CHILDREN’S social workers in Kirklees are to walk out tomorrow to attend a rally in support of their dispute with Kirklees Council.

The action is over workloads, numbers of agency staff, inconsistent management, inadequate workplaces, lack of a travel plan and inadequate IT support.

More than 250 Unison members voted to take part in strike action in January, but a one-day strike planned for that month was cancelled due to the offer of talks with management.

Paul Holmes, Kirklees Unison branch secretary, said: “No one wants to strike but someone has to ‘get hold’ of this dispute.

“Social workers are leaving the Council at a rate of knots.

“Two new social workers started work in Kirklees Council a fortnight ago and handed in their notice after an hour.

“All our members in children’s social work will be walking out at 3pm on Thursday, March 2, to attend a rally to prove their support for these issues and to urge the Council to give the dispute the priority it deserves.”

The action follows a critical Ofsted report in November.