Thousands of schools could be forced to close next month after more than 600,000 council workers voted yesterday to strike over pay. The walkout, expected to last 48 hours, will also hit rubbish collections, libraries, social work and other frontline services.

The decision by members of Unison, the biggest public sector union, to reject a 2.45 per cent pay offer could trigger a wave of industrial action this autumn over below-inflation pay deals. Unison has already indicated that it will press for part of the three-year NHS pay deal to be renegotiated if inflation rises further and Civil Service unions are threatening a national strike ballot later this year.

Gordon Brown, who said last night that he was disappointed by the strike decision, has made clear that higher pay increases will stoke inflation. Local government employers issued a warning that any pay rises would lead to cuts in services or higher council tax bills.

Unison council staff voted by 55 per cent to 45 per cent for strike action after employers turned down their demands for a 6 per cent rise. The turnout was only 27 per cent but Unison officials said that support would have been stronger if the ballot had been held after the latest inflation warnings. Public services across Britain could be disrupted as school dinner workers, classroom assistants, cleaners, refuse collectors, social workers, library and benefit staff walk out.

The strike vote comes after Dave Prentis, the general secretary of Unison, gave warning that the Government could be brought down at the next general election unless it changed its position of capping public pay at 2 per cent. He said: “This is a solid vote for action and a clear message to the local government employers that our members are willing to fight for a decent pay rise. They are fed up and angry that they are expected to accept pay cut after pay cut while bread-and-butter prices go through the roof. Most of them are low-paid workers, who are hit hardest by food and fuel price hikes and they see the unfairness of boardroom bonanzas and big city bonuses.”

Union officials will discuss tactics today and make a decision on Friday about the length and date of a strike. They are likely to opt initially for a two-day strike before the end of the school term next month.

Unison’s Scottish members will be balloted for a strike next month and Unite, the biggest union, is balloting for strike action among its local government workers.

David Frost, the director-general of the British Chambers of Commerce, said: “Striking in the current economic climate will only lead to worsening inflationary pressures. The public finances are not strong enough to dish out any extra pay without further taxation to fund it. Far too many days are lost to strikes already, which is having a damaging effect on both business and the image of UK plc.”

Eric Pickles, Shadow Communities Secretary, said: “The country faces a summer of strikes and cuts to local services. Yet Labour’s ministers seem unwilling to take on the union barons since the Labour Party is now totally dependent on union funding to stave off bankruptcy.”

ocal authority employers urged the unions to consider seriously whether they had a big enough mandate for a strike, when turnout was so low and only about 15 per cent of their members had voted for it. “If the pay settlement is set any higher, then councils will be forced into making unpalatable choices between cutting frontline services and laying off staff,” said Brian Baldwin, chairman of National Joint Council, which represents employers. “Neither unions nor employers would want either of these options.

“Any strike action Unison calls could have serious implications for some of the most vulnerable people in society and would not change the fact that our last offer was our final offer,” Mr Baldwin said. “The settlement on the table was affordable both to the taxpayer and councils while at the same time made sure that local government continued to be an attractive place to work.”

A spokesman for the Department for Communities and Local Government said it was disappointed that Unison had decided to take strike action but hoped that an affordable pay deal could be reached. Two years ago a million local government workers went on strike in a dispute over pensions and six years ago more than a million staged a one-day walkout over pay.

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