford Library and Gillingham Library closed on Thursday.

Elaine Taylor, the county council's director for corporate resources, said: "Our current indications are that the majority of staff will be working.

Offer rejected

"We have reached agreement with Unison for a small number of staff to be exempt from strike action, because of the essential nature of the services they provide.

"We hope to keep disruption to all services to an absolute minimum."

The unions are protesting at pay deals which they said were below the rate of inflation and would mean an effective pay cut for their members.

Members rejected a 2.45% pay offer and are asking for a rise of 6%, or 50p an hour.

The unions said 500,000 members walked out on the first day, but employers put the number at 100,000.